A brief supplemental text for introductory sociology that uses familiar examples from a college or university setting to teach students to think of society in terms of social groups and forces.

College and Society is based on the premise that colleges are not “ivory towers” that stand in contrast to the larger society. Rather, the author argues that colleges tend to reflect many of the same social structures, culturally based expectations of social conduct, and patterns of interaction. By examining their immediate surroundings, college students can learn about the social processes at work in the larger society, and begin to develop a “sociological imagination.”