SOC100 Textbook

[textbook]

I am wondering which "Introduction to Sociology" textbooks that forum members prefer in their classes. And why? Pros, Cons? Suggestions highly appreciated.

[conley]

I taught intro as a grad student a couple summers ago, and I used Dalton Conley's You May Ask Yourself. It's thorough and rigorous, but accessible and fun. Almost conversational in tone. Conley is a great communicator.

[depends]

I think it depends on the type of class. With smaller, more interactive classes, I generally prefer to assign a reader like Adler and Adler's sociological odyssey. Students generally find that thing more interesting, and the smaller setting allows me to make sure the students understand how it all fits together.

Last time I had a large section, I used a regular textbook. I used Macionis "Society: the basics." But looking at it now I see that the newest edition is very expensive, so next time I use a textbook, I might choose something else.

[tttt]

Sorry to piggy back on this discussion, but going off of the above poster's comment about textbook costs, has anyone found an alternative to textbooks when teaching intro?

It seems like publishers are always releasing slightly modified versions of their textbooks so that they can sell them for upwards of $100. Since college bookstores can only order stuff in print, students end up having to pay a lot for a book they'll use one semester.

I teach at an open access institution where students already struggle to make ends meet. Is there an alternative to textbooks (or readers) for the 101 level that does not violate copyrights?

[Islander]

There is an alternative to textbooks, at least to expensive ones. There are a few good, although not exactly stellar, online texts. I have used one from flatworldknowledge.com in my intro classes. The good news is that students can read the book online for free.

I used the flatworldknowledge text as a supplement to articles and chapters on a few main areas in sociology (for me, this was the big 3, crim, and health). The textbook supported students when they needed a quick definition of a term, and the articles were actually engaging. So we used class to unpack the article and I would give some background on what else has been said on the topic. I simply uploaded the articles and chapters to our course management system.

Students loved the fact that the text was free, and I got to talk about actual sociology, not the overly simplistic version that most textbooks present.

[anotheridea]

I used an older version of this Giddens, Duneier, and Appelbaum, and Carr text:

www.amazon.com/Introduction-Sociology-Edition-Anthony-Giddens/dp/0393912132/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368397032&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=intro+sociology+duniuier

It's a very slick textbook and has some great content.

[alwaysguest]

I'd like to up this thread. Please more suggestions

[manza]

I'm using The Sociology Project: Introducing the Sociological Imagination. I like that every chapter is written by authors who have expertise in the subject area.