Reflects recent social developments with new chapters on Civil Society, Popular Culture and Everyday Life Has a strong central argument related to the nature of Irish society Looks at Ireland's positioning in a globalising world Considers a wide range of aspects of the social structure and culture Written in an accessible and interesting style Includes a comprehensive bibliography of Irish and overseas references Suitable for Sociology courses in Irish universities and Institutes of Technology at both undergraduate and postgraduate level including general arts programmes, applied social studies, social studies/social work.
Comprehensive and engaging, this textbook introduces students not only to foundational sociological work, but also to insights from contemporary sociological theory and research. This combined approach ensures that students become familiar with the core of sociology: key concepts, theories, perspectives, methods, and findings. Students will acquire the ability to think like a sociologist, investigate and understand complex social phenomena. This text presents a complete sociological toolkit, guiding students in the art of asking good sociological questions, devising a sophisticated theory and developing methodologies to observe social phenomena. The chapters of this book build cumulatively to equip students with the tools to quickly understand any new sociological topic or contemporary social problem. The textbook also applies the sociological toolkit to selected key sociological issues, showing how specific sociological topics can be easily investigated and understood using this approach. Taking a global and comparative perspective, the book covers a rich diversity of sociological topics and social problems, such as crime, immigration, race and ethnicity, media, education, family, organizations, gender, poverty, modernization and religion. The book presents a range of helpful pedagogical features throughout, such as: Chapter overview and learning goals summaries at the start of every chapter; Thinking like a sociologist boxes, encouraging students to reflect critically on learning points; Principle boxes, summarizing key sociological principles; Theory schema boxes, presenting sociological theories in a clear, understandable manner; Stylized facts highlighting key empirical findings and patterns; Key concepts and summary sections at the end of every chapter; and Companion website providing additional material for every chapter for both instructors and students, including PowerPoint lecture notes, discussion questions and answers, multiple-choice questions, further reading and a full glossary of terms. This clear and accessible text is essential reading for students taking introductory courses in sociology. It will also be useful for undergraduate and graduate courses in other social science disciplines, such as psychology, economics, human geography, demography, communication studies, education sciences, political science and criminology.
Revised and updated edition of this comprehensive introduction to the world of sociology incorporating key contemporary issues, with particular reference to the Irish perspective. New to this edition: Reflects all changes in the revised Social Studies module 5N1370] Provides the most recent statistics related to the area of sociology Introduces reflective and investigative skills for use on current social issues Advises on strategies for study and preparation for examinations, as well as note-taking skills and revision methods. Highlights key sociological theories, concepts and topics, while introducing and examining social stratification in Irish society. Facilitates an individual's basic understanding of their position as an individual, a family member and as part of a community and wider society. Introduces the process and agents of socialisation by analysing family, peer groups, education and media, and their impact. Examines the role and function of the family within society, in particular within an Irish context, and how the structure of the family has evolved and developed in recent times. Discusses discrimination and its impact on individuals and society. Details various survey methods, observation skills and research methodologies, and provides pointers on documenting, referencing, and analysis and presentation of research findings. Written For: The revised NFQ Level 5 Social Studies module 5N1370] as part of the following major awards: Intellectual Disability Practice 5M1761 Applied Social Studies 5M2181 Journalism 5M2464 Community Care 5M2786 Community Development 5M3050 Healthcare Support 5M4339 Nursing Studies 5M4349 Community Health Services 5M4468 Youth Work 5M4732 Early Childhood Care and Education 5M2009 Suitable also for those studying BTEC and HETAC subjects within the fields of Social Science and Healthcare.
Starting from the assumption that the Celtic Tiger has transformed Irish society and that there is indeed a new Ireland, this text covers all the topics that would be expected in an introductory text for sociology and Irish studies students, as well as in-depth topics for more advanced courses.
A Sociological Reader Presents up-to-date research on the changing role of women in Irish society. Includes contributions by 39 sociologists from all over Ireland and offers valuable insights on women's contemporary lives. It is the first such sociological reader to cover Ireland, both North and South.
This major new textbook will equip students with a complete understanding of contemporary politics, state and society in the United Kingdom today. Key underlying themes include: The differences between traditional and alternative sites of power and what we mean by political the relationships between politics, society and how individuals become and remain engaged with politics the rapid transformations in contemporary social structures and their impact on social and political life the role of human agency and its significance to social and political action and movements contemporary cultural and social dislocations and their impact on some of the major contested areas of political life today. Key features include: Key concepts and issues Key theorists and writers Discussion questions Comprehensive and accessible, An Introduction to Politics, State & Society is an essential text for all undergraduate students of politics, the contemporary state, power and political sociology.
Until recently, Irish religion has been seen as defined by Catholic power in the South and sectarianism in the North. In recent years, however, both have been shaken by widespread changes in religious practice and belief, the rise of new religious movements, the revival of magical-devotionalism, the arrival of migrant religion and the spread of New Age and alternative spirituality. This book is the first to bring together researchers exploring all these areas in a wide-ranging overview of new religion in Ireland. Chapters explore the role of feminism, Ireland as global ‘Celtic’ homeland, the growth of Islam, understanding the New Age, evangelicals in the Republic, alternative healing, Irish interest in Buddhism, channelled teachings and religious visions. This book will be an indispensable handbook for professionals in many fields seeking to understand Ireland’s increasingly diverse and multicultural religious landscape, as well as for students of religion, sociology, psychology, anthropology and Irish Studies. Giving an overview of the shape of new religion in Ireland today and models of the best work in the field, it is likely to remain a standard text for many years to come.
Irish vegan studies are poised for increasing relevance as climate change threatens the legitimacy and longevity of animal agriculture and widespread health problems related to animal product consumption disrupt long held nutritional ideologies. Already a top producer of greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union, Ireland has committed to expanding animal agriculture despite impending crisis. The nexus of climate change, public health, and animal welfare present a challenge to the hegemony of the Irish state and neoliberal European governance. Efforts to resist animal rights and environmentalism highlight the struggle to sustain economic structures of inequality in a society caught between a colonialist past and a globalized future. Animals in Irish Society explores the vegan Irish epistemology, one that can be traced along its history of animism, agrarianism, ascendency, adaptation, and activism. From its zoomorphic pagan roots to its legacy of vegetarianism, Ireland has been more receptive to the interests of other animals than is currently acknowledged. More than a land of "meat" and potatoes, Ireland is a relevant, if overlooked, contributor to Western vegan thought.
Max Weber is one of the founding fathers of sociology. He is often referred to as a sophisticated 'value-free' sociologist. This new critical introduction argues that Weber's sociology cannot be divorced from his political standpoint. Weber saw himself as a 'class conscious bourgeois' and his sociology reflects this outlook. Providing clear summaries of Weber's ideas - concentrating on the themes most often encountered on sociology courses - Kieran Allen provides a lively introduction to this key thinker.Kieran Allen explores Weber's political background through his life and his writing. Weber was a neo-liberal who thought that the market guaranteed efficiency and rationality. He was an advocate of empire. He supported the carnage of WW1 and vehemently attacked German socialists such as Rosa Luxemburg. Weber's most famous book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, ignores the bloody legacy associated with the early accumulation of capital. Instead, he locates the origins of the system in a new rigorous morality. Using a political framework, Kieran Allen's book is is ideal for students who want to develop a critical approach.
