Description

In an era of human genome research, environmental challenges, new reproductive technologies, and more, students can benefit from an introductory sociology text that is a biologically informed. This innovative text integrates mainstream sociological research in all areas of sociology with a scientifically-informed model of an evolved, biological human actor. The goal for students is to help them understand that all social phenomena are a product of the interaction of the nature of individuals with the social context and group-level phenomena. This better enables students to understand their emotional, social, and institutional worlds.

The text also illustrates how biological understanding naturally enhances the sociological approach and how this inclusion can be done effortlessly, with little change to sociological theories and the traditional sociological foci on the importance of group dynamics, roles, norms, and culture. Tables, Figures, Photos, and the author’s concise and remarkably lively writing style make this a truly enjoyable book to reach and teach.

• Offers students a strong sense of the connections between sociology and the life sciences, which is largely unexplored in other texts.
• Includes chapters on Sociology of the Environment and the Biosociology of Health.
• Addresses topics shaping the contemporary world including new reproductive technology, the human genome, and advances in science and medicine.
• Is a concise text that covers all topics normally covered in an Introduction to Sociology course.
• Employs a lively writing style that surpasses most other textbooks.
• Incorporates many maps, tables, figures, and photos that reflect that text’s scientific approach to sociology.
• Ancillary Products Available: Author-written test bank incorporates Multiple Choice, True/False, Short Answer, and Essay questions by chapter. In addition, Instructor’s Manual provides professors with a brief overview of the chapter with a chapter outline, in-class activities/worksheets to engage students in active learning, movie suggestions, and discussion paper topics. PowerPoint slides provide lectures based on the corresponding chapters outlined in the book and are available for download.

Author Info

Rosemary L. Hopcroft is a native of Australia who has lived in the United States since 1981. Rosemary L. Hopcroft is Associate Professor of Sociology at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She has published widely in the areas of Comparative and Historical Sociology and Evolution, Biology and Society in journals that include the American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, and Social Forces.

Reviews

“A unique and very valuable textbook that is long overdue in the field. It is the first introductory book that I know of that starts from a biosocial perspective. Hopcroft’s book should make it easy for teachers who have a typical sociology background to incorporate an evolutionary perspective in their teaching.”
—François Nielson, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

“This textbook shows how sociology encompasses all fundamental and major aspects of human life and behavior. No other text does this. Hopcroft’s text adds tremendous depth to the sociological perspective. Moreover the author writes in such a way that undergraduates – even those who normally find reading to be a chore – will quickly grasp the central ideas of the book and will develop the appropriate level of understanding the complex connections between sociology and the life sciences.”
—Jeff Davis, California State University-Long Beach

“By using an interdisciplinary approach, Hopcroft brings sociology into the 21st century. Introductory sociology students in a community college setting will especially benefit from this text as it easily and neatly compliments other core areas of study in the natural sciences.”
—John Glass, Collin College