Sociology: Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life

by David M. Newman

Overview

The Fifteenth Edition of Sociology: Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life uses vivid prose, current examples, and fresh data to present a unique and thought-provoking overview of how society is constructed and experienced. With his approachable writing style and lively anecdotes, author David M. Newman’s goal from the first edition has been the same: to write a textbook that "reads like a real book."

Also available in Sage Vantage, an intuitive learning platform that integrates quality Sage textbook content with assignable multimedia activities and auto-graded assessments to drive student engagement and ensure accountability. Learn more about 978-1-0719-8051-4, Sociology - Vantage Digital Option, Fifteenth Edition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781071934746
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	07/14/2025
Edition description:	15th Edition
Pages:	664
Product dimensions:	7.38(w) x 9.12(h) x (d)

About the Author

David M. Newman earned his BA from San Diego State University in 1981 and his graduate degrees from the University of Washington in Seattle (MA 1984, Ph D 1988). After a year at the University of Connecticut, David taught at De Pauw University for more than 30 years. He currently teaches at Colgate University. David teaches courses in contemporary society, deviance, mental illness, family, social inequality, and research methods. He has published numerous articles on teaching and has presented research papers on the intersection of gender and power in intimate relationships. Recently most of his scholarly activity has been devoted to writing and revising several books, including Sociology: Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life: Brief Edition (SAGE, 2020); Identities and Inequalities: Exploring the Intersections of Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality (Mc Graw-Hill, 2021); and Families: A Sociological Perspective (Mc Graw-Hill, 2009). His most recent book, A Culture of Second Chances: The Promise, Practice and Price of Starting Over in Everyday Life (Lexington Books, 2019), examines the cultural meaning, institutional importance, and social limitations of “second chance” and “permanent stigma” narratives in everyday life.

Table of Contents

Preface to the 15th Edition
Digital Resources
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Part I: The Individual and Society
Chapter 1: Taking a New Look at a Familiar World
Sociology and the Individual
The Sociological Imagination
Conclusion
Your Turn
Chapter Highlights
Key Terms
Chapter 2: Seeing and Thinking Sociologically
How Individuals Structure Society
Social Influence: The Impact of Other People on Our Everyday Lives
Societal Influence: The Effect of Social Structure on Our Everyday Lives
Three Perspectives on Social Order
Conclusion
Your Turn
Chapter Highlights
Key Terms
Part II: The Construction of Self and Society
Chapter 3: Building Reality: The Social Construction of Knowledge
Understanding the Social Construction of Reality
Laying the Foundation: The Bases of Reality
Building the Walls: Conflict, Power, and Social Institutions
Appreciating the Contributions of Sociological Research
Modes of Research
The Trustworthiness of Social Research
Conclusion
Your Turn
Chapter Highlights
Key Terms
Chapter 4: Building Order: Culture and History
Dimensions of Culture
Cultural Expectations and Social Order
Cultural Variation and Everyday Experience
Conclusion
Your Turn
Chapter Highlights
Key Terms
Chapter 5: Building Identity: Socialization
Genes, Social Structure, and the Construction of Human Beings
Socialization: Becoming You
Growing Up With Inequality
Institutions and Socialization
Conclusion
Your Turn
Chapter Highlights
Key Terms
Chapter 6: Supporting Identity: The Presentation of Self
Forming Impressions of Others
Managing Impressions
Dramaturgy: Actors on a Social Stage
Social Influences on Impression Management
Collective Impression Management
Mismanaging Impressions: Spoiled Identities
Conclusion
Your Turn
Chapter Highlights
Key Terms
Chapter 7: Building Social Relationships: Intimacy and Families
Life With Others
Social Diversity and Intimate Choices
Family Life
Cultural Variation in Intimacy and Family
Family and Social Structure
Divorce
Family Violence
Conclusion
Your Turn
Chapter Highlights
Key Terms
Chapter 8: Constructing Difference: Social Deviance
Defining Deviance
Explaining Deviant Behavior
Criminalizing Deviance
The Medicalization of Deviance
Conclusion
Your Turn
Chapter Highlights
Key Terms
Part III: Social Structure, Institutions, And Everyday Life
Chapter 9: The Structure of Society: Organizations, Social Institutions, and Globalization
Social Structure and Everyday Life
Social Dilemmas: Individual Interests and Structural Needs
The Structure of Formal Organizations
Organizations and Institutions
Globalization and Social Institutions
Conclusion
Your Turn
Chapter Highlights
Key Terms
Chapter 10: The Architecture of Stratification: Social Class and Inequality
Stratification Systems
Sociological Perspectives on Stratification
Social Class and Everyday Life
Class Distinctions
Definitions and Consequences of Poverty in The United States
Why Poverty Persists
Global Development and Inequality
Conclusion
Your Turn
Chapter Highlights
Key Terms
Chapter 11: The Architecture of Inequality: Race and Ethnicity
Race and Ethnicity: More Than Just Biology
Histories of Oppression and Inequality
Racial and Ethnic Relations
The Cultural Ideology of Racism
Institutional Racism: Injustice Built Into The System
Global Perspectives on Racism
Conclusion
Your Turn
Chapter Highlights
Key Terms
Chapter 12: The Architecture of Inequality: Sex and Gender
Sexism at the Personal Level
Sexual Violence Against Women
The Ideology of Sexism: Biology as Destiny
Institutions and Gender Inequality
The Global Devaluation of Women
Conclusion
Your Turn
Chapter Highlights
Key Terms
Chapter 13: Demographic Dynamics: Population Trends
The Influence of Birth Cohorts
Demographic Dynamics
Population Trends in The United States
Conclusion
Your Turn
Chapter Highlights
Key Terms
Chapter 14: Architects of Change: Reconstructing Society
Social Change
Movements For Social Change
Elements of Social Movements
The Sociological Imagination Revisited
Conclusion and Farewell
Your Turn
Chapter Highlights
Key Terms
Glossary
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

The students read the book and that is the biggest hurdle I often have to overcome. I love teaching from this book. The students read it and my primary emphasis is to teach how they can continue to use the concepts. I get really good reviews when teaching this class. I think this book is a big contributor to my success.”

 

Karen Dalke

I have used it since 2002 and have not seen anything better on the market.”

Harvest Moon

"If, as many of us believe, the teaching agenda of the millennium is to connect for our students the lived experiences of real people to the structured world of social institutions and spaces, then the Newman book is THE text to use to achieve this teaching goal."

Bernice Pescosolido

"This text was refreshing for me as an instructor; it ignited my students and made for stimulating discussions….I only hope that it is so successful that it stays in print for years to come, in which case it may be my last new text adoption. I thank David Newman for writing the introductory textbook for which I have been looking for a long time."

Kathryn Johnson

"This is the best introductory sociology textbook on the market today."

Ron Aminzade

"Because it is value-priced and briefer, the text makes it easy for instructors to assign other readings."

Savannah Jones