Full Description
Do birds of a feather flock together or do opposites attract? Is honesty the best policy? Are children our most precious commodity? Is education the great equalizer? Adages like these shape our social life. This Sixth Edition of Second Thoughts reviews several popular beliefs and notes how these conventional wisdoms cannot be taken at face value, but instead require careful second thoughts. This unique text encourages students to step back and sharpen their analytic focus with 25 essays that use social research to expose the gray areas of commonly held beliefs, revealing the complexity of social reality and sharpening students' sociological vision.
Contents
Part IEssay 1: Numbers Don't LiePart II: Culture Essay 2: Winning Is EverythingEssay 3: Children Are Our Most Precious CommodityPart III: Social StructureEssay 4: Love Knows No ReasonEssay 5: Stress Is Bad for Your Well-BeingEssay 6: The "Golden Years" Are Tarnished YearsPart IV: Socialization and IdentityEssay 7: What's in a Name? That Which We Call a Rose by Any Other Name Would Smell As SweetEssay 8: Beauty Is Only Skin DeepPart V: StratificationEssay 9: The More We Pay, the More It's WorthEssay 10: Money Is the Root of All EvilEssay 11: You've Come a Long Way, BabyEssay 12: America Is the Land of Equal OpportunityPart VI: Deviance, Crime, and Social ControlEssay 13: Violence Is on the Rise in the United States-No One Is SafeEssay 14: There's Nothing We Can Do About the WeatherEssay 15: There Ought to Be a LawEssay 16: Honesty Is the Best PolicyPart VII: Social Institutions: Marriage and FamilyEssay 17: The Nuclear Family Is the Backbone of American SocietyEssay 18: Marriage Is a Failing InstitutionPart VIII: Social Institutions: The EconomyEssay 19: Welfare Is Ruining This CountryEssay 20: Immigrants Are Ruining This NationPart IX: Social Institutions: Media and TechnologyEssay 21: Technology Is Taking Over Our LivesPart X: Social Institutions: EducationEssay 22: Education Is the Great EqualizerPart XI: Social Institutions: ReligionEssay 23: We Are One Nation Under God
