Pressing Questions: Explorations in Sociology (6e)

For use as a supplementary text in undergraduate courses in Sociology.

The sixth edition continues to explore sociological concepts and debates on contemporary Australian and global social life with extracts from major newspapers, magazines and journals. It introduces students to the skill of reading ‘between the lines’ by bringing together snapshots of social life and key sociological concepts.

While the most obvious aim of this book is to introduce students to the landscape of sociology, it has three other important aims: to assist students to think sociologically, conceptually and critically.

INTRODUCTION
SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY
Sociological imagination
Conceptual thinking
Critical thinking

USING THIS BOOK
Structure, order of topics and categories
About the questions
About the references and web links
References

CONTEMPORARY CONTEXTS
1. Globalisation
2. Food and mass consumption
3. The context of risk and social change

SOCIAL DIVISIONS
4. Class and status
5. Sex and gender
6. Culture and identity

STRUCTURES AND PATTERNS
7. Families and children
8. Education
9. Work and leisure
10. Health and illness 3
11. Aboriginal experiences
12. Crime and society
13. Religion
14. Inequality and poverty
15. Power and governmentality

SOCIETY, PLACE AND SPACE
16. Media
17. Terrorism
18. Science and technology
19. Community
20. Urbanisation
21. Rurality
22. Popular culture
23. Sport
24. Migration
25. Social movements

SELF AND IDENTITY
26. The fashioned self
27. Bodies and identity
28. Relationships and belonging

GLOSSARY

•  27 new articles
• Over 158 references to key texts and research papers
• Over 80 links to websites
• 14 new terms added to the glossary
• 4 new topics including:
    - Education
    - Sport
    - Migration
    - Social Movements 
• New ‘Additional newspaper articles’ at the end of most topics
• Many of the questions have been updated or redone from previous edition

• Concept questions in each section test students’ understanding of the key sociological concepts.
• Critical thinking questions in each section urge students to think carefully and critically about the ideas and conclusions presented in the articles, as well as demonstrate awareness of their own assumptions and views about the issues.
• References and web-links are included at the end of each section.

David Hodgson is a lecturer at the Faculty of Regional Professional Studies, Edith Cowan University. His research is broadly in the sociology of education, policy, the human services and social work. He has presented at national and international conferences and published papers on early school leaving and education policy. He has conducted a number of different qualitative evaluation and research projects on the development and delivery of services for young parents, discharged prisoners and playgroups. He has taught introductory sociology, policy analysis, ethics, research methods and field education studies to Social Work, Creative Industries and Education students, including a short period teaching sociology to Social Work students in the Seychelles.