Sociology Project 3.0, The: Introducing the Sociological Imagination, 3rd edition

For courses in Introductory Sociology.

Spark the sociological imagination through an inquiry-based approach

The Sociology Project draws on the collective wisdom of expert faculty from the NYU Sociology Department to reveal how individuals are shaped by the contexts in which they live. Utilizing the big questions of the discipline as a framework, the authors seek to inspire each reader's sociological imagination.

Version 3.0 explores important recent developments such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter, #MeToo and environmental movements. An updated chapter structure sheds light on the future of the labor market, political polarization and other resonant contemporary issues.

Hallmark features of this title

An innovative, multi-author approach

• This text has been written collaboratively by members of the NYU Sociology Department.
  • This ensures authorship by faculty members who are experts in each subfield.
  • And it guarantees up-to-date content, as well as a passionate perspective that draws students into each topic.

A framework organized around the big questions

• Each chapter is organized around 3 to 5 big questions about the subfield in question. This framework highlights what's most important while encouraging students to ask their own questions about the world we all share.
• Compelling chapter-opening stories set the stage for broad sociological insights.
• Chapter-ending Revisiting the Big Questions sections enable students to review key content.

New and updated features of this title

Coverage of important recent developments

• NEW: Using the example of the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors discuss how and why social interaction is so important. The text also examines how the pandemic has revealed hidden inequalities and institutional dysfunction in American society.
• NEW: The authors explore important questions about social processes and institutions through analysis of the Black Lives Matter, #MeToo and environmental movements. The text also covers the growing prominence of right-wing militia groups, including those who participated in the attack on the US Capitol in January 2021.

An updated chapter structure

• NEW: Chapter 9, Markets and Organizations: The Sociology of Economic Life, discusses the different types of capitalist economies and the new economic sociology.
• NEW: Chapter 12, Jobs, Occupations and Professions: The Sociology of Work, examines occupations, the nature of work and the labor process, and the future of the labor market.
• REVISED: A reworked Chapter 13, Race and Ethnicity, explores several new theories about systematic racism and white racial identity.
• NEW: Chapter 21, American Democracy and Political Life, addresses rising concerns about political polarization and the threats to democracy that sharpened in the Trump era and its immediate aftermath.