Stronger engagement

After each new topic is presented, students answer a few reading questions about the main ideas. This helps students maintain focus, actively process information, and construct new knowledge.

Presentation and relevance

Each chapter offers concise presentation of key concepts. Examples and interactive features help students see the relevance of sociology to their daily lives.

Data exploration

Follow the Data feature pages help students develop data literacy and evaluate common assumptions using real data.

Everything you need

Sociology provides everything you need for an online course. And we can tailor the webtext to match your course’s term length, scope, and sequence.

1. Discovering Sociology
   1. Introduction
   2. Studying Society
   3. Imagining Questions
   4. Perspectives: Functionalism
   5. Perspectives: Conflict Theory
   6. Perspectives: Symbolic Interactionism
   7. Harriet Martineau: Observing Society
   8. Émile Durkheim: Analyzing Social Facts
   9. Karl Marx: Investigating Social Change
   10. Max Weber: Examining Interaction
   11. W. E. B. Du Bois: Challenging Assumptions
   12. Sociology and Data
   13. Follow the Data: The Age of College Students
   14. Chapter Quiz: Discovering Sociology
   15. You Are Here: Sociology
2. The Science of Sociology
   1. Introduction
   2. Looking for Answers
   3. Early Stages of Research
   4. Research Design
   5. Types of Data
   6. Experiments
   7. Surveys
   8. Survey Design
   9. Participant Observation
   10. Using Existing Data
   11. Interpreting Data and Sharing Findings
   12. Research Ethics
   13. Issues in Research
   14. Finding Credible Information
   15. Follow the Data: Factors in College Decisions
   16. Chapter Quiz: The Science of Sociology
   17. You Are Here: Scientific Knowledge
3. Culture and Society
   1. Introduction
   2. Types of Societies
   3. Material Culture
   4. Nonmaterial Culture: Language and Symbols
   5. The Power of Language
   6. Nonmaterial Culture: Norms
   7. Nonmaterial Culture: Beliefs and Values
   8. Perspectives on Culture
   9. High Culture and Popular Culture
   10. Dominant Culture, Subcultures, and Countercultures
   11. Engaging with Other Cultures
   12. Cultural Capital
   13. Social and Cultural Change
   14. Society, Culture, and Community
   15. Follow the Data: Commuting as Culture
   16. Chapter Quiz: Culture and Society
   17. You Are Here: Culture
4. Identities, the Self, and Socialization
   1. Introduction
   2. Identity, Personality, and the Self
   3. Identity and Status
   4. Social Roles and the Presentation of Self
   5. Social Interaction
   6. Theories of Social Development
   7. Socialization
   8. Primary and Secondary Socialization
   9. Social Group Agents of Socialization
   10. Institutional Agents of Socialization
   11. Total Institutions and Resocialization
   12. The Social Construction of Reality
   13. Perspectives on the Self and Socialization
   14. Follow the Data: Speech, Status, and Social Interactions
   15. Chapter Quiz: Identities, the Self, and Socialization
   16. You Are Here: The Self and Socialization
5. Groups and Organizations
   1. Introduction
   2. Groups and Why They Matter
   3. Primary and Secondary Groups
   4. Group Size
   5. Group Formality and Diversity
   6. The Power of Groups: Reference Groups and In-Groups & Out-Groups
   7. Formal Organizations
   8. Bureaucracies
   9. The McDonaldization of Society
   10. Social Networks
   11. Group Leadership
   12. The Dangers of Groups
   13. Perspectives on Groups and Organizations
   14. Follow the Data: Groups and Volunteering
   15. Chapter Quiz: Groups and Organizations
   16. You Are Here: Groups and Organizations
6. Deviance
   1. Introduction
   2. The Social Construction of Deviance
   3. The Social Imaginary and Deviance
   4. Socialization and Deviance
   5. Functionalism and Deviance
   6. Merton’s Typology of Deviance
   7. Symbolic Interactionism and Deviance
   8. Social Stigma
   9. Conflict Theory and Deviance
   10. Social Power and Deviance
   11. Follow the Data: Causes of Homelessness
   12. Social Change and Deviance
   13. Crime and Deviance
   14. Perspectives on Crime
   15. Chapter Quiz: Deviance
   16. You Are Here: Deviance
7. Race and Ethnicity
   1. Introduction
   2. Race and Identity
   3. Ethnicity and Identity
   4. The White Racial Frame
   5. Race as a Social Construct
   6. Race, Ethnicity, and the U.S. Census
   7. Defining Prejudice, Discrimination, and Racism
   8. Institutional Racism
   9. Explicit and Implicit Bias
   10. Theories of Race and Ethnicity
   11. Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity: Bias in Online Dating
