From the Publisher:
The fourth edition continues to present sociological theory in the clear, unbiased writing style Ritzer's readers have come to expect. All theories and concepts are thoroughly explained so students emerge with a solid understanding of the subject.
This comprehensive paperback covers all of the major schools of thought, as well as the key works and concepts associated with each.
Chronological organization allows for easy use of supplementary readers to enhance classroom discussion, or to broaden students' understanding of theories and concepts.
About the Author:
George Ritzer is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland, where he has also been a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher and won a Teaching Excellence Award. He was awarded the Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award by the American Sociological Association, an honorary doctorate from LaTrobe University in Australia, and the Robin Williams Lectureship from the Eastern Sociological Society. His best-known work, The McDonaldization of Society (8th ed.), has been read by hundreds of thousands of students over two decades and translated into over a dozen languages. Ritzer is also the editor of McDonaldization: The Reader; and author of other works of critical sociology related to the McDonaldization thesis, including Enchanting a Disenchanted World, The Globalization of Nothing, Expressing America: A Critique of the Global Credit Card Society, as well as a series best-selling social theory textbooks and Globalization: A Basic Text. He is the Editor of the Encyclopedia of Social Theory (2 vols.), the Encyclopedia of Sociology (11 vols.; 2nd edition forthcoming), the Encyclopedia of Globalization (5 vols.), and is Founding Editor of the Journal of Consumer Culture. In 2016 he will publish the second edition of Essentials of Sociology with SAGE.
Douglas J. Goodman is an Assistant Professor at the University of Puget Sound in the Department of Comparative Sociology. He was given a Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Wellesley College and an Excellence in Teaching award at the University of Maryland. His publications can be divided into three areas. First are those related to communicating theory to students. These include, "Postmodern Theory," (with G. Ritzer) Handbook of Sociological Theory (2002); "Habermas's Social Theory," (with R. Brown) Handbook of Social Theory (2000); "A Sociological Approach to Social Problems," (with C. Calhoun & G. Ritzer) Primus Social Problem (2000); "The Study of Social Problems," (with G. Ritzer) Primus Social Problems. (2000); and "Jacques Lacan: The Imaginary, the Symbolic, the Real," in Postmodern Social Theory (1997). Second, are those works on theory addressed more to other theorists and general intellectuals. These include "Dream Kitsch and the Debris of History: An Interview with Martin Jay," Journal of Consumer Culture (forthcoming); "Defending the Liberal Arts from the Law," Law and the Liberal Arts (forthcoming); "What Collins' The Sociology of Philosophies Says About Sociological Theory," Sociological Theory (2001); and his dissertation, A Sociology of Freedom. Finally there are the publications relating to consumer culture. These include, Consumer Culture (forthcoming); "Consumption as a Social Problem," International Handbook of Social Problems (forthcoming); and "Theories of Consumption," (with G. Ritzer & W. Wiedenhoft) Handbook of Social Theory (2000).
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