Introduction to Sociology

Reviewed by Jessica Breidinger, Social Science Faculty, Treasure Valley Community College, Ontario, OR on 8/21/16

Comprehensiveness rating: 3

This textbook seems to provide an excellent introduction to the basic theories and ideas in Sociology however, for those of us who teach a series of General Sociology courses over three terms, essentially dividing the text into thirds, additional content would most likely be needed.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content appears to be very unbiased and straightforward. I did not spot any accuracy problems or errors in skimming through multiple chapters.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The data used in the tables are based on very relevant basic social concepts that are unlikely to change any time soon. The making connections sections relate important concepts regarding current social policy.

Clarity rating: 4

The text is very accessible to the undergraduate student. The concepts and key terms are clearly identified and the section summaries reinforce the learning objectives of each chapter.

Consistency rating: 5

I appreciate the format of the text, with the learning objectives for each chapter followed by the introduction and chapter sections clearly defined and numbered. The consistency of the framework would make it easy to locate information during lecture and classroom activities for the instructor and provides a logical format for students as they explore the content within the chapters.

Modularity rating: 5

I believe the textbook provides excellent modularity. For instance, for a struggling learner it would be easy to chunk the information into manageable components. I find many of my students are not interested in reading long blocks of text and would much rather see information arranged in smaller bytes.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The presentation of the materials in the text follows a very clear and logical order. Although it would be easy to re-arrange chapter presentation, I appreciate that the research chapter follows the introductory chapter. While I am concerned with the fact that a full year course would be difficult to build with this content alone, it is refreshing to see a text that limits the chapter content to approximately three to five major concepts.

Interface rating: 5

I did not find any issues with the book's interface, as a former disability services coordinator I was pleased with the Design For All elements included in the text and it's barrier free design.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not find any problems or concerns with grammar in the chapters I read.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

I did not find any offensive content and I felt that the examples provided in the Making Connections sections were culturally diverse and relevant to today's social issues, but not necessarily presented as "hot-button topics". In fact, I found some of the detail regarding social problems to be less edgy and controversial than other sociology textbooks.

Overall, I like the text. I would consider adopting it for my courses but I would need to spend a fair amount of time redesigning my course series to make sure I could utilize the text for the full three terms. I am pleased to know there is a way to lower the textbook expenses for my students without compromising quality.