Subject Guide
Online reference resource collections
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window Gale EBOOKS is a collection of searchable subject encyclopedias and reference books from Gale Publishing and many other publishers.
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window Searchable and browsable collection of highly trusted reference books. Dictionaries and encyclopedias in Oxford Reference Online include general works, foreign-language works, and specialized subject works in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences.
- Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window Oxford Handbooks Online contains review essays that evaluate the current thinking on a field or topic. Essays also make an original argument about the future direction of debate in a given field. The Oxford Handbooks are authoritative and highly respected sources, containing in-depth, high-level articles. The collection covers such subjects as archaeology business, classical studies, criminology, literature, and psychology.
Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference resources
A number of general Sociology reference works are listed below. More can be found through OneSearch, or on the more specific lists on this guide's topic pages.
A Dictionary of Sociology by
A consistent best-seller, the wide-ranging and authoritative Dictionary of Sociology was first published in 1994 and contains more than 2,500 entries on the terminology, methods, concepts, and thinkers in the field, as well as from the related fields of psychology, economics, anthropology, philosophy, and political science.For this fourth edition, Professor John Scott has conducted a thorough review of all entries to ensure that they are concise, focused, and up to date. Revisions reflect current intellectual debates and social conditions, particularly in relation to globaland multi-cultural issues. New entries cover relevant contemporary concepts, such as climate change, social media, terrorism, and intersectionality, as well as key living sociologists.This Dictionary is both an invaluable introduction to sociology for beginners, and an essential source of reference for more advanced students and teachers.Readership: Invaluable for A-level and undergraduate students, lecturers and teachers, and professionals; ideal for anyone looking for an introduction to sociology.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2014
The Oxford Handbook of Sociology and Organization Studies by
Organizations are a defining feature of the modern world, and the study of organizations (Organization Studies) has become well established in both sociology departments and professional schools, most notably business and management schools.Organization Studies has long drawn inspiration from foundational work in sociology. The sociological lens affords depth of insight into the technological, economic, cultural, and political forces that shape organizations from both within and without. In particular, "classical" works in sociologyhave long energized organizational research, primarily by suggesting ways of making sense of the ever-accelerating pace of social change. In recent decades, however, the field has lost interest in these sociology classics. This trend reflects and reinforces an increasingly academic focus ofcontempory Organization Studies. Not only does this trend weaken Organization Studies' engagement with the big social issues of our time, but it isolates the field from the broader field of the social sciences.The aim of this Handbook is to re-assert the importance of classical sociology to the future of Organization Studies. Alongside several thematic chapters, the volume includes chapters on each of nearly two dozen major European and American theorists, each of these chapter addressing: (a) the ideasand their context, (b) the impact of these ideas on the field of Organization Studies, and (c) the potential future research these ideas might inspire. The goal is not reverential exegesis, but rather to examine how the classics can energize organizational research.This wide-ranging Handbook, with contributions from leading American and European scholars, will be a vital, informative, and stimulating resource for anybody undertaking research in, teaching, or interested in learning more about Organization Studies today.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2009
The Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology by
Providing an authoritative and comprehensive overview of the classical and the contemporary, this volume is an indispensable guide to the vibrant and expanding field of sociology. Featuring over 600 entries, from concise definitions to discursive essays, written by leading international academics, the Dictionary offers a truly global perspective, examining both American and European traditions and approaches. Entries cover schools, theories, theorists and debates, with substantial articles on all key topics in the field. While recognising the richness of historical sociological traditions, the Dictionary also looks forward to new and evolving influences such as cultural change, genetics, globalization, information technologies, new wars and terrorism. Most entries incorporate references for further reading and a cross-referencing system enables easy access to related areas. This Dictionary is an invaluable reference work for students and academics alike and will help to define the field of sociology in years to come.
