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Introduction to Sociology 3e by OpenStax

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Introduction to Sociology 3e aligns to the topics and objectives of many introductory sociology courses. It is arranged in a manner that provides foundational sociological theories and contexts, then progresses through various aspects of human and societal interactions. The new edition is focused on driving meaningful and memorable learning experiences related to critical thinking about society and culture. The text includes comprehensive coverage of core concepts, discussions and data relevant to a diverse audience, and features that draw learners into the discipline in powerful and personal ways. Overall, Introduction to Sociology 3e aims to center the course and discipline as crucial elements for understanding relationships, society, and civic engagement; the authors seek to lay the foundation for students to apply what they learn throughout their lives and careers. The authors, reviewers, and the entire team worked to build understanding of the causes and impacts of discrimination and prejudice. Introduction to Sociology 3e contains dozens of examples of discrimination and its outcomes regarding social science, society, institutions, and individuals. The text seeks to strike a balance between confronting the damaging aspects of our culture and history and celebrating those who have driven change and overcome challenges. The core discussion of these topics are present in Chapter 11 on Race and Ethnicity, and Chapter 12 on Gender, Sex, and Sexuality, but their causes and effects are extensively discussed in the context of other topics, including education, law enforcement, government, healthcare, the economy, and so on. Together and when connected by an instructor, these elements have potential for deep and lasting effects. This is the official print version of this OpenStax textbook. OpenStax makes full-color hardcover and B&W paperback print copies available for students who prefer a hardcopy textbook to go with the free digital version of this OpenStax title. The textbook content is exactly the same as the OpenStax digital book. This textbook is available for free download at the OpenStax dot org website, but as many students prefer to study with hardcopy books, we offer affordable OpenStax textbooks for sale through Amazon as well as most campus bookstores.

667 pages, Paperback

Published June 3, 2021

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23 people want to read

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OpenStax

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5 stars
13 (25%)
4 stars
12 (23%)
3 stars
19 (37%)
2 stars
7 (13%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Profile Image for carthi ♡.
235 reviews23 followers
May 17, 2024
read the required reading entirely in one morning cause guess who procrastinated on studying for her sociology finals???? me that's right :) but this was fun and five stars purely for the excellent teaching of my professor~
Profile Image for Nancy Foster.
Author 13 books136 followers
March 23, 2025
Mostly just a course textbook that is open source, so don't expect something awesome. There's actually tons of typos and some incorrect info in it. I also felt the text to be quite dry and repetitive at times. However, as a free resource for college students, the book gets the job done, I suppose.
Profile Image for Tianna.
115 reviews1 follower
Read
December 8, 2024
Going to leave this unrated. It did its job helping me pass my class, but I'd never sit down and read this of my own accord.
Profile Image for Tyler Ruprecht.
17 reviews
May 18, 2022
I don't like how the text covers sociological theories. Not nearly enough detail, even for an introductory class. The book also chronically suffers from a lack of historical information or detail. That said, I do still feel I came out knowing more about sociology than I did prior to reading the book.

The only reason I am giving this three stars is because it was free. If it was not, I would give it two stars. At the end of the day, however, I would rather have spent the money to get a better textbook.


For those who would are interested in the book, check out the link below.

https://openstax.org/books/introducti...
Profile Image for freya.
119 reviews1 follower
December 2, 2022
I love free things, I really do. And I loved this free thing.

I am not a sociologist, I am simply a student with a passion for the social sciences and an immense disdain for spending money. I think this book did most things well, and showed a modern and diverse perspective on the foundations of sociology. HOWEVER, I think there are a few horribly annoying things that happen in his book. For example, in the first and second chapter, the book cites a lot of experiments WITHOUT DIRECTLY NAMING THEM. If you aren't a stickler for details, then this is a decent textbook, but if you are, it can be an incredibly frustrating read. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
92 reviews27 followers
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May 5, 2023
Had to read this for school, putting it on here to reach my goal lol
1 review
August 28, 2025
When discusssing positivism, it says jesus christ
Profile Image for Ashly.
52 reviews1 follower
August 9, 2025
A great textbook that highlighted real world problems of both past and recent events.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews

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