Our Social World

The Ninth Edition of Our Social World: Introduction to Sociology by Jeanne H. Ballantine and Kathleen Odell Korgen inspires students to develop their sociological imaginations, see the world and personal events from a new perspective, and confront sociological issues on a day-to-day basis. The text is organized around the 'Social World' model, a conceptual framework that demonstrates the relationships among individuals (the micro level); organizations, institutions, and subcultures (the meso level); and societies and global structures (the macro level). The consistent application of the Social World Model across chapters (represented in a visual diagram in the chapter openers) helps students develop the practice of using three levels of analysis, and to view sociology as an integrated whole, rather than a set of disparate subjects.