   12. Migration
   13. Migration in the United States
   14. A Nation of Immigrants
   15. Follow the Data: Race, Ethnicity, and Wage Gaps in the United States
   16. Chapter Quiz: Race and Ethnicity
   17. You Are Here: Race and Ethnicity
8. Gender and Sexuality
   1. Introduction
   2. Sex and Gender
   3. Gender Identity and Expression
   4. Sexuality and Sexual Orientation
   5. Sexuality as a Spectrum
   6. Traditional Gender Norms and Roles
   7. Gender Socialization
   8. Gender in Society
   9. Gender in Marketing and Consumption
   10. Discrimination Based on Gender and Sexual Orientation
   11. Responses to Discrimination Based on Gender and Sexual Orientation
   12. Perspectives on Sex and Gender: The Trad Wife Trend
   13. Follow the Data: Gender and Household Labor
   14. Chapter Quiz: Gender and Sexuality
   15. You Are Here: Gender and Sexuality
9. Age
   1. Introduction
   2. Stages of Life
   3. The Aging Process
   4. A Graying Population
   5. A Brief History of Old Age in the United States
   6. Social Security
   7. Healthcare
   8. Ageism and Stratification in the Older Population
   9. Death and Dying
   10. Generations
   11. Follow the Data: The Generational Power Index
   12. Perspectives on Age: Biohacking
   13. Chapter Quiz: Age
   14. You Are Here: Age
10. Political Power
    1. Introduction
    2. Weber’s Three Types of Authority
    3. Models of Power in Society
    4. The State
    5. Types of Governments
    6. Types of Democracy
    7. Democracy in the United States
    8. Law and Political Power
    9. Political Socialization and Ideology
    10. Social Policy
    11. Civil Society
    12. Public Opinion
    13. Perspectives on Political Power: Labor Disputes
    14. Follow the Data: The 2016 Presidential Election, Part 1
    15. Follow the Data: The 2016 Presidential Election, Part 2
    16. Chapter Quiz: Political Power
    17. You Are Here: Political Power
11. Economic Power
    1. Introduction
    2. The Economy, Society, and You
    3. Three Economic Sectors
    4. Economic Systems
    5. Capitalism
    6. Planned Economies
    7. Socialism
    8. Mixed Economies
    9. Social Stratification
    10. Systems of Stratification
    11. Social Classes in the United States
    12. Impacts of Social Class
    13. Follow the Data: Economic Inequality in the United States, Part 1
    14. Follow the Data: Economic Inequality in the United States, Part 2
    15. Social Mobility
    16. Social Mobility Trends
    17. Perspectives on Economic Power: Student Loan Debt
    18. Chapter Quiz: Economic Power
    19. You Are Here: Economic Power
12. Collective Action
    1. Introduction
    2. Collective Behavior
    3. Types of Social Movements
    4. The Challenges of Collective Action
    5. Theories of Social Movements
    6. The Life Cycle of Social Movements
    7. Components of Social Movements
    8. Social Movement Strategies
    9. Outcomes of Social Movements
    10. The Labor Movement
    11. The Civil Rights Movement
    12. The STOP ERA Movement
    13. Perspectives on Collective Action: The Water Back Movement
    14. Follow the Data: Mothers Against Drunk Driving
    15. Chapter Quiz: Collective Action
    16. You Are Here: Collective Action
13. Family
    1. Introduction
    2. Family and Kinship
    3. Family Life Cycle: Courtship
    4. Family Life Cycle: Marriage
    5. Family Life Cycle: Childrearing
    6. Family Life Cycle: Launch
    7. Families and Households in the United States
    8. A Sociology of Family Life
    9. Kinkeeping and Family Gender Dynamics
    10. Follow the Data: Household Living Arrangements
    11. Chapter Quiz: Family
    12. You Are Here: Family
14. Education
    1. Introduction
    2. Education as a Social Institution
    3. The History of Education
    4. Types of Schools
    5. Primary and Secondary Education in the United States
    6. Inequalities in Education
    7. Education Policy
    8. Higher Education in the United States
    9. Economic Issues in Education
    10. Follow the Data: Remote Learning
    11. Chapter Quiz: Education
    12. You Are Here: Education
15. Religion
    1. Introduction
    2. Religion as a Social Institution
    3. Religious Concepts and Categories
    4. Major Religions: Hinduism, Judaism, and Buddhism
    5. Major Religions: Christianity and Islam
    6. Measuring Religion
    7. Follow the Data: The Religious Landscape of the United States
    8. Chapter Quiz: Religion
    9. You Are Here: Religion
16. Work and the Workplace
    1. Under Development
17. Media
    1. Under Development
18. Health and Medicine
    1. Under Development
19. Institutions and the Environment
    1. Under Development

Interactive content

Study questions

Multiple-choice and short-answer questions guide students to critical information by providing immediate feedback. These low-risk opportunities allow students to reset answers to try again or study for tests.

Response boards

Students engage each other through discussion boards that only allow students to see the responses of their peers after they’ve posted their own comment.

Polls

Polls allow students to respond to survey questions and compare their response to the responses of their classmates as well as national survey data.

Study tools

Webtext Reader app

Students can access materials and complete assignments offline with our mobile app available for iOS and Android.

Reading tools

Reading tools allow students to click on vocabulary terms for definitions and mark up their own webtext by highlighting and adding notes in the margins.

Read to Me

Our text-to-speech feature instantly creates an audio version of the webtext page to extend the reach of online content.

My Progress

Students can keep track of their own work inside My Progress, which records their scores, time spent, and completion.

The following materials are available for this course:

• Test bank
• Lecture slides
• Release notes
  

Authors

Miguel Centellas, PhD

Advisory Board

Bethaney Ferguson, MA, Cape Fear Community College
John P. Hoffman, PhD, Brigham Young University
Michael Jessup, PhD, Taylor University
Kendra Murphy, MA, University of Memphis
Jennifer Turner, PhD, Institute for Women’s Policy Research
Jennifer Vanderminden, PhD, University of North Carolina Wilmington
Monica Whitham, PhD, Oklahoma State University

Publisher

Mary Jane Lindrum

Executive Editor

Jenny Westrick

Creative Director

Zara Elizabeth Crockett

Content Editor

Jill Gallagher

Lead Learning Designer

Lindsy Pietroski

Learning Designer

Jonathan Campbell

Assessment Specialist

Laura Aitcheson

Assessment Writers

Stephen Clark
Rebekah Krahe

Production Coordinator

Natalie Welch

Production Editors

Rachel Garzarelli
Marquita Jones

Assistant Production Editors

Erin Griffin Collum
Serena Giunchigliani
Thinacha Newberry

Photo Research

Zara Elizabeth Crockett

Permissions

Rachel Garzarelli
Christine Myaskovsky

Video Production

Zara Elizabeth Crockett
Kristian Melom

User Interface Design

Sam Korthof
Clint McFarlin