Second Thoughts: Seeing Conventional Wisdom Through the Sociological Eye
Introducing students to sociology’s core concepts by debunking popular misconceptions\ \ Do birds of a feather flock together or do opposites attract? Does haste make waste or should you strike while the iron is hot? Adages like these-or conventional wisdoms-shape our social life. This Fourth Edition of Second Thoughts reviews several popular beliefs and notes how such adages cannot be taken at face value.\ This unique text encourages students to step back and sharpen their analytic focus...
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Sociologists Ruane (Montclair State U.) and Cerulo (Rutgers U.) offer instructors of introductory courses in the discipline an approach to nurturing sociological thinking. Each chapter begins with a conventional wisdom of popular consumer culture, then introduces relevant sociological concepts and theories that mesh with it. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
PrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1The Sociological Perspective3Methods111Numbers Don't Lie13Culture212Winning Is Everything233Children Are Our Most Precious Commodity29Social Structure414Love Knows No Reason435Stress Is Bad for Your Well-Being496The "Golden Years" Are Tarnished Years557Americans Are Becoming More and More Individualistic69Socialization and Identity778What's in a Name? That Which We Call a Rose by Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet799Beauty Is Only Skin Deep89Stratification9910The More We Pay, the More It's Worth10111Money Is the Root of All Evil10712You've Come a Long Way, Baby11313America Is the Land of Equal Opportunity125Deviance, Crime, and Social Control13714Violence Is on the Rise in the United States - No One Is Safe13915There Ought to Be a Law14916Honesty Is the Best Policy157Social Institutions: Marriage And Family16517The Nuclear Family Is the Backbone of American Society16718Marriage Is a Failing Institution175Social Institutions: The Economy18519Welfare Is Ruining This Country18720Immigrants Are Ruining This Nation199Social Institutions: Media and Technology20921Technology Is Taking Over Our Lives211Social Institutions: Education21922Education Is the Great Equalizer221Conclusion: Why Do Conventional Wisdoms Persist?233References239Glossary/Index289