Call Number: General Collection HM425 .C36 2006Publication Date: 2006
Cultural Sociology of Mental Illness by
The U.S. Surgeon General#65533;s report on mental health notes #65533;Surveys estimate that during a 1-year period, 22 to 23 percent of the U.S. adult population#65533;or 44 million people#65533;have diagnosable mental disorders, according the reliable, established criteria.#65533; The report goes on to say, #65533;epidemiological estimates have shifted over time because of changes in the definitions and diagnosis of mental health and mental illness.#65533; Indeed, some experts believe there has been an astonishing rise in mental illness. According to one report, #65533;in 1987, prior to Prozac hitting the market and the current ubiquitous use of antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs, the U.S. mental illness disability rate was 1 in every 184 Americans, but by 2007 the mental illness disability rate had more than doubled to 1 in every 76 Americans.#65533; Discussion now revolves around the questions: Are there truly more mentally ill people now or are there just more people being diagnosed and treated? And what are the roles of economics and the pharmacological industry in this controversy? At the core of what is going on with mental illness in American and around the world, we believe, is cultural sociology: How differing cultures treat mental illness and, in turn, how mental health patients are affected by the culture. In this multidisciplinary reference, we look at the culture of mental illness from the non-clinical perspectives of sociology, history, psychology, epidemiology, economics, public health policy, and finally, the mental health patients themselves.Specifications:A two-volume work, available in a choice of print or electronic formats.375 to 400 articles and 150 photos.An Introduction, thematic Reader#65533;s Guide, Chronology, Glossary, and a Resource Guide to Key Books, Journals, and Associations and their web sites.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2014
Encyclopedia of Sociology by
This classic reference has been updated to reflect many changes in society and in the field of sociology in recent years. Articles covering core issues such as race, poverty, violence, economics, pregnancy and abortion have been updated and expanded, and completely new articles have been written on topics such as the Internet, privacy and epidemiology.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2003
Encyclopedia of Race and Racism by
Examines the anthropological, sociological, historical, economic, and scientific theories of race and racism in the modem era. Delves into the historic origins of ideas of race and racism and explores their social and scientific consequences. Includes biographies of significant theorists, as well as political and social leaders and notorious racists.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2013
The Oxford Handbook of Cultural Sociology by
In recent decades, the focus of the study of culture in sociology has been divided between the sociology of culture and cultural sociology. In the former approach, culture is seen as a reflection of the deeper and more "real" social structures.A cultural sociology, however, begins from the premise that ideas and beliefs retain autonomy from the social structures to which they refer and illuminate. Only after the internal logics of meaning have been discovered and understood - the codes, narratives, and rhetorical techniques - can thecultural be put back into social structure, and analyzed in a multidimensional way. Edited by Jeffrey Alexander, arguably the leading cultural sociologist in the world, and two other widely respected practitioners, Ron Jacobs and Phil Smith, these essays from an international cast of the best andbrightest cultural sociologists cover topics in theory and method; power, politics, and states; economics and organization; mass media; social movements; religion; aesthetics; knowledge; and health. Organized by empirical areas of study rather than particular theories or competing intellectualstrands, the editors demonstrate that cultural sociology is not so much as a specialized subfield of sociology but, rather, an intellectual approach that can be generalized across all the core fields of the discipline.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2012
The Oxford Handbook of Analytical Sociology by
Analytical sociology is a strategy for understanding the social world. It is concerned with explaining important social facts such as network structures, patterns of residential segregation, typical beliefs, cultural tastes, and common ways of acting. It explains such facts not merely byrelating them to other social facts, but by detailing in clear and precise ways the mechanisms through which the social facts were brought about. Making sense of the relationship between micro and macro thus is one of the central concerns of analytical sociology. The approach is a contemporaryincarnation of Robert K. Merton's notion of middle-range theory and represents a vision of sociological theory as a tool-box of semi-general theories each of which is adequate for explaining certain types of phenomena. The Handbook brings together some of the most prominent sociologists in theworld in a concerted effort to move sociology in a more analytical and rigorous direction. Some of the chapters focus on action and interaction as the cogs and wheels of social processes, while others consider the dynamic social processes that these actions and interactions bring about.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2009
The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Sociology by
