Sociological Theory In The Classical Era Text And Readings 3rd Edition Laura Desfor And Scott Appelrouth by Laura Desfor And Scott Appelrouth 9781452203614, 145220361X instant download after payment.

Every semester, we begin our sociological theory courses by telling
students that we love sociological theory, and that one of our goals is
to get each and every one of them to love theory too. This challenge
we set for ourselves makes teaching sociological theory exciting. If
you teach “sexy” topics like the sociology of drugs, crime, or sex, students
come into class expecting to be titillated. By contrast, when you teach
sociological theory, students tend to come into class expecting the course to
be abstract, dry, and absolutely irrelevant to their lives. The fun in teaching
sociological theory is in proving students wrong. The thrill in teaching
sociological theory is in helping students to see that sociological theory is
absolutely central to their everyday lives—and fascinating as well. What a
reward it is to have students who adamantly insisted that they “hated” theory
at the beginning of the semester be “converted” into theorists by the end!
In teaching sociological theory, we use original texts. We rely on original
texts in part because every time we read these works we derive new meaning
from them. Core sociological works tend to become “core” precisely for this
reason. However, using original readings requires that the professor spend lots
of time and energy explaining issues and material that is unexplained or taken
for granted by the theorist. This book was born of this process—teaching
from original works and explaining them to our students. Hence, this book
includes the original readings we use in our courses, as well as our
interpretation and explanation of them.
Thus, this book is distinct in that it is both a reader and a text. It is unlike
existing readers in several ways, however. First and foremost, this book is not
just a collection of seemingly disconnected readings. Rather, in this book we
provide an overarching theoretical framework within which to understand,
compare, and contrast these selections. In our experience, this overarching
theoretical framework is essential in explaining the relevance and excitement
of sociological theory.
In addition, we discuss the social and intellectual milieu in which the
selections were written, as well as their contemporary relevance. Thus, we
connect these seemingly disparate works not only theoretically, but also via
concrete applications to today’s world.
Finally, this theory book is unique in that we provide a variety of visuals
and pedagogical devices—historical and contemporary photographs, and
diagrams and charts illuminating core theoretical concepts and comparing
specific ideas—to enhance student understanding. Our thinking is, Why
should only introductory-level textbooks have visual images and pedagogical
aids? Most everyone, not just the youngest audiences, enjoys—and learns
from—visuals.
The third edition of this book is distinct in that it includes even more visual
elements, contemporary applications, and examples. It also includes
additional discussion questions as well as a glossary to assist students in
familiarizing themselves with the key terms.