Sociology books

[speechfan222]

I will be starting a Masters program in Sociology this coming Fall semester, but I'm curious...

Does anyone have any good recommendations for books about or related to Sociology? I am interested in all areas of this field, but mostly issues affecting our society, data analysis, statistics, and the study of life and human interaction.

I did a google search for most popular Sociology books, but I'm looking for more. Let me know if you have read any of these and would recommend them or if they are on your to-read list. I'm curious!!    
 

[rising_star]

I would look at reading lists for comprehensive/qualifying exams and go from there... 

A few links to get you started:

https://socy.umd.edu/graduate/comprehensive-exam-reading-lists

https://www.pdx.edu/sociology/comprehensive-exam-reading-lists

https://sociology.arizona.edu/graduate/reading-lists

See also: http://libraries.uta.edu/dillard/subfiles/ClassicalSociologicalTheory.htm

[speechfan222]

2 hours ago, rising_star said:

I would look at reading lists for comprehensive/qualifying exams and go from there... 

A few links to get you started:

https://socy.umd.edu/graduate/comprehensive-exam-reading-lists

https://www.pdx.edu/sociology/comprehensive-exam-reading-lists

https://sociology.arizona.edu/graduate/reading-lists

See also: http://libraries.uta.edu/dillard/subfiles/ClassicalSociologicalTheory.htm

Thank you! This is definitely helpful. 

Do you have any books that you would recommend? I'm looking for books related more to Sociology rather than those that are exam related. Thanks again! 

[rising_star]

Honestly, I would just browse some academic publishers websites, focusing specifically on the sociology section, and choose the ones that look interesting to me.

[guest56436]

On 6/7/2017 at 4:02 PM, speechfan222 said:

Thank you! This is definitely helpful. 

Do you have any books that you would recommend? I'm looking for books related more to Sociology rather than those that are exam related. Thanks again! 

Comprehensive exams cover the major canon of sociology and it's subfields. They aren't "exam related."

[speechfan222]

52 minutes ago, Comparativist said:

Comprehensive exams cover the major canon of sociology and it's subfields. They aren't "exam related."

I had no idea, thanks. I'm new to this field as I have a BS degree with another major, but Sociology is definitely interesting.

@Comparativist, do you have any favorite's you can recommend? I see your a Poli Sci major, but just wanted to ask. Thanks!

[guest56436]

I mostly only really know the political sociology stuff but Skocpol's Social Revolutions and Moore's Social Origins are absolute classics. Have nothing to do with your interests, but if you're serious about pursuing sociology you'll probably be forced to read them at some point.

I mean there are also classics like Bourdieu, Durkheim, and Weber.

I think when someone wants to get acquainted with a field or subfield, the first thing to do is to dive into the classics. Even contemporary research still speaks to them in some way.

Edited June 9, 2017 by Comparativist

[ello_pomelo]

I wouldn't discount The Blackwell Companions to Sociology. These books are broad and offer overviews of major sociological topics by modern authors. They can be a great refresher for "gaps" that may be missing from your prior education, or can elucidate new topics for you. Moreover, the bibliographies can be useful to find information for further research.

http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-324297.html

 

[Olivia_ddd]

I've found a list of the top Sociology textbooks based on internal analytics of textbook site. may be it help you. Check it. 

[julesevar]

I would buy The Marx-Engels Reader as Marx is one of the most important classical theorists out there.

 

Edited April 6, 2022 by julesevar
pronoun

[julesevar]

Another fun read is Images of Postmodern Society: Social Theory and Contemporary Cinema by Norman Denzin.  If you like theory and micro-level interaction I would also recommend anything by Goffman, starting with The Presentation of Self in Everyday life. You can get cheap used copies. 

[julesevar]

This is appropriate listening for any book you might buy on Sociology. Highly recommended to "scatter the rats" by L7.