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The Sociology Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained
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The Sociology Book takes on some of humankind's biggest questions: What is society? What makes it tick? Why do we interact in the way that we do with our friends, coworkers, and rivals?The Sociology Book profiles the world's most renowned sociologists and more than 100 of their biggest ideas, including issues of equality, diversity, identity, and human rights; the effects
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Paperback, 352 pages
Published
November 12th 2019
by DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley)
(first published July 7th 2015)
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More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
DK is known for their beautifully laid out, highly graphic, yet extremely informative texts for all ages. With The Sociology Book, we have a book in an award-winning series (including religions, economics, politics, business, psychology, etc.) that makes a complex and difficult subject not only accessible but easy to understand. The book doesn't pander, lightly touch upon, or gloss over the subject; rather, the subjec ...more
Marx, Marx, Marx... I get it, he is one of the forefathers of sociology. Enough, I got sick of reading about him every other page. His ideas are terrible and ruined every society they poisoned, you seem to have missed to mention this.
Other than that, the book is ok, it gives a basic overview of sociology and its leading theories. Mind you, they aren't particularly good, consistent or convincing. I expected more, but nevertheless the book has a good design. May be its sociology itself that leave ...more
Other than that, the book is ok, it gives a basic overview of sociology and its leading theories. Mind you, they aren't particularly good, consistent or convincing. I expected more, but nevertheless the book has a good design. May be its sociology itself that leave ...more
Perfect for people who want to learn more about sociology!
I was curious about what I will find: a lot of interesting concepts and ideas clearly explained. Food for thoughts about the foundation of sociology, cultural identity and the family dynamics. It's an interesting read if you are at school or just curious about sociology.
A cool one!
Lucie
http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.fr... ...more
I was curious about what I will find: a lot of interesting concepts and ideas clearly explained. Food for thoughts about the foundation of sociology, cultural identity and the family dynamics. It's an interesting read if you are at school or just curious about sociology.
A cool one!
Lucie
http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.fr... ...more
Are you interested in a thrilling book with plot twists around every corner? If so, this is not the book for you. The Sociology Book is more like a textbook with units and chapters. However, this book isn’t all bad. If you are at least a senior in high school, like myself, you might be able to stomach the contents of this book. You may be asking why a high school senior read this book. Well I asked myself that as well. However, this book was fantastic. Even though the material was a bit tough to
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These books are really good at simplifying ideas for school and college students as well as autodidacts. They may look juvenile, and sure they oversimplify and have big bright pictures, but don't let that fool you...
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This is a perfect book to read in order to get basic background information on the foundations of sociology.
Listened to on Audible. Lots of breadth, which was nice, but relatively very surface level. I'm unsure how much of this is because Sociology isn't particularly advanced, and how much was because the book didn't describe it too well.
Lots of incredibly broad generalizations. "The world is modern, and now Western Culture is experiencing Disneyfication." Seems exactly like what good Anthropologists don't do. ...more
Lots of incredibly broad generalizations. "The world is modern, and now Western Culture is experiencing Disneyfication." Seems exactly like what good Anthropologists don't do. ...more
Feb 10, 2018
VENKATRAMAN C K
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2018,
philosophy
The big book series is fantastic . They have all the great branches of humanities - philosophy , economics, psychology, sociology and politics .
The Sociology book follows the standard format of other books on the series - traces the historical evolution of the subject through the men and women who have contributed to its advancement .
Sociology book gives the reader both outside in and inside out of society and human behavior in it .
One suddenly gets deep insights of how humans have “manipulated ...more
The Sociology book follows the standard format of other books on the series - traces the historical evolution of the subject through the men and women who have contributed to its advancement .
Sociology book gives the reader both outside in and inside out of society and human behavior in it .
One suddenly gets deep insights of how humans have “manipulated ...more
The Sociology Book Review
The Sociology Book by DK features the ground-breaking work of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber. Marx and Durkheim use facts, figures, and statistics to support their theories, while Weber’s studies were of a qualitative nature. Other notable sociologists and their ideas that were presented are Ibn Khaldun, Harold Garfinkel, Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, Friedrich Engels, Alexis de Tocqueville, and W.E.B. Du Bois.
This book covers the foundations of sociology, s ...more
The Sociology Book by DK features the ground-breaking work of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber. Marx and Durkheim use facts, figures, and statistics to support their theories, while Weber’s studies were of a qualitative nature. Other notable sociologists and their ideas that were presented are Ibn Khaldun, Harold Garfinkel, Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, Friedrich Engels, Alexis de Tocqueville, and W.E.B. Du Bois.
This book covers the foundations of sociology, s ...more
Jun 30, 2020
Sarah Abd Elaziz
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sociology-economics
I didn't have expectations when I began this one because we all know expectations usually lead to disappointment
But this was so damn good that I put quite high expectations for the rest of the series. I'm sure it's going to be awesome to discover how it's like.
You're promised an easy-to-understand tour among the topics and founders of Sociology, and that's what you gonna get, BIG ideas SIMPLY explained, with a big bunch of simplified diagrams and pictures to better. That was pretty cool except w ...more
But this was so damn good that I put quite high expectations for the rest of the series. I'm sure it's going to be awesome to discover how it's like.
