Classical and Contemporary Social Theory: Investigation and Application, 1/e, is the most comprehensive, informative social theory book on the market. The title covers multiple schools of thought and applies their ideas to society today. Readers will learn the origins of social theory and understand the role of myriad social revolutions that shaped the course of societies around the world.

The notion of common sense and abiding by its implications is something that, seemingly, everyone agrees is a good way of making behavioral decisions and conducting one's daily activities. This holds true whether one is a liberal, moderate, or conservative; young or old; and regardless of one's race and ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. If utilizing common sense is such a good idea, why then, do so many people seem to violate it? This is just one of many significant questions surrounding the idea of common sense explored and discussed in this book. This volume presents common sense as a 'paradigm of thought' and as such, compares it to other major categories of thought - tradition, faith, enlightened and rational. Combining a balance of practical, everyday approaches (through the use of popular culture references and featured boxes) and academic analysis of core and conceptual methodological issues, Delaney demonstrates: The limitations of common sense and its place in everyday social interactions How we learn about common sense Why common sense is so important Common Sense as a Paradigm of Thought introduces readers to a rich variety of sociological authors and will appeal to students and researchers interested in fields such as: sociology, philosophy, social psychology, cultural studies, communications and health studies.

The premise of Darkened Enlightenment is to highlight the fact that there currently exist a number of socio-political forces that have the design, or ultimate consequence, of trying to extinguish the light of reason and rationality. The book presents a critique of modernity and provides a socio-political and cultural analysis of world society in the early twenty-first century. Specifically, this analysis examines the deterioration of democracy, human rights, and rational thought. Key features include a combination of academic analysis that draws on numerous and specific examples of the growing darkness that surrounds us along with a balanced practical, everyday-life approach to the study of the socio-political world we live in through the use of popular culture references and featured boxes. The general audience will also be intrigued by these same topics that concern academics including: a discussion on the meaning of "fake news"; attacks on the media and a declaration of the news media as the "enemy of the people"; the rise of populism and nationalism around the world; the deterioration of freedom and human rights globally; the growing economic disparity between the rich and the poor; attempts to devalue education; a growing disbelief in science; attacks on the environment; pseudoscience as a by-product of unreasoned and irrational thinking; the political swamp; the power elites and the deep state; and the variations of Big Business that impact our daily lives. This book will make a great contribution to such fields as sociology, philosophy, political science, environmental science, public administration, economics, psychology, and cultural studies.

The notion of common sense and abiding by its implications is something that, seemingly, everyone agrees is a good way of making behavioral decisions and conducting one's daily activities. This holds true whether one is a liberal, moderate, or conservative; young or old; and regardless of one's race and ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. If utilizing common sense is such a good idea, why then, do so many people seem to violate it? This is just one of many significant questions surrounding the idea of common sense explored and discussed in this book. This volume presents common sense as a 'paradigm of thought' and as such, compares it to other major categories of thought - tradition, faith, enlightened and rational. Combining a balance of practical, everyday approaches (through the use of popular culture references and featured boxes) and academic analysis of core and conceptual methodological issues, Delaney demonstrates: The limitations of common sense and its place in everyday social interactions How we learn about common sense Why common sense is so important Common Sense as a Paradigm of Thought introduces readers to a rich variety of sociological authors and will appeal to students and researchers interested in fields such as: sociology, philosophy, social psychology, cultural studies, communications and health studies.

Many introductory texts claim to make sociology relevant to student interests. Perhaps no other text has done this so completely and engagingly as "Connecting Sociology to Our Lives." Tim Delaney not only portrays popular and contemporary culture examples, he explains sociology thoroughly within the frame of the contemporary culture of students a culture that reigns from political, economic, environmental, and other trends just as much as it involves today s pop stars. Engage your students in sociology through the prism of their own culture. Involve them in critical thinking and classroom discussion through the book s many What Do You Think? inserts. Inspire them to careers with this book s unique chapter, Sociology s Place in Society: Completing the Connection. Enjoy the fruits of an engaged classroom by assigning this remarkably vivid and concise new text.Features of this text: Emphasizes contemporary examples of the relevance of sociological concepts from song, film, television, sports, web media, and more. Covers all the standard sociological topics in a concise, fourteen-chapter book that allows time for classroom interaction and further readings. Chapter theme boxes include Taking a Closer Look, Connecting Sociology to Popular Culture, and What Do You Think? Focus on American culture along with coverage of sociology in the global community Unique concluding chapter helps students consider the lines of work they can consider with a sociology degree. Encourages an engaged sociology and engaged students.Pedagogy includes: Discussion questions designed to stimulate student thinking at the end of each chapter Chapter opening stories designed to stimulate student thought Chapter reviews of key sociological concepts, terms, and issues, including critical issues relevant to each chapter (e.g., an examination of the obesity epidemic in the United States in Chapter 14) Taking a Closer Look boxes and/or narratives on special topics Clearly written and to the point

