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Introduction to Sociology

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Introduction to Sociology

Eighth Edition   Basirico, et al., © 2026, 925 pages

Introduction to Sociology introduces today's students to sociology while making it relevant to their lives. Pedagogical aids include chapter summaries, key terms, and sections for thinking sociologically; end of chapter questions encourage students to assimilate and apply fundamental sociological principles to everyday situations.

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978-1-5178-1702-2 		Online eBook + Lab 978-1-5178-1702-2 (9781517817022) $22 $29
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Instructor's Manual
The Instructor's Manual consists of chapter summaries, learning objectives, key terms, chapter and lecture outlines, peer-reviewed articles and YouTube videos, lecture suggestions and classroom activities to better assist you with your teaching curriculum.
PowerPoint Slides
This PowerPoint™ slide set combines figures, tables and text to further illustrate the principles discussed in the text.
Exam Bank (Blackboard)
The Blackboard Quiz Bank contains questions in a variety of formats including multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and essay questions. This file is an archive of per-chapter zipped Blackboard pool files.
Quiz Bank (Blackboard)
The Blackboard Quiz Bank contains questions in a variety of formats including multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and essay questions. This file is an archive of per-chapter zipped Blackboard pool files.
Homework Bank (Blackboard)
The Blackboard Homework Bank contains questions in a variety of formats including multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and essay questions. This file is an archive of per-chapter zipped Blackboard pool files.
Exam Bank (Canvas QTI)
The Canvas QTI Test Bank contains questions in a variety of formats including multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and essay questions. This file is an archive of per-chapter zipped QTI pool files.
Quiz Bank (Canvas QTI)
The Canvas QTI Quiz Bank contains questions in a variety of formats including multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and essay questions. This file is an archive of per-chapter zipped QTI pool files.
Homework Bank (Canvas QTI)
The Canvas QTI Homework Bank contains questions in a variety of formats including multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and essay questions. This file is an archive of per-chapter zipped QTI pool files.
Exam Bank (Word)
The Exam Bank contains questions in a variety of formats including multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and essay questions.
Quiz Bank (Word)
The Quiz Bank contains questions in a variety of formats including multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and essay questions.
Homework Bank (Word)
The Homework Bank contains questions in a variety of formats including multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and essay questions.

Excerpts

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About the Authors

Laurence Basirico person
Laurence "Larry" Basirico earned his BA in sociology from Hofstra University (1972) and his MA (1974) and PhD (1983) at Stony Brook University. He is professor of sociology at Elon University where he has been since 1983. He was chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology from 1994 to 2004 and resumed his role as department chair in 2009. Dr. Basirico’s research primarily has been in the areas of social interaction, identity, socialization, the family and culture—as applied specifically to rock groups, arts and crafts communities, family reunions, and marital relationships. His major teaching areas are introduction to sociology, self and society, and the family. Dr. Basirico was also dean of international programs at Elon for five years (2004 to 2009), spearheading one of the most successful study abroad programs in the United States and overseeing efforts to internationalize the campus. While he was dean, Elon won the prestigious Paul Simon Internationalization of the Campus Award, the highest award given by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. In 1988, he joined forces with J. Ross Eshleman and Barbara G. Cashion to write Sociology: An Introduction (Scott Foresman, Little Brown, and then with HarperCollins Publisher), the precursor for this textbook. That book was one of the first sociology textbooks that focused on how students could apply sociology in their lives. He assumed primary responsibility for Introduction to Sociology with BVT Publishing beginning with the 4th edition. Dr. Basirico is married with three children and lives in Burlington, North Carolina. He is a lifelong music lover and learner dedicated primarily to guitar these days, but with a background in piano. He regularly walks around golf courses chasing a little white ball into never-before-seen natural habitats.
Barbara Cashion person
Barbara G. Cashion received her PhD from the University of Maryland and taught at a variety of universities, including Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. She has special interest in the sociology of medicine and has worked in group health insurance settings at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and in the pharmaceutical field.

Dr. Cashion has published on related topics in a variety of journals. She is currently retired from teaching and is living in Hagerstown, Maryland. There she continues to develop her interests in music and fine arts, especially in the sociology of American art. Dr. Cashion has two daughters and four grandchildren.
J. Ross Eshleman person
J. Ross Eshleman, PhD, received his doctorate from Ohio State University and is now professor emeritus at Wayne State University. His past teaching experience includes serving as department chair of sociology at Wayne State University and Appalachian State University, two Fulbright grants to the Philippines at the University of Santo Tomas and De La Salle College, a year with the National Science Foundation, and two university teaching awards.

Dr. Eshleman has directed five institutes for teachers of high school sociology with grants through the National Science Foundation. His publications include numerous editions (ten of his own and two co-authored) of a sociology of the family text.

Description

New to This Edition

As with each new edition, we have retained the characteristics of our Introduction to Sociology text that make it stand out. This edition continues to include an emphasis on the relevance of sociology with sections in each chapter on how students can apply specific sociological theories and/or concepts to their professional and personal lives.

Major changes have been made to this edition to ensure the information is current and accurate. Longstanding classical theoretical perspectives and concepts still form the underpinnings of the book. We honor the contributions of the authors and sociologists as central to the discipline. Updates to some of the opening vignettes include references to current events so that students can relate to them more effectively. These have always been favorably reviewed because they are relevant to the central ideas of each chapter. All citations throughout this edition have been checked (and revised if necessary) to ensure that they are as current and accurate as possible. Most of the tables and figures have been updated with the most current data available, and new tables and figures have been added wherever relevant. Of course, the text has been revised where needed to broaden discussions that the authors deemed especially important.

The opening vignette remains near the beginning of the chapter, and key terms remain in the margins in each chapter close to where they are discussed in the text. Many of the photographs have been changed to try to ensure relevance to students’ lives. The Students in Real Life vignette have been retained in this edition; these feature real students and how sociology has helped them in their job or life.

We believe that our book offers a traditional, solid introduction to sociology that encourages students to see its relevance in their lives and the world around them.

All of these customizations are professionally typeset to produce a seamless textbook of the highest quality, with an updated table of contents and index to reflect the customized content.



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