Author Description

Product Description This best-selling comprehensive text shares the excitement of sociology with the acclaimed "down-to-earth" approach that highlights the sociology of everyday life. The seventh edition of this highly-regarded text retains all the features that have made previous editions so successful. The author has a unique ability to engage readers without sacrificing content or talking down to them. With wit, personal reflection, and illuminating examples, Henslin is able to share his passion for sociology with his readers like no other author of an introductory text can. For the seventh edition, fourteen completely new boxes reflect the most current issues and meaningful topics to students and instructors, and four new photo essays ("Through the Author?s Lens") based on the author's travel and research have been added to this edition. Review Comments from students"Thanks to your book, I'm considering continuing my study of sociology."— Sydney Conley, Midlands Technical College"It was a pleasure to read your work. I felt as though I became acquainted with you through your words." — Marta A. Holliday, Marymount College"Thanks to your dedication to making the field of sociology more exciting to learn about."— Joya Gerritsma, Dordt College"I found your book to be incredibly interesting---so much that I am now reading the chapters we skipped over in class." — Anna Maria Huertas Kormoski, Stony Brook University"Not only is it very simple to understand, it is also very interesting."— Julissa Rodriguez, Texas Pan American University"I seriously believe that reading your book has made me a better person."— Leo Chagolla, University of Toledo"I have used this text in most of my subsequent classes." — Doug Bulson, Marquette University"Your book rocks!!! It is the most fun I have ever had reading any textbook in my life."— Kim B., Greenville Technical College"Thank you for your fine book. My college education would not have been complete without this course." — Judy Esway, Ottawa University"...engaging and easy to follow..." — Julie Markham, Lansing Community College About the Author James M. Henslin, who was born in Minnesota, graduated from high school and junior college in California and from college in Indiana. Awarded scholarships, he earned his Master's and doctorate degrees in sociology at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. After this, he was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Institute of Mental Health, and spent a year studying how people adjust to the suicide of a family member. His primary interests in sociology are the sociology of everyday life, deviance, and international relations. Among his more than a dozen books is Down to Earth Sociology (Free Press), now in its eleventh edition, a book of readings that reflects some of these sociological interests. He has also published widely in sociology journals, including Social Problems and American Journal of Sociology. While a graduate student, James Henslin taught at the University of Missouri at St. Louis. After completing his doctorate, he joined the faculty at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, where he is Professor Emeritus of Sociology. He says, "I've always found the introductory course enjoyable to teach. I love to see students' faces light up when they first glimpse the sociological perspective and begin to see how society has become an essential part of how they view the world." Henslin enjoys spending time with his wife, reading, and fishing. His two favorite activities are writing and traveling. He especially enjoys living in other cultures, for this brings him face to face with behaviors and ways of thinking that he cannot take for granted, experiences that "make sociological principles come alive." From the Back Cover Dear Student: Allyn & Bacon is committed to helping you succeed in your sociology course. We are pleased to offer you resources that go beyond the book to help you study-