Featuring a collection of original chapters by leading and emerging scholars, The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Sociology presents a comprehensive and balanced overview of the major topics and emerging trends in the discipline of sociology today. Features original chapters contributed by an international cast of leading and emerging sociology scholars Represents the most innovative and 'state-of-the-art' thinking about the discipline Includes a general introduction and section introductions with chapters summaries by the editor

Featuring a collection of original chapters by leading and emergingscholars, The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Sociology presents acomprehensive and balanced overview of the major topics andemerging trends in the discipline of sociology today.* Features original chapters contributed by an international castof leading and emerging sociology scholars* Represents the most innovative and 'state-of-the-art' thinkingabout the discipline* Includes a general introduction and section introductions withchapters summaries by the editor

Notes on Contributors viiiIntroduction 1George RitzerPart I Introduction 71 Philosophy and Sociology 9Stephen Turner2 A Selective History of Sociology 25Alan Sica3 Quantitative Methods 55Russell K. Schutt4 Qualitative Methods 73Mitchell Duneier5 Classical Sociological Theory 82Alan Sica6 Contemporary Sociological Theory 98George Ritzer and William YagatichPart II Basic Topics in Sociology 1197 Action, Interaction, and Groups 121Kimberly B. Rogers and Lynn Smith-Lovin8 Groups and Institutions, Structures and Processes 139Murray Webster, Jr. and Jane Sell9 The Sociology of Organizations 164Stewart R. Clegg10 Cultural Analysis 182John Tomlinson11 The Changing Life Course 197Angela M. O'Rand12 Deviance: A Sociology of Unconventionalities 212Nachman Ben-Yehuda13 Criminology 229Charles F. Wellford14 Critical Sexualities Studies 243Ken Plummer15 Feeling Class: Affect and Culture in the Making of Class Relations 269Beverley Skeggs16 Racial and Ethnic Issues: Critical Race Approaches in the United States 287Brittany Chevon Slatton and Joe R. Feagin17 Genders and Sexualities in Global Context: An Intersectional Assessment of Contemporary Scholarship 304Nancy A. Naples and Barbara Gurr18 Changing Families: Fluidity, Partnership, and Family Structure 333Graham Allan and Emma Head19 Sociology of Education 348Maureen T. Hallinan and Ge Liu20 Sociology of Religion 367Christian Smith and Robert D. Woodberry21 Current Directions in Medical Sociology 385William C. Cockerham22 Media and Communications 402John Durham Peters and Jefferson D. Pooley23 Work and Employment 418Steven P. Vallas24 The Sociology of Consumption 444P. J. Rey and George Ritzer25 Population 470Suzanne M. Bianchi and Vanessa Wight26 Urbanization 488Kevin Fox Gotham27 Environmental Sociology 504Richard York and Riley E. Dunlap28 Social Movements 522Remy Cross and David A. Snow29 Globalization 545Paul Dean and George RitzerPart III Cutting Edge Issues in Sociology 56530 After Neoliberalism: Whither Capitalism? 567Robert J. Antonio31 Organized Coercion and Political Authority: Armed Conflict in a World of States 588Meyer Kestnbaum32 Science and Technology: Now and in the Future 609Mark Erickson and Frank Webster33 The Internet, Web 2.0, and Beyond 626Nathan Jurgenson and George RitzerIndex 649