Discover Sociology: Core Concepts explores sociology as a discipline of curious minds, with the theoretical, conceptual, and empirical tools needed to understand, analyze, and even change the world―all in a more streamlined format. It is adapted from Discover Sociology, Third Edition and offers in-depth coverage of 12 high-priority topics that are at the core of almost all introductory sociology courses. 
Core Concepts maintains its reader-friendly narrative and the hallmark themes of the parent book, including the unequal distribution of power in society ("Inequality Matters"), the sociological imagination ("Private Lives, Public Issues"), and career skills ("What Can I Do With a Sociology Degree?").  A new feature, "Discover and Debate," shows students how to take effective, evidence-based positions on important social issues, and how to argue in a respectful manner that recognizes the value of different perspectives.
 
About the Author
Daina S. Eglitis is an associate professor of sociology and international affairs and director of the undergraduate program in the Department of Sociology at The George Washington University. Her research highlights sociological dimensions of change in the post-communist world, with a particular focus on stratification, poverty, and gender. She has been the recipient of Fulbright, IREX, and Open Society awards and is the author of several articles and a book on post-communist social change. She also writes for and about teaching in the undergraduate classroom and is the author of the article, “The Uses of Global Poverty: How Inequality Benefits the West,” and the Teaching Sociology article, “Performing Theory: Dramatic Learning in the Theory Classroom.”
 
William J. Chambliss, professor of sociology at The George Washington University, was a critical sociological theorist whose research has ranged broadly from studies of law creation and the legal system to participant observation studies of juvenile gangs, organized crime, policing, and the impact of social movements on political and economic change. He served as president of the American Society of Criminology and the Society for the Study of Social Problems. He has received numerous awards for his research and teaching, including the prestigious Edwin H. Sutherland Award from the American Society of Criminology, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Sociological Association, the Bruce Smith Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the PASS Award from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sociology of Law Section of the American Sociological Association. He has authored and edited over 35 books in sociology, criminology and criminal justice and numerous articles in social science journals.