You're promised an easy-to-understand tour among the topics and founders of Sociology, and that's what you gonna get, BIG ideas SIMPLY explained, with a big bunch of simplified diagrams and pictures to better. That was pretty cool except w ...more
This book, so holistic that I had to put down, exhale for reflection then start on review.
If you are interested in sociology (even with little to no knowledge on the topic like me), have determination to pull through the early chapters on introduction and foundation and patience for the remaining more familiar and relatable parts, this book is highly recommended.
Without doubts, this book is written by experts in the field that even the concepts are rooted far back in intangible ancient philosoph ...more
If you are interested in sociology (even with little to no knowledge on the topic like me), have determination to pull through the early chapters on introduction and foundation and patience for the remaining more familiar and relatable parts, this book is highly recommended.
Without doubts, this book is written by experts in the field that even the concepts are rooted far back in intangible ancient philosoph ...more
Breakdown of Social Control
Conspiracies of social control are prevalent on the internet with little peer reviewed sources. This Sociology Book breaks down various theories into a scientific explanation as to why societies behave the way they do. Underneath the propagated surface of American Consumerism lies a dirty underbelly of oppressed minority and even to include the vast majority in various degrees. By recognizing these issues the educated population can come to make informed decisions on s ...more
Conspiracies of social control are prevalent on the internet with little peer reviewed sources. This Sociology Book breaks down various theories into a scientific explanation as to why societies behave the way they do. Underneath the propagated surface of American Consumerism lies a dirty underbelly of oppressed minority and even to include the vast majority in various degrees. By recognizing these issues the educated population can come to make informed decisions on s ...more
Very enjoyable survey of great ideas and thinkers in Sociology. The presentation is easy to digest, without dumbing down the ideas at all, and I'm thinking about acquiring a copy to leave in my classroom for students inclined toward this sort of thing.
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A very well written and clear explanation of how various academician's and economist's work fits together. I liked how it'd introduce a person, give a description of their work, and then explain how they arrived at that work from where those before them started.
...more
This book was wonderful. It explains a lot in a little in a fun and interactive manner with lots of examples and pictures. This was a whole new subject for me and I enjoyed every page and day of studying this. Thank you for publishing this!
Hideously ugly layout
Great book as an introduction to a common reader and a revision for old sociologists
Another masterpiece of DK. First pick in my heart. The way DK imparts knowledge on people is so fantastic!
textbook
A good book, very very good which enlighten me on various things in the society. Thank you!
Nice book for beginners; lacks some citations
A good introductory overview of key scholars in Sociology. Too broad to provide any deeper understanding, but points to directions students may wish to explore.
Very enjoyable read
Does what it's meant to. This mini reader familiarises the reader with the key ideas in the discipline while placing them in their historical context and bringing out how the theories have evolved over time. I listened to the audio version and the narration was quite engaging. A go to book for anyone looking for a Sociology 101 sans the academic jargon.
...more
A perfect introduction to the subject. The Sociology Book covers a lot of ground explaining several key concepts like inequality, gender and consumerism through the lens of sociologists throughout history. Starting with a main idea such as "glocalization", by Roland Robertson, and placing it in its appropriate context, the idea is further explained by looking at what impact it has for society (impact on nation-state, ...) and its individuals (how does someone's self-image change by it?).
For me, ...more
For me, ...more
Nov 15, 2018
Jenny
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
social-studies-and-history
Although I really enjoyed this book, I was surprised to see some names I expected, like Robert Sternberg (marriage/love) and Masters, Johnson, and Kinsey (sex), for example.
The book appears to have a leftist bent because most of the theorists are pro-socialist/anti-capitalist . Karl Marx seems to be the thread tying the work together. I'm left-leaning, economically, myself, so I can appreciate this, but I do see the bias. The author might support the contention that the bourgeous brainwash the p ...more
The book appears to have a leftist bent because most of the theorists are pro-socialist/anti-capitalist . Karl Marx seems to be the thread tying the work together. I'm left-leaning, economically, myself, so I can appreciate this, but I do see the bias. The author might support the contention that the bourgeous brainwash the p ...more
Great overview for those of us who have taken only a few sociology classes. Gave me an appreciation for the scope of the discipline. My take-aways were the concept of Liquid Modernity (constant change) and that Marx still has some relevance, though not as he envisioned. The treatments were cursory by design, it is meant as an introduction. Plenty of resources should you wish to delve deeper. Not highly recommended, but if you know little about sociology this is a good place to start.
Like so many DK books, this is not really a book you read from front to back, but it is such an enjoyable and important read. Many books like this, I like to have around, but this one I feel like I should have it around because it has such compelling descriptions and explanations of so many of our cultural practices. Loved it.
Exactly as promised, Sociology simply explained. So simple that I understood the astounding concepts which have alluded me for years. I love this book and this series of books and look forward to reading them all.
Makes lots of important academic ideas accessible, fabulous!
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“The function of sociology, as of every science, is to reveal that which is hidden." Pierre Bourdieu”
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“Reduced to a formula, wealth is hierarchic, smog is democratic. Ulrich Beck”
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