A paperback text that helps students understand not only their own society, but also the forces of globalization and modernization that are transforming the world.

Sociology: Changing Societies in a Diverse World offers one of the broadest perspectives of any introductory text. Like others, it examines the basic structures and institutions of society, as well as the dynamics of social behavior, starting with the world students know best — contemporary American society with all of its diversity. In addition, the authors treat modernization — a process that is transforming countries in every stage of development throughout the world — as a core topic for sociological understanding. Students using this text will see how modernization affects virtually all aspects of contemporary society, and explains many of the momentous events occurring in the world today.