Contemporary Society An Introduction to Social Science [Paperback]

This best-selling text emphasizes that social and cultural changes are the pervasive realities of our era. One of the main themes of Contemporary Society is that the transition from an industrial to a post-industrial order in the modern world is fraught with difficulties, as was the transition from an agricultural to an industrial order in an earlier era. Within this framework, we can observe the increasing fragmentation of the social order, which tends to lead people away from community and a common purpose and often invites conflict and disunity. At the same time, countervailing social forces are also at work, providing some stability, some shelter in the storm. Finally, societies are faced with the rapid and transformative power of information technology, a fact that propels separate groups of people into a global entity.IN THIS SECTION: 1.) BRIEF 2.) COMPREHENSIVE BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS: Chapter 1: Through the Lens of Science Chapter 2: The Beginnings of Life Chapter 3: Culture: Product and Guide to Life in Society Chapter 4: How Is the Social System Organized and Structured? Chapter 5: Becoming a Person: The Birth of Personality Chapter 6: Deviance Chapter 7: The Great Divide: Ranking and Stratification Chapter 8: Majority-Minorities Relations: Defining the Terms Chapter 9: Minority Status: Age, Gender, and Sexuality Chapter 10: From the Plow to the Computer: Change, Collective Behavior, and Social Movements Chapter 11: Population, Urbanization, and Environment Chapter 12: Pivotal Institutions: Marriage and the Family Chapter 13: Pivotal Institutions: Religion Chapter 14: Pivotal Institutions: Education Chapter 17: We The People: Democracy in Action Chapter 18: The Economy: Concepts and History Chapter 19: Principles of Economic Behavior: Microeconomics and Macroeconomics COMPREHENSIVE TABLE OF CONTENTS: Chapter 1: Through the Lens of Science The Social Sciences The Scientific Method The Social Science Disciplines Research Methods in the Social Sciences Chaptel3(