This collection of 51 popular and academic articles and book excerpts includes selections on the study of sociology ranging from a Durkheim classic to a guide to being better consumers of statistics and a cautionary tale on ethics. General topics include how the individual and culture work in society, the structure of power, social institutions and social change with articles covering such diverse issues as welfare, optional ethnicities, race, cultural transition, ritualization, assimilation, upward mobility, the underclass, unseen social control and the standardization of lives, religion, shared paternity, the conflict of work and family, jihad, grassroots activism and environmentalism. This edition includes updated articles and more material on racial inequality and globalization. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Read Less