LibGuides: OER &amp; ZTC: Open Educational Resources &amp; Zero-Textbook Cost Classes: Sociology

Textbooks

Introduction to Sociology 2e by Heather Griffiths et al (2020): OpenStax.

Introduction to Sociology 2e adheres to the scope and sequence of a typical, one-semester introductory sociology course. It offers comprehensive coverage of core concepts, foundational scholars, and emerging theories. The textbook presents section reviews with rich questions, discussions that help students apply their knowledge, and features that draw learners into the discipline in meaningful ways. The second edition has been updated significantly to reflect the latest research and current, relevant examples.

Intro to Sociology by Ron Hammond & Paul Cheney (2019): College of the Canyons.

Sociology is a relatively new discipline in comparison to chemistry, math, biology, philosophy and other disciplines that trace back thousands of years. Sociology began as an intellectual/philosophical effort by a French man named Auguste Comte who coined the term “Sociology.” Sociology is the science of society and of human behavior when influenced by society. This book covers foundations of sociology, culture, socialization, social groups, urbanization, deviance, social control, crime, stratification, race, gender, age, politics, economics, religion, the family, and education.

College of the Canyons

Sociology: Understanding and Changing the Social World by Steven E. Barkan (2019): University of Maine.

The book includes the most recent data in the following categories, so your students have access to the latest sociological trends: crime and victimization, income and poverty, life expectancy and aging, employment, marriage and divorce, education, medical care and health disparities, and fertility and population change.

Saylor
UPenn

Classical Sociological Theory and Foundations of American Sociology by Allison Hurst (2020): Open Oregon.

There are many excellent introductory readers to sociological theory out there. Why another one? The primary reason is that this is an Open Access textbook, free to you, the student, thanks to Oregon State University. We know that textbooks can be very expensive, and we think it is particularly problematic to charge students for access to work that has been published, in its original form, several decades ago. If you wanted, you could find all of the work included here in your local library, although you would have to put together many different books and articles. That is the second reason for this textbook – important passages have been collected for you, assembled here in one handy volume.

Intro to Women's Studies by Katie Coleman (2017): College of the Canyons.

This text covers foundational sociological theory, then moves into issues of sex, gender, gender roles, gender inequality, language and media, emotions and relationships, LGBTQ+ identities, education and gender stereotypes, work, crime, and suggestions for positive social change. This book is part of the College of the Canyons ZTC book series.

College of the Canyons

Introduction to Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies by Miliann Kang (2017): UMass Amherst.

This textbook introduces key feminist concepts and analytical frameworks used in the interdisciplinary Women, Gender, Sexualities field. It unpacks the social construction of knowledge and categories of difference, processes and structures of power and inequality, with a focus on gendered labor in the global economy, and the historical development of feminist social movements. The book emphasizes feminist sociological approaches to analyzing structures of power, drawing heavily from empirical feminist research.

Sociological Inquiry Principles: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods by Amy Blackstone (2012): Saylor Foundation.

Principles of Sociological Inquiry by Anne Laurel Marenco (2017): College of the Canyons.

This text emphasizes the relevance of research methods for the everyday lives of its readers: undergraduate students. The book describes how research methodology is useful for students in the multiple roles they fill: (1) as consumers of popular and public information; (2) as citizens in a society where findings from social research shape our laws, policies, and public life; and (3) as current and future employees. You will find connections to these roles throughout and directly within the main text of the book rather than their being relegated to boxes. This material is important, so why discuss it only as a side note? Using a variety of examples from published sociological research, this text also aims to provide balanced coverage of qualitative and quantitative approaches. We’ll also cover some of the debates among sociologists on the values and purposes of qualitative and quantitative research. In addition, we’ll discuss the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches.

College of the Canyons

A Career in Sociology by Vera Kennedy (2020): LibreTexts.

A Career in Sociology was written for introductory undergraduate courses on sociological practice. The book was designed for faculty and students searching for an open educational resource (OER) that provides sociological terms, concepts, and theories in the study of sociological practice. To adapt to the educational needs of individuals using this book, the instructor or learner must understand the underlying content. And, instructional approach may require additional resources and/or other methods to make the learning experience her or his own.

LibreTexts

Courses

Introduction to Sociology (Lumen)

Lumen Learning provides a simple, supported path for faculty members to adopt and teach effectively with open educational resources.

Introduction to Sociology (Saylor)

In this course we introduce a range of basic sociological principles so you can develop your own sociological imagination. We study about the origins of sociology as a discipline, and some major sociological theories and research methods. We also explore the topics of sex and gender, deviance, and racism. As we move through the course, try to develop your sociological imagination by relating the topics and theories you read about to your own life experiences.

Sociology 101 (ASCCC OERI)

This is an update of a text supported by the ASCCC OERI and originally written by Ron Hammond and Paul Cheney of Utah Valley University. This sociology text is available in Canvas Commons. If the provided link does not work, please search “ASCCC” in Canvas Commons to find all ASCCC OERI resources.

Foundations of Modern Social Theory (Open Yale)

This course provides an overview of major works of social thought from the beginning of the modern era through the 1920s. Attention is paid to social and intellectual contexts, conceptual frameworks and methods, and contributions to contemporary social analysis. Writers include Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Adam Smith, Marx, Weber, and Durkheim.

American Dream: Using Storytelling to Explore Social Class in the United States (MIT OpenCourseWare)

This course explores the experiences and understandings of class among Americans positioned at different points along the U.S. social spectrum. It considers a variety of classic frameworks for analyzing social class and uses memoirs, novels, and ethnographies to gain a sense of how class is experienced in daily life and how it intersects with other forms of social difference such as race and gender.