In recent years there has been a growing interest in cognition within sociology and other social sciences. Within sociology this interest cuts across various topical subfields, including culture, social psychology, religion, race, and identity. Scholars within the new subfield of cognitivesociology, also referred to as the sociology of culture and cognition, are contributing to a rapidly developing body of work on how mental and social phenomena are interrelated and often interdependent.In The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Sociology, Wayne H. Brekhus and Gabe Igantow have gathered some of the most influential scholars working in cognitive sociology to present an accessible introduction to key research areas in a diverse field. While classical sociological and newer interdisciplinaryapproaches have been covered separately by scholars in the past, this volume alternatively presents a broad range of cognitive sociological perspectives. The contributors discuss a range of approaches for theorizing and analyzing the "social mind," including macro-cultural approaches, interactionistapproaches, and research that draws on Pierre Bourdieu's major concepts. Each chapter further investigates a variety of cognitive processes within these three approaches, such as attention and inattention, perception, automatic and deliberate cognition, cognition and social action, stereotypes,categorization, classification, judgment, symbolic boundaries, meaning-making, metaphor, embodied cognition, morality and religion, identity construction, time sequencing, and memory.A comprehensive look at cognitive sociology's main contributions and the central debates within the field, the Handbook will serve as a primary resource for social researchers, faculty, and students interested in how cognitive sociology can contribute to research within their substantive areas offocus.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2019
Research Handbook on the Sociology of the Family by
Exploring how family life has radically changed in recent decades, this comprehensive Research Handbook tracks the latest developments and trends in scholarly work on the family. With a particular focus on the European context, it addresses current debates and offers insights into key topics including: the division of housework, family forms and living arrangements, intergenerational relationships, partner choice, divorce and fertility behaviour. Bringing together contributions from leading family sociologists, the Research Handbook examines important questions: have family patterns across different countries become more similar, or have differences between countries and social groups increased over time? How diverse are family forms across different countries? How do conventional theories explain these patterns? And what are the major innovations in theorising and describing family behaviour? In order to resolve these key points, the chapters provide an overview of past and present developments in scholarly work on European families. They also present concise overviews of theories, methods, critical debates, empirical findings and pathways for future research. Its analysis of important areas of research in the field will make this Research Handbook a valuable resource for scholars and students of sociology, demography, and family and gender policy. It will also be beneficial for policy experts in these fields.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2021
Encyclopedia of Gender and Society by
2009 RUSA Outstanding Reference CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title for 2009 A comprehensive, two-volume encyclopedia covering the major theories, research, people and issues in contemporary gender studies. The work will be distinguished by a cross-nationaloss-cultural perspective providing comparative analyses of life experiences of men and women around the world.
Call Number: General Collection HQ1115 .E54 2009Publication Date: 2009
Key Ideas in Sociology by
The only compact and portable book for undergraduate readers that links issues regarding post-modern society to the ideas and individuals that gave rise to sociological thinking in the late 19th century. Students too often learn about social theorists as unconnected with one another. Key Ideas in Sociology shows how ideas developed by one theorist evolve and are further shaped by subsequent theorists, reflecting on different historical circumstances. Peter Kivisto offers a genuinely integrated view of the history of social thought, linking classical sociological ideas to today′s thinking about contemporary life. He shows how theorizing is not a dry, abstract exercise, but a practical human necessity in the ongoing quest to understand and cope with our complex and ever-changing social conditions.
Call Number: General Collection HM435 .K58 2011Publication Date: 2011
Social Issues in America: An Encyclopedia by
Truly comprehensive in scope - and arranged in A-Z format for quick access - this eight-volume set is a one-source reference for anyone researching the historical and contemporary details of more than 170 major issues confronting American society. Entries cover the full range of hotly contested social issues - including economic, scientific, environmental, criminal, legal, security, health, and media topics. Each entry discusses the historical origins of the problem or debate; past means used to deal with the issue; the current controversy surrounding the issue from all perspectives; and the near-term and future implications for society. In addition, each entry includes a chronology, a bibliography, and a directory of Internet resources for further research as well as primary documents and statistical tables highlighting the debates.
Call Number: General Collection HN57 .S624 2006Publication Date: 2006
Global Social Issues: An Encyclopedia by
This landmark reference is a comprehensive, one-stop, interdisciplinary resource that examines current, critical social issues in historical and global contexts. Nearly 150 in-depth, balanced, and thought-provoking articles cover a broad range of critically important topics: the environment, health, science, the media, ethnic conflicts, poverty, and immigration, to name just a few. Each original, signed article provides historical context as well as a thorough discussion and analysis of contemporary issues facing today's interconnected world.
Call Number: General Collection H41 .G56 2013Publication Date: 2013
