Re: textbook request

On Wed, 13 Sep 2000, Boles (office) wrote:

> I'm looking for a new General Sociology (101) textbook that has a
> world-systems bent (gets w-s correctly) and is as socially critical as
> possible.  Any suggestions?
> 
> Elson E. Boles
> Assistant Professor, Historical Sociology
> University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma
> 2108 S. 19th St.
> Chickasha, OK 73018
> 
> 

Elson-

I've taught Intro to Sociology as macrosociology using Sanderson's
"Macrosociology" text.  This is a radical approach, obviously, and I could
get away with it as an Arizona grad student.  I wouldn't do it here at
Weber State as junior faculty!

The Macionis text "Sociology," which is in its 8th edition on
Prentice-Hall has a quite decent section on Global Stratification.  It's
better on data documenting inequality than on theory, but includes a short
summary of dependency and world-system theory.

Given that the format is to try to cover every topic, I doubt that you
will find *any* standard introductory Sociology text that does justice to
world-system theory and analysis.  I've looked...  You'll almost certainly
have to bring in additional material if that's your goal.

I'm not so interested in "critical" -- the content of the criticism
varies.  Personally, I prefer a more scientifically/positivistically 
oriented text (I'm using Stark right now), and *I'll* add a critical
component.  I don't like my students going away thinking sociology is just
part of the humanities, just ideology.

But if that's what you're looking for, anything by Joe Feagin (our
immediate past ASA president, amazingly) will be implacably critical of
the status quo, and Currin and Renzetti, the last time I looked, had
critical intro and problems texts as well. 

RH