international policies to day-to-day activities in our personal lives. In this edition, the authors go beyond the mere questioning of issues to take a closer look at the social world in which we live. They provide an integrated approach that uses sociological thinking to help students analyze and understand key concepts. To focus increased attention on sociological thinking and research methods, they have chosen four key themes: media and technology, globalization, cultural diversity, and trends for the future. Because sociology is about all of us and our daily lives, it is an eminently practical and useful discipline for understanding our social world.This Ninth Edition Includes: • specific student outcomes for each chapter as well as assessment items linked to those outcomes• new chapter-opening vignettes that give real-life examples illustrating important terms, concepts, and theories included in that chapter• updated data, statistics, maps, charts, boxes, and tables citing the latest research available• examples of the powerful impact of media and technology on society, especially the role social media play in helping to shape and define our daily social lives• new photos and cartoons accompanied by critical-thinking questions that reinforce and illustrate important sociological terms, concepts, and theories

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