Welcome!

Welcome to the online resources accompanying Introduction to Sociology, by Frank van Tubergen.

Why are today’s youth soccer players of the national teams often born in January and rarely in December? Why are many people satisfied with their own life, but think the world is getting worse? Why is binge drinking so common in college, whereas the majority of students are against it? Why are your friends so similar to you? Why are citizens of the United States more religious than those in Western Europe?

Sociology is a science that studies a wide range of fascinating topics such as these. This textbook addresses not only foundational sociological work, but also integrates key insights from contemporary sociological research. It is written primarily as an introduction to sociology, and it covers a rich diversity of sociological topics and social problems, such as crime, immigration, race and ethnicity, media, education, family, organizations, gender, poverty, modernization, and religion.

This textbook presents in a highly accessible and engaging way key knowledge in sociology, introducing students to core concepts, theories, perspectives, methods and findings. Furthermore, it helps students learning to think like a sociologist. It offers students a ‘sociological toolkit’, a set of useful insights, tools and principles, which will enable them to do research like a sociologist themselves. Being able to think like a sociologist helps students to analyze any sociological topic and any contemporary social problem - even those with which one is yet unfamiliar.

What you will find on this website

For students:

Multiple choice questions categorised by chapter
Glossary definitions of the key terms, per chapter
Suggestions for further reading
Appendices to several chapters, presenting supplemental and more in-depth material

For instructors:

Customisable PowerPoint presentations covering the main points of each chapter
A comprehensive test bank of short assignable questions testing knowledge gained
Discussion questions with Answers for each chapter