The premise of The Diversity of Darkness and Shameful Behaviors is to emphasize the need for enlightened, rational thinking as a paradigm of thought as the culture of shamelessness continues to grow and cast its repulsive dark shadow over those who embrace enlightened reason and basic human rights for all. Diversity of Darkness is an innovative work and represents the third book of a trilogy written by the author that underscores the reality that there are many shamefully hateful and deadly behavioral threats that have jeopardized the very notions of civility, decency and justice around the world. This unique book utilizes evidence-based approaches in the examination of human behaviors in society that have become increasingly shameful and tolerated among a growing number of enablers. Key features include a combination of academic analyses that draw on numerous and specific examples of the diversity of darkness that encompasses the world along with a balanced practical, everyday-life approach to the study of the socio-political world we live in through the use of contemporary culture references and featured popular culture boxes. Social scientists, social thinkers and the general audience alike will be intrigued by the diversity of topics covered, including anti-civil rights movements; the rise of supremacist groups; hate crimes; mass shootings and active shootings; terrorism, war and genocide; an increase in shameful behaviors and attempts to shame others; and attacks on science, reason and rationality. We should realize that humanity has the intellect to accomplish great feats but heed the growing culture of shamelessness, irrationality and the diversity of darkness.

Classical and Contemporary Social Theory: Investigation and Application, 1/e, is the most comprehensive, informative social theory book on the market. The title covers multiple schools of thought and applies their ideas to society today. Readers will learn the origins of social theory and understand the role of myriad social revolutions that shaped the course of societies around the world.

The premise of Darkened Enlightenment is to highlight the fact that there currently exist a number of socio-political forces that have the design, or ultimate consequence, of trying to extinguish the light of reason and rationality. The book presents a critique of modernity and provides a socio-political and cultural analysis of world society in the early twenty-first century. Specifically, this analysis examines the deterioration of democracy, human rights, and rational thought. Key features include a combination of academic analysis that draws on numerous and specific examples of the growing darkness that surrounds us along with a balanced practical, everyday-life approach to the study of the socio-political world we live in through the use of popular culture references and featured boxes. The general audience will also be intrigued by these same topics that concern academics including: a discussion on the meaning of "fake news"; attacks on the media and a declaration of the news media as the "enemy of the people"; the rise of populism and nationalism around the world; the deterioration of freedom and human rights globally; the growing economic disparity between the rich and the poor; attempts to devalue education; a growing disbelief in science; attacks on the environment; pseudoscience as a by-product of unreasoned and irrational thinking; the political swamp; the power elites and the deep state; and the variations of Big Business that impact our daily lives. This book will make a great contribution to such fields as sociology, philosophy, political science, environmental science, public administration, economics, psychology, and cultural studies.

As the title of the book-Sportsmanship: Multidisciplinary Perspective-implies, this book is first and foremost a book about sportsmanship. But, its not just any book on sportsmanship, it is the definitive book on sportsmanship as it is the only book on sportsmanship not written at a simplistic level and directed toward children. The marketing of this book should hammer home the idea this is a book on sportsmanship as a specific subject and not just another book on sports. This is the marketing ""hook"" of the book-its unique subject matter. And, because it is multidisciplinary, this book would serve as a reader for countless courses-including Sport Studies but not limited to sports studies and instead including such academic disciplines as sociology, psychology, economics, political science, history, communications, journalism, philosophy, recreation, kinesiology, education, applied athletics, and so on... There are over two dozen contributing authors representing nearly as many academic disciplines from five different nations who have written essays for Sportsmanship: Multidisciplinary Perspective. All of the contributing authors teach sportsmanship in various courses and they are leading figures in their respective academic discipline. This multi-disciplinary approach to the study of sportsmanship will stimulate thought among all readers-students, professionals and casual sports fans alike--because of its diverse nature. In short, this is the book on sportsmanship.

