5th Edition
Public Sociology An Introduction to Australian Society
Public Sociology highlights the relevance of sociological perspectives to Australian social life and encourages students to apply a sociological gaze to their own lives and the communities in which they live. This fully revised and updated fifth edition adds new chapters and material on a wide range of contemporary issues, from the COVID-19 pandemic and ‘fake news’ to Iindigenous issues and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.
Public Sociology presents a wide range of topics in a user-friendly and accessible way, introducing key theories and research methods, and exploring core themes, including youth, families and intimate relationships, class and inequality, and race and ethnic relations. All chapters have been extensively revised to bring them up to date in a fast-changing social world, reflecting the latest sociological debates in response to changing lifestyles and evolving political landscapes. In addition to updated statistics and research findings, an expanded glossary and the latest citations to the scholarly literature, each chapter includes numerous learning features for students and instructors, including definitions of key terms, concise summaries of main points, discussion questions and guides to further reading and additional resources.
This is the essential sociological reference to help students in the social sciences make sense of a complex and challenging world.
New to the Fifth Edition:
- New chapters on the COVID-19 pandemic, Indigenous issues, youth and identity, and sport
- Exploration of the latest social issues including the pandemic, BLM, expanded discussion of gender, #MeToo, LGBTIQ+ and intersectionality, rising inequality and the ‘post-truth’ age
- All chapters thoroughly revised and updated with the latest research
- Updated design, images, and chapter opening vignettes to engage the reader
Module 1: Doing Public Sociology
1. The sociological gaze: Linking private lives to public issues
John Germov and Marilyn Poole
2. Sociological foundations: Early theorists and theories
Marilyn Poole and John Germov
3. Contemporary sociological theorists and theories
Marilyn Poole and John Germov
4. Sociological investigations: Doing social research
Corrie Williams and Tara Renae McGee
Module 2: Social Identities
5. Socialisation: How we become who and what we are
Marilyn Poole
6. Youth, Identity, and Social Change
David Farrugia
7. Families and Intimate relationships
Marilyn Poole
8. Consumption and lifestyles
Ian Woodward
9. This Sporting Life
Brent McDonald and Fiona McLachlan
10. A sociology of licit and illicit drugs
Maria Freij and John Germov
Module 3: Social Differences and Inequalities
11. Class and inequality in Australia
Mark Western, Janeen Baxter and John Germov
12. Gender and sexualities
Julia Coffey, Akana Kanai, Megan Sharp and Barrie Shannon
13. Ethnicity and belonging
Zlatko Skrbiš and Jonathan Smith
14. Indigenous Issues, Rights, and Sovereignty
Jacob Prehn and Maggie Walter
15. Religion and spirituality in contemporary Australia
Andrew Singleton
16. Deviance, crime, and social control
Sharyn Roach Anleu
Module 4: Social Transformations
17. The social determinants of health and illness
Marilyn Poole and John Germov
18. Globalisation, power, and social movements
Jan Pakulski
19. Global risk and the surveillance state: A sociology of new terrorism
Maria Freij and John Germov
20. Working 24/7: The new work ethic
John Germov
21. A sociology of pandemics: The nexus of personal troubles and public issues
Maria Freij
22. Media and popular culture
Timothy Marjoribanks
23. Educating society: Sociological debates and dilemmas
Julie McLeod and Samantha Mannix
Module 5: Future Directions
24. A sociological toolkit
John Germov
25. Writing a sociology essay
John Germov
26. Threshold learning outcomes for sociology
John Germov
Biography
John Germov is Professor of Sociology and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Higher Education at Victoria University, Australia. John’s research interests span the social determinants of health, the social origins of food and alcohol habits, workplace change, and the history of sociology. He is the author and editor of 25 books including Second Opinion: An Introduction to Health Sociology, A Sociology of Food and Nutrition: The Social Appetite (with Lauren Williams), Histories of Australian Sociology (with Tara McGee), and Hunter Wine: A History (with Julie McIntyre).
Marilyn Poole was an Honorary Associate Professor of Sociology at Deakin University, Australia until 2022. Marilyn has long experience in the community sector and continues to work on advisory committees, particularly in the areas of health and community strengthening. She is author of Idols–Ideals–Identities: Women in Society, editor of Family: Changing Families, Changing Times, and co-editor of Sociology: Australian Connections (with Ray Jureidini) and A Certain Age: Women Growing Older (with Susan Feldman). She was a member of the Professional Education Taskforce that produced Family Violence: Everybody’s Business, Somebody’s Life.
