This new edition of the landmark text Law and Society exposes readers to the dominant theoretical perspectives and sociological methods that are used to explain the interplay between law and society.
This twelfth edition continues to preserve Professor Vago’s voice, while Steven E. Barkan’s use of chapter outlines and summaries, learning objectives, key terms, and additional readings maintains the text’s accessibility for today’s readers. The book’s foundational approach is brought fully up-to-date with current events and new studies throughout that illustrate how legal forces shape and influence society, and vice versa. These additions include:
- Updated data on trial and conviction data in federal district courts
- Updated data on sexual harassment of attorneys and new data on representation of women and people of color among law school faculty
- New discussions of legal issues arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The twelfth edition of Law and Society is a cornerstone companion for one-semester undergraduate courses in Law and Society, Sociology of Law, and Introduction to Law offered within departments of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Political Science.
Preface
- Introduction: Making Sense Of Law And Society
- Theoretical Perspectives
- The Organization Of Law
- Lawmaking
- Law And Social Control
- Law And Dispute Resolution
- Law And Social Change
- The Legal Profession
- Researching Law In Society
- Epilogue: Law And Inequality In A Changing America
Index
Biography
Steven Vago was an integral part of the creation of an alcohol treatment program at Malcolm Bliss Hospital in St. Louis and became professor in the Department of Sociology at St. Louis University, where he taught for over 30 years. At the end of his teaching career in 2001, Professor Vago retired to Bellingham, Washington, with his wife Kathe. Vago passed away in 2010, at the age of 73.
Steven E. Barkan is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Maine. His teaching and research interests include criminology, sociology of law, and social movements. In addition to his many publications in these areas, Professor Barkan is a past president of the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP), served as chair of SSSP’s Law and Society Division, served on the council of the American Sociological Association’s Sociology of Law Section, and is a past president of the Textbook and Academic Authors Association.
At a time in our lives when a true understanding of the intersection of law and society really matters, this text offers a thoughtful explanation of just that. Both law and society are complex perspectives and the authors provide an organized, clear, and concise understanding of these complexities. This text is used in a graduate level course on the topic and students respond well to the balanced writing encouraging meaningful debate and discussion.
Susan V. Koski,LP.D., Associate Professor, Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice, Central Connecticut State University
I highly recommend Vago and Barkan’s new book as it provides a solid foundation for understanding the reciprocal nature of law and society. As a practicing attorney for four decades and a professor teaching Law and Society at the upper undergraduate level, I can affirm that Vago and Barkan’s book is the gold standard of Law and Society textbooks.
Michael Bateman, Part-Time Lecturer, Rutgers University, Attorney-at-Law
