This is a core text that presents a balanced, unbiased treatment of the essential concepts for introductory sociology. All the perspectives are given equal treatment. This text has always been respected for its admirable author team, scholarship and brevity. This edition will have a new emphasis on the process of doing sociology and integrating material across chapters to show the intersection of concepts. This new feature, entitled Intersections, demonstrates and teaches how to think sociologically by using theoretical analysis and analytic apparatus via data sets (MicroCase). The new focus of this text will promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as apply sociological theory to real-world issues.