Highly respected for its quality scholarship and its focused, straightforward approach to sociology, Sociology: The Core with this sixth edition returns to the core concept with a tighter, briefer, more accessible presentation and a very accessible price. Michael Hughes, of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), and Carolyn Kroehler, a professional writer, have again revised the work of James Vander Zanden, now Professor Emeritus at the Ohio State University. As in the previous editions, the functionalist, conflict, and interactionist perspectives are applied throughout the book, allowing students to develop a solid understanding of the major sociological perspectives and their applications to the topics covered. Sociology: The Core seeks to make sociology come alive as a vital and exciting field, to relate principles to real-world circumstances, and to attune students to the dynamic processes of our rapidly changing contemporary society. The authors have kept this book completely up to date, including data from the 2000 Census whenever possible and adding new examples capitalizing on students' desire to read about issues of interest to them.

This text-specific Online Learning Center supports and extends the content of the text by offering students and professors a variety of resources and activities, including chapter quizzes, Web links, interactive exercises, vocabulary-enhancing flashcards, and PowerPoint slides. Instructors can incorporate any of the material from the Online Learning Center into a course Website using PageOut, a template-driven Website development program created by McGraw-Hill.