This third edition takes a fresh approach to the study of sport, presenting key concepts such as socialization, race, ethnicity, gender, economics, religion, politics, deviance, violence, school sports and sportsmanship. While providing a critical examination of athletics, this text also highlights many of sports' positive features. This new edition includes significantly updated statistics, data and information along with updated popular culture references and real-world examples. Newly explored is the impact of several major world events that have left lasting effects on the sports realm, including a global pandemic (SARS-CoV-2, or COVID-19) and social movements like Black Lives Matter and Me Too. Another new topic is the "pay for play" movement, wherein college athletes demanded greater compensation and, at the very least, the right to profit from their own names, images and likenesses.

This book approaches environmentalism via two academic disciplines, sociology and philosophy. Both have concerns about the environment's ability not only to sustain itself but to thrive. The authors argue that rather than simple sustainability, we must promote thrivability for the sake of protecting the environment and all living things. In this greatly expanded second edition, the authors have updated data and examples, introduced new topics and concepts, and emphasized the need to lessen our dependence on fossil fuels. Numerous topics are explored, from the differences between sustainability and thrivability, and the overuse of plastic, to mass extinction, the role of natural disasters and more. The COVID-19 pandemic offers an added perspective on the relationship between disease and the environment.

The topic of social deviance is inherently intriguing. People in general, and college students in particular, find the topic of deviant behavior fascinating. This can be explained, at least in part, by a combination of the subject matter itself, our own past deviant behaviors, and our willingness and desire to evaluate and comment on the behaviors of others. While the topic of deviant behavior seems straightforward at the surface, the study of social deviance reveals how complicated it really is. Although Social Deviance utilizes a textbook-style approach in its coverage of deviant behavior, this comprehensive, straightforward, and student-friendly book maintains student interest because of the author's use of real life phenomena and current examples. Each chapter includes chapter objectives, an introductory story, a glossary of key terms, discussion questions and boxed material. The boxed materials include "A Closer Look" box that zooms in on topics that warrant deeper explanation; and a "Connecting Social Deviance and Popular Culture" box that shows how contemporary forms of popular culture illustrate deviant behavior.

Why do billions of people around the world love sports? The popular media is increasingly dedicated to the heated rivalries of sports teams, academic institutions are held in its thrall, sports metaphors are commonplace in our language, and most individuals participate in athletics or follow a team sport in some variation. This entertaining and informative book attempts to find out why-by examining sports in all its facets. The authors provide an overview of the history of sports, with a constant focus upon the social conditions through which sport arises and by which it continues to thrive.

Why do billions of people around the world love sports? The popular media is increasingly dedicated to the heated rivalries of sports teams, academic institutions are held in its thrall, sports metaphors are commonplace in our language, and most individuals participate in athletics or follow a team sport in some variation. This entertaining and informative book attempts to find out why-by examining sports in all its facets. The authors provide an overview of the history of sports, with a constant focus upon the social conditions through which sport arises and by which it continues to thrive.

For sociologists looking for a unique way to introduce their students to the field, for high school students or undergraduates taking their first sociology course, and for every Seinfeld fan, "Seinology" is both educational and a fun read.

This ""philosophical"" look at friendship and happiness begins with a review of Aristotle's three categories of friendship-friends of utility, friends of pleasure and friends of the good. Modern variations-casual friends, close friends, best friends-are described, along with the growing phenomena of virtual friendships and cyber socialization in the Internet age. Inspired in part by Bertrand Russell's The Conquest of Happiness, the authors propose that conquering unhappiness is key to achieving the self-satisfaction Russell called zest and Aristotle called eudaimonia or thriving by our own efforts.

In Beyond Sustainability: A Thriving Environment, Delaney and Madigan approach the study of the environment from two academic disciplines - sociology and philosophy. Both sociologists and philosophers have concerns about our environment's ability to not only sustain itself, but also reach a point where it can actually thrive. It is especially important to take an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the environment. In this book we examine the differences between ""sustainability"" and ""thrivability"" and discuss such topics as sociological and philosophical environmentalism, the ecosystem, and mass extinctions. We provide a review of some of the major human causes (e.g., hydro-fracking, the use of plastics, food waste, deforestation, and poor agriculture practises), that will likely bring about the sixth mass extinction. We take a look at the skepticism toward humans as the cause of a deteriorating environment and detail nature's adverse role in harming the environment. We examine ways to help the environment thrive, and discuss the concept of ""environmental happiness."" Finally, we give reasons why choosing a thrivability approach is not only possible but beneficial, and discuss practical ways in which thrivability can be taught, both in academic settings such as in college courses, as well as through community efforts.