This book includes modern readings that were handpicked for timeliness, diversity, and interest. Students across the country find the articles included to be easy to understand and intriguing. "Understanding Society: An Introductory Reader, Third Edition", includes the most up-to-date selection available today. Out of 70 total articles, 60 percent are new in this edition. The new topics include: internet dating, school shootings, gay marriage, immigration, single motherhood, globalization, video games, and, religious diversity. As always, the editors have included the top names in the field. Five themes run throughout the text: classical sociological theory, contemporary research, diversity, globalization, and the application of the sociological perspective. In addition, new Applying Sociological Knowledge features help you bridge the gap between abstract knowledge and a concrete understanding.

Table of Contents:
Part I: SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES AND SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH. 1. C. Wright Mills, "The Sociological Imagination." 2. Allan Johnson, "The Forest and the Trees." 3. Elaine Bell Kaplan, "Not Our Kind of Girl." 4. Joel Best, "Promoting Bad Statistics." Applying Sociological Knowledge: An Exercise for Students. Part II: CULTURE. 5. Fatima Mernissi, "Size 6: The Western Woman's Harem." 6. Karen Steinheimer, "Do Video Games Kill?" 7. George Ritzer, "September 11, 2001: Mass Murder and Its Roots in the Symbolism of American Consumer Culture." 8. Sharlene Hesse-Biber, "The Cult of Thinness." Part III: SOCIALIZATION AND THE LIFE COURSE. 9. David Karp, Linda Lytle Holmstrom, and Paul S. Gray, "Leaving Home for College: Expectations for Selective Reconstruction of Self." 10. Michael A. Messner, "Barbie Girls vs. Sea Monsters." 11. Yen Le Espiritu, "We Don't Sleep Around Like White Girls Do." 12. Toni M. Calasanti and Kathleen F. Slevin, "Age Matters." Applying Sociological Knowledge: An Exercise for Students. Part IV: SOCIETY AND SOCIAL INTERACTION. 13. Erving Goffman, "The Presentation of Self." 14. Elijah Anderson, "Code of the Street." 15. Thomas Wells Brignall III and Thomas Van Valey, "The Impact of Internet Communications on Social Interaction." Applying Sociological Knowledge: An Exercise for Students. Part V: GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS. 16. Patricia Adler and Peter Adler, "Clique Dynamics." 17. Elizabeth Armstrong et. al. "Sexual Assault on Campus: a Multilevel, Integrative Approach to Party Rape." 18. Christine L. Williams, "The Social Organization of Toy Stores." Applying Sociological Knowledge: An Exercise for Students. Part VI: DEVIANCE AND CRIME. 19. Emile Durkheim, "The Functions of Crime." 20. Peter Conrad and Joseph W. Schneider, "The Medicalization of Deviance." 21. Katherine Newman et. al., "Rampage." 22. Jeffrey Reiman, "The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison?" Applying Sociological Knowledge: An Exercise for Students. Part VII: SOCIAL CLASS AND SOCIAL STRATIFICATION. 23. Karl Marx and Frederich Engles, "The Communist Manifesto." 24. Janny Scott and David Leonhardt, "Shadowy Lines That Still Divide." 25. Avis A. Jones-DeWeever and Heidi Hartmann, "Abandoned Before the Storms: A Glaring Disaster of Gender, Race, and Class Disparities in the Gulf." 26. Thomas M. Shapiro, "The Color of the Safety Net." 27. Kathryn Edin and Maria Kefalas, "Unmarried with Children." Applying Sociological Knowledge: An Exercise for Students. Part VIII: GLOBAL STRATIFICATION. 28. Edna Bonacich, Lucie Cheng, Norma Chinchilla, Nora Hamilton, and Paul Ong, "The Garment Industry in the restructuring Global Economy." 29. Arlie Russell Hochschild, "The Nanny Chain." 30. Patricia Hill Collins, "New Commodities, New Consumers." Applying Sociological Knowledge: An Exercise for Students. Part IX: RACE AND ETHNICITY. 31. W. E. B. DuBois, "The Souls of Black Folk." 32. Charles Gallagher, "Color-blind Privilege: The Social and Political Functions of Erasing the Color Line in Post Race America." 33. Nancy Foner, "Immigrant Women and Work: Then and Now." 34. Elizabeth Martinez, "Seeing More Than Black and White." 35. Amanda Lewis, "Everyday Race Making." Applying Sociological Knowledge: An Exercise for Students. Part X: GENDER. 36. Margaret Andersen, "The Social Construction of Gender." 37. Maxine Leeds Craig, "Ain't I a Beauty Queen?" 38. Michael Kimmel, "A Black Woman Took My Job." 39. Pamela Fletcher, "Whose Body Is It Anyway?" Applying Sociological Knowledge: An Exercise for Students. Part XI: SEXUALITY AND INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS. 40. Helene M. Lawson and Kira Leck, "Dynamics of Internet Dating." 41. Ariel Levy, "Get a Life, Girls." 42. Diane Vaughan, "The Long Goodbye." 43. Paula Rust, "The Impact of Multiple Marginalization." Applying Sociological Knowledge: An Exercise for Students. Part XII: SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS. A. Family. 44. Anita Garey, "Weaving Work and Motherhood." 45. Ruth Rosen, "The Care Crisis." 46. Steven Seidman, "Gay Marriage." 47. Terry Arendell, "Divorce and Remarriage." B. Religion. 48. Max Weber, "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism." 49. Robert Wuthnow, "America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity." 50. Mark Regnerus, Christian Smith, and Melissa Fritsch, "Religion in the Lives of American Adolescents." C. Education. 51. Sara Mead, "The Truth About Boys and Girls." 52. Jonathan Kozol, "Dishonoring the Dead." 53. Linda Renzulli and Vincent Roscigno, "Charter Schools and the Public Good." D. Work. 54. Carmen Lynne Macdonald and Carmen Sirianni, "The Service Society and the Changing Experience of Work." 55. Jerry A. Jacobs and Kathleen Gerson, "The Time Divide." 56. Barbara Ehrenreich, "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America." E. Government and Politics. 57. C. Wright Mills, "The Power Elite." 58. Richard Zweigenhaft and G. William Domhoff, "Has the Power Elite Become Diverse?" 59. Louis Desipio and Rodolfo O. De La Garza, "Forever Seen as New: Latino Participation in American Elections." 60. Deborah Carr, "Capturing the Youth Vote." F. Health Care. 61. Rose Weitz, "The Social Meanings of Illness." 62. Grace Budrys, "What Do We Think of the U.S. Health Care System?" 63. Lourdes A. Rivera, "Uninsured, Exposed, and at Risk-But Not Powerless." 64. Jane Sprague Zones, "Beauty Myths and Realities and Their Impact on Women's Health." Applying Sociological Knowledge: An Exercise for Students. Part XIII: POPULATION, URBANIZATION, AND THE ENVIRONMENT. 65. Douglas Massey and Nancy Denton, "American Apartheid." 66. David Pellow, "The Politics of Illegal Dumping: An Environmental Justice Framework." 67. Steven Brechin, "Comparative Public Opinion and Knowledge on Global Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol: The U.S. vs. the World?" Applying Sociological Knowledge: An Exercise for Students. Part XIV: SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND SOCIAL CHANGE. 68. Duane F. Alwin, "Generations X, Y, and Z: Are They Changing America?" 69. Benjamin Barber, "Jihad vs. McWorld." 70. Aldon Morris, "The Genius of the Civil rights Movement: Can It Happen Again?" Applying Sociological Knowledge: An Exercise for Students. Glossary. Index.