Sociological Thinking: An Introduction

Book Information

Full Description:

The author has approached this work with the aim of providing a manageable length and accessible introduction to sociology. This text concentrates more heavily than conventional texts on developing the psychological and intellectual qualities that are necessary to effectively approach the subject. It is pitched at GCE A Level and is aimed at the sociology student or general reader who is looking for an alternative to the standard texts.
The text is different to the latter in that, as the title suggests, it focuses more on guiding the reader into thinking sociologically than providing a comprehensive grounding in the academic content of the subject. The idea for this type of text originated from a perceived need for such an alternative in teaching Access to Higher Education students and is modelled on an approach that has been applied successfully in working with such groups.

The approach adopted by the author guides the reader to develop a critical and openminded outlook on society. With this aim in mind, readers are led to examine and deconstruct their preconceptions about society and reconstruct an understanding through the reflective use of sociological concepts and theories.
Based on this approach, the text caters for the following needs of sociology students and the general reader.
It:
offers an inroad into the subject at an introductory level which makes no assumptions about prior knowledge in the subject;
guides students / the reader through the process of breaking down preconceptions on the way that they view society and their own lives;
leads the reader into appreciating the challenges that sociological thinking poses;
provides a clear introduction to sociological concepts and theories and offers a
challenging learning curve in constructing sociological approaches and insights.

This volume concentrates on guiding the reader to raise essential questions about society and use sociology to develop reflective insights. It does not aim to be comprehensive in terms of academic content or breadth within the topic areas covered.

Instead, the work focuses more on the task of guiding the reader in the development of intellectual qualities necessary to think sociologically. To assist this process, the approach adopted in the text:
introduces the terrain of the subject and alerts the reader to a range of challenges that it offers (Chapter 1);
prefaces each chapter with an abstract to orientate the reader to the forthcoming
chapter content;
starts chapters by highlighting typical preconceptions that need to be confronted in
making a successful transition from layperson to sociologist;
guides this transition by developing sociological understanding of social phenomena.

Definitions of key terms are integrated into the text to help the reader acquire a sound conceptual grounding in the subject. A historical chronology is built into each of the chapters two to eight to assist the reader in acquiring a feel for historical developments in the subject. Each chapter can be approached independently but the text also takes the form of a building process. For example, contemporary theory is briefly introduced toward the end of chapter two. It is then built on at the end of each topic chapter three to eight and taken to a more detailed level in chapter nine.

Although the theories considered in the text are broadly, sometimes even globally,
applicable, the main geographical target audience is a British one and the data and research included reflects this. Audiences who would benefit from the text include:
those looking for a text which can help them make the transition from GCSE to GCE A
Level thinking in the subject;
A Level students who are looking for a reflective alternative which can be used to
complement the standard texts;
mature students who are looking for an unintimidating text which can nevertheless guide them to a challenging level of study;
students in higher education who are new to the subject area and are looking for an introductory text in sociology which has less the feel of an A Level textbook than the more traditional ones;
the general reader who is interested in contemporary issues such as those surrounding globalisation and who is looking for an approachable text.

Finally, the author hopes that in this work he has been able to make a contribution to a rewarding intellectual venture for the reader.

Table of Contents:

Author Information:

John T. Pullinger has a BA Honours Degree Sociology with Professional Studies (North East London Polytechnic, 1978). He also completed a part-time postgraduate studies in Sociology at The London School of Economics, and has completed an M.Phil Degree in Sociology.
He has extensive teaching experience at Access to Higher Education level and will be using the text on the current Access Sociology course.

Reviews

The marketplace of sociological textbooks is a crowded one. Haralambos and Holborn’s Sociology: Themes and Perspectives – despite the protestations of many a first year undergraduate’s tutor – is the (perceived) market leader, whereas perhaps Giddens’ Sociology – for some - wins out in the credibility stakes.
John Pullinger’s Sociological Thinking: An Introduction must, I think, be regarded as a welcome addition to this marketplace. The text is clearly written, unpretentious, and gets down to its task – making sociology accessible to those new to the discipline – from page one.

One of the key strengths of Pullinger’s book might be regarded as its brevity. Pullinger manages, in just over two hundred and sixty pages, to cram in enough detail, to - in the words of the sleeve notes – help students to ‘make the transition from GCSE to GCE ‘A’ Level thinking in the subject’ – as well as producing a book of use to students in higher education. The book covers all the usual bases. There are chapters on the nature of the discipline, on theoretical perspectives, the sociology of the family, the sociology of education, social stratification, research methods, power and politics, the sociology of religion, and contemporary sociological ‘theory’. Moreover, Pullinger integrates into the discussion of concrete themes useful theoretical analysis – thus avoiding the weakness of many introductory books, where theory exists in splendid isolation from ‘practical’ application. It should also be noted that each chapter has at the beginning a user friendly abstract via which the reader can effectively negotiate the content in an efficient manner. In short, the content of all the chapters tells the budding sociologist green behind the ears what they need to know.

Review by Dr David Bates, Senior Lecturer in Social Science, Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent