About our authors
John J. Macionis [pronounced ma-SHOW-nis] has been in the classroom teaching sociology for more than 40 years. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, John earned a bachelor's degree from Cornell University and a doctorate in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania.
His publications are wide-ranging, focusing on community life in the United States, interpersonal intimacy in families, effective teaching, humor, new information technology and the importance of global education.
In addition to authoring this best-seller, Macionis has also written Society: The Basics, the most popular introductory title in the field, now in its 15th Edition. The full-length Macionis introductory title is Sociology, which is now in its 16th Edition. He collaborates on international editions of these titles: Society: The Basics: Canadian Edition, Sociology: Canadian Edition and Sociology: A Global Introduction. All the Macionis titles are available for high school students and in various foreign-language editions.
All the texts are now offered in low-cost electronic editions in the Revel program. These exciting learning materials encourage students to read and engage in an interactive learning experience. Unlike other authors, John takes personal responsibility for writing all electronic content, just as he authors all the assessment and supplemental materials. John proudly resists the trend toward “outsourcing” such material to non-sociologists.
In addition, Macionis edited the best-selling anthology Seeing Ourselves: Classic, Contemporary, and Cross-Cultural Readings in Sociology, also available in a Canadian edition. Macionis and Vincent Parrillo have written the leading urban studies text, Cities and Urban Life, currently in a 6th Edition.
Follow John on his Facebook author page to find the latest information on all his texts. You can also access downloadable teaching material at his website.
John Macionis recently retired from full-time teaching at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he served as Professor and Distinguished Scholar of Sociology. During his long career at Kenyon, he chaired the Sociology Department, directed the college's multidisciplinary program in humane studies, presided over the campus senate, was president of the college's faculty and taught sociology to thousands of students. Kenyon recognized his decades of service by awarding him an honorary doctorate of humane letters in 2013.
In 2002, the American Sociological Association presented Macionis with the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Teaching, citing his innovative use of global material as well as the introduction of new teaching technology in his textbooks.
Professor Macionis has been active in academic programs in other countries, having traveled to some fifty nations. He writes, “I am an ambitious traveler, eager to learn and, through the texts, to share much of what I discover with students, many of whom know little about the rest of the world. For me, traveling and writing are all dimensions of teaching. First, and foremost, I am a teacher. A passion for teaching animates everything I do.”
At Kenyon, Macionis taught a number of courses, but his favorite classes were always Introduction to Sociology and Social Problems. He continues to enjoy contact with students across the United States and around the world.
John works every day on his Pearson titles. In his free time, he enjoys tennis, swimming, hiking, and playing oldies rock-and-roll. Macionis is an environmental activist in the Lake George region of New York's Adirondack Mountains, working with a number of organizations, including the Lake George Land Conservancy, where he served for more than a decade as president of the board of trustees.
