Anthropogenic climate change is one of the, if not the most, pressing issues of our times. The problems that it causes range across many social and environmental domains from habitat and species loss and displacement to the more human and social concerns and issues of access to water, sea level rise that affects coastal communities, to economic degradation as a result of the aforementioned and other connected issues such as increased frequency of storms, droughts, wildfires, and the like. We also know that the affects of climate change are not distributed evenly across populations- that many will and do feel the negative effects of this slow developing problem earlier and more intensely than others based on where they are located both geographically and within economic and other socio-cultural hierarchies. We also know that recently, there is a marked effort to begin to move away from simply decrying the horrors of climate change to a continued recognition of those horrors as they exist now and into the future alongside attempts to begin to come to terms with the changing climate and to rethink the ways that our social and environmental relations and communities are organized with an eye toward both adapting to these changes and mitigating further damage. There is, however, much work to be done. This book was co-authored by undergraduate students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute while exploring the influences of Earth systems and human systems on climate change and the communities at most risk in an interdisciplinary project-based first year course. This course attempts to bring together knowledge of the science of ecological and climate systems and their changing status with knowledge of the social and communal structures within which these systems are embedded and through which they have been influenced. The book highlights key interests and insights of current students in their quest to think through these issues and to create a better world.

Most of you come into this class asking yourself, “What is sociology?” Good question, I found myself asking that same question in high school during my first sociology class. In short, sociology is the study of society. I define sociology as seeing society from a view point other than your own. In a society where we stress individualism more and more every day, this becomes more difficult to understand or contemplate. Through this class, students will learn to see society through a set of different eyes. Students will see how social theory and research shape the decisions we make, the social change we desire, and the social constructs around us.

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, which are supported by a wealth of engaging learning materials. The textbook presents detailed 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 retains the book’s conceptual organization, aligning to most courses, and has been significantly updated to reflect the latest research and provide examples most relevant to today’s students. In order to help instructors transition to the revised version, the 2e changes are described within the preface.

Unit 5 - Pages 115-117 & 85-86Page 86 “Roles and Status”Pages 115-117 “Introduction to Groups (Theoretical Perspectives of Groups)"Types of Groups”Definition of and basic elements of Social Structure: Status, Social Roles, Groups, Social Networks and Social Institutions (e.g. Family, Religion, Education, Government).  What is meant by “Total Institution”?Does social structure control social interactions? How does Stanley Milgram’s and Philip Zimbardo’s experiments support this idea?Psychology: The Stanford Prison Experiment – BCC Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV9AqhvZtewThe Social Construction of Reality - page 85 “Social Constructions of Reality”Brain Games and Social Conformity - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8BkzvP19v4