Hi, my name is Ron J. Hammond. I earned a Ph.D. in
Sociology-Family Studies in 1991. I wrote this book for you because
I have a deep and abiding commitment to make knowledge available to
all people of the world no matter their race, color, sex, creed,
income, national origin, life style, or other personal traits that
might work against them unfairly. I wrote this book because I love
sociology as a profession, a science, and a way of approaching life
with a sense of personal confidence that isn't there for those who
never get to take a sociology course.
I've been teaching Introduction to Sociology for about 20 years
now and have to brag a bit. My colleagues who teach in other
disciplines complain to me a great deal about keeping their
students' attention during class. They say that students just don't
care about what it is they want to teach them. I have never faced
that particular issue. War, crime, divorce, poverty, religious
conflict, terrorism, economic woes, rape and sexual assault, battle
of the sexes, dating, graduating, scandals, the list goes on and on
of the many interesting things that sociologists deal with and
study all the time.
Sociology is the most exciting course I ever took in college. My
own students find it to be one of their favorite courses in
college, even though most of them major in another discipline. Let
me give you an example. I just finished another semester and asked
my Introduction to Sociology students to give me some feedback on
what they got out of their Introduction to Sociology course. They
said:
- "I learned to see my life (the personal level) in the context
of the complicated society I live in (larger social level). I'm not
so confused any more about things that used to just scare me."
- "This class made me a much better critical thinker. I dissect
the news now."
- "Like, all this confusing stuff that happens in the economy
used to overwhelm me. Now I see the Conflict Theory in how we get
exploited by the smarter and wealthier people."
- "This class was just interesting. I'd tell my roommates about
stuff we learned in class that day."
- "I really feel like I'm not as closed minded as I used to be. I
especially loved learning about all the different religions."
- "I walked out of class with a bunch of advice about how to live
my life better. Don't get too big-headed, the advice came from
sociology not you."
- "I think I understand why my parents' divorce happened
now."
- "And tell all those new students who get to use your book how
jealous we are. Ron talked to us about this, but it wasn't finished
in time for our class. Ron saved me at least 50 bucks by not using
a printed textbook."
These are real observations by my students who echo the teacher
evaluation comments I've read about sociology courses over the last
2 decades. Prior to this book being on the Internet I used articles
and Web pages in place of textbooks. Why no textbook? It's simple.
Textbooks are too expensive and are anchored in the same technology
used 5 centuries ago when Gutenberg Press was invented. Textbooks
are harmful to the environment, costs too much money to ship back
and forth, are as old fashioned as newspapers (which by the way
newspapers are collapsing nationwide right now because of free
advertising on the Internet), and textbooks will probably not be
around in paper form by the year 2020 when most readings will be
electronic.
The problem is that textbooks are way too expensive. They have
been priced so high that thousands of students can't afford them
anymore. Do we really want to go back to the era when only the
richest people's children get a higher education? I'm totally in
support of people making a modest profit. But, textbook prices have
outpaced inflation so much so that the average student feels
violated at the bookstore. It's not the bookstore's profit, it is
the corporation that prints the textbooks who are to blame. Just
for kicks, Google "Ron Hammond textbook protest" and you'll read
some supportive and antagonistic articles about my 1-professor
protest efforts these last few years. This textbook is my ultimate
statement in my protest.
Now I want you to know a bit about me, because it will help you
to understand where I am coming from as an author. First, I was
born a REDNECK! In 1963 I was born in Atlanta, Georgia, Fulton
County. My parents both graduated high school, got divorced 3
times, and raised children who didn't care about formal education.
I was the odd one.
By the time I graduated high school from Lithia Springs High, I
had earned 8 Fs, 3 Ds, 15 Cs, 20 Bs, and all my As were in PE. My
basketball coach urged me to try college. I did and flunked
everything. I was academically dismissed after only 2 quarters.
Yes, a 20 year college/university professor was once a college
flunk out. After being dismissed, I worked in a factory for a few
years and it bored me so much that I came back to a junior college
and worked very hard. I got on the Dean's list my second semester.
After that I was determined and I earned 4 degrees in 8 years then
did a post-doctoral fellowship in Ohio. In all, I attended 5
colleges and universities. I can honestly say that I know how it
feels to be the dumb kid in the class and I also know how it feels
to succeed. I wrote this book to help you find your path to
success. Keep this in mind while you read it.
Cost of Textbooks on the Rise
Over the last fifteen years the cost of textbooks has outpaced
inflation at a phenomenal rate. USA Today reports that over the
past 25 years the average cost of tuition and fees has risen (35%)
faster than personal income, consumer prices and even health
insurance (Block, 2007).This increases the financial
burden on college students at UVU and elsewhere who are trying to
afford a bachelors degree.
If you are using this textbook for any purpose we would like to
hear from you. Please email us at ronh@uvu.edu .
Design & Delivery
This on-line textbook is specially formatted for three delivery
methods.
Laptop or computer display
When displayed on a computer screen, the side navigation allows
instant access to all chapters. The fixed width display insures
that text and images stay in the same place just as they do in a
textbook. The sans-serif font used was designed specifically
for low resolution screens.
Printing
When printed on paper, the non essential navigation elements
have been removed and the text is rendered using a font
appropriate for paper. Research indicates that fonts
with serifs are easier to read on paper.
iPod
With the increase in the number of students using mobile
learning devices, we have designed this to display on an
iPod. To maximize the use of the small screen, the side
navigation has been removed and the page with adjusted to fit a
smaller screen. This prevents the reader from having to scroll
horizontally. We have also included a custom icon if you want to
add a bookmaark to your iPod home screen.
Project Team
- Ron Hammond
- Paul Cheney
- Janel Mitchell
- Sandi Ness
Student Assistants
- Shaline Nelson
- Jonathan Atwater
- Dave Barrington
- Josh Benson
- Dan Coates
- Kim Daley
- Cory Galloway
- Curtis Jensen
- Cody Lloyd
- Jeff Mills
- Nick Nielson
- John Parker
- Emily Sharp
- Alisa Hammond
- Geri Stacy
- Melissa Lott-Burton
- Dianna Harlan
- Benjamin Hunter
- Cami Reschke
- Amanda Valora