The death penalty remains one of the most controversial issues in the United States. Its proponents claim many things in their defense of its continued application. For example, they claim that it deters crime, that death by lethal injection is painless and humane, that it is racially neutral, and that it provides "closure" to families of the victims. In this comprehensive review of the major death penalty issues, the authors systematically dismantle each one of these myths about capital punishment in a hard-hitting critique of how our social, political, and community leaders have used fear and myth (symbolic politics) to misrepresent the death penalty as a public policy issue. They successfully demonstrate how our political and community leaders have used myth and emotional appeals to misrepresent the facts about capital executions. Successive chapters address the following topics: the notion of community bonding, the expectation of effective crime fighting, the desire for equal justice, deterrence, the hope for fidelity to the Constitution, the claim of error-free justice, closure, retribution, cost-effectiveness, and the messianic desires of some politicians. In each of these areas the authors quote from death penalty advocates making these claims and then proceed to analyze and ultimately dismember the claimed advantages of the death penalty.

In this volume, eight essays by well known sociologists explore the personal experiences, of social scientists, their unique ways of doing sociology, and the relationship between sociological theory and its application. In each chapter, the contributors integrate their sociological expertise with their personal lives and prove that sociological understanding and personal experience can and do mesh. Personal Sociology is a novel presentation that truly humanizes the practice and field of sociology.

MORAL MAKEOVER This book is for every person who is tired of the moral decline in our Nation, and is willing to help turn the tide- beginning with an inner examination Drawing from the wisdom found in the Old Testament book of Proverbs, seven major principles are examined: Righteousness Humility Absolute Truth Inner Initiative Generosity Commitment Equal Justice Peace As current as the news headlines, these issues are put on display in an insightful way. Each chapter contains notable quotes, key Proverbs, interesting stories, and a checklist for personal diagnosis. While not a commentary on Proverbs, this book will deliver a renewed appreciation for this often-overlooked section of the Bible. This is recommended reading for everyone from politicians to pastors; from professors to people of all ages who desire to live a principled lifestyle in era of moral decline. John M. Johnson is an ordained pastor in the Church of the Nazarene. He received his M. Div. at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He served as a pastor in two churches in Pennsylvania, and has been engaged in prison ministry around the country since 1992. He currently resides near Scranton, PA, with his wife Becky, daughter Abigail, and two sons - Joel and Philip.

Featuring articles reprinted from "Studies in Symbolic Interaction" and "Symbolic Interaction," this book covers such topics as theoretical directions in interactionism, interpretations of the theory of George Herbert Mead, Meadian connections, and dramaturgy and Goffman.

This collection of ten original essays was first published in 1977. It engages the 'crisis in sociology' at the most fundamental level of thought and experience. Existential sociology is defined as the study and understanding of all forms of human existence. Without seeking to erect a pristine philosophical sanctuary of its own, Existential Sociology examines and criticizes the underlying philosophical assumptions of previous theories of social science, while elaborating its own approach to human understanding. The contributors are concerned with constructing practical as well as theoretical truths about social life - how we feel, think and act. In contrast to most other sociologies, the emphasis is on the independence and dominance of human feelings over the evaluative and cognitive features of social actions. Students and teachers of sociology and people in related fields interested in the connection between social science and their own subjects will find Existential Sociology useful and absorbing.

MORAL MAKEOVER This book is for every person who is tired of the moral decline in our Nation, and is willing to help turn the tide- beginning with an inner examination Drawing from the wisdom found in the Old Testament book of Proverbs, seven major principles are examined: Righteousness Humility Absolute Truth Inner Initiative Generosity Commitment Equal Justice Peace As current as the news headlines, these issues are put on display in an insightful way. Each chapter contains notable quotes, key Proverbs, interesting stories, and a checklist for personal diagnosis. While not a commentary on Proverbs, this book will deliver a renewed appreciation for this often-overlooked section of the Bible. This is recommended reading for everyone from politicians to pastors; from professors to people of all ages who desire to live a principled lifestyle in era of moral decline. John M. Johnson is an ordained pastor in the Church of the Nazarene. He received his M. Div. at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He served as a pastor in two churches in Pennsylvania, and has been engaged in prison ministry around the country since 1992. He currently resides near Scranton, PA, with his wife Becky, daughter Abigail, and two sons - Joel and Philip.