Producing Textbook Sociology

Manza, Jeff; Sauder, Michael; Wright, Nathan

doi:10.1017/s0003975610000135

Cited by 27 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Given that the firms are in direct competition with one another and the high stakes associated with publishing a new textbook, most publishers tend to follow a conservative strategy of imitating a competitor's product that leads to a set of textbooks that are largely homogenous in terms of sequencing of topics, content, and images (Levitt and Nass 1989;Powell 1985). Once enough books are sold to warrant a second edition, fears of losing one's place in the market and a market backlash encourages the publishers to not significantly alter the text (Manza et al 2010). While these institutional pressures may influence the types of textbooks produced at large firms, there are smaller textbook publishers who are concerned with publishing quality introductory textbooks that might not be as susceptible to such pressures Other forces in the institutional environment can also explain why there has not been much change in the content of introductory sociology textbooks in terms of gender, race, and class.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Normative institutional pressures in the form of paradigms can be a source of homogeneity in textbook publishing by organizing and constraining the range of possibilities (Levitt and Nass 1989). In introductory sociology textbooks, usually structural functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism are presented as independent paradigms at the theoretical core of sociology (Manza et al 2010). While contemporary sociology is not organized around a singular paradigm or even those three paradigms, a majority of the introductory textbooks we examined used functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism as their theoretical frameworks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Intersections of Gender, Race, and Class in Introductory Textbooks

Puentes

Gougherty

2012

Teach Sociol

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We update Ferree and Hall’s (1996) examination of the stratification systems of gender, race, and class in introductory textbooks. Using a sample of textbooks from 2003 through 2010, we explore 24 introductory sociology textbooks to determine the relationship between categories of gender, race, and class and levels of analysis. Previous research found that textbooks primarily discuss gender at the micro level, race at the meso level, and class at the macro level. Replicating previous approaches by using index citations, we find evidence that gender is linked to socialization much more than race and class, and there is evidence that class is still more likely to be discussed at a macro level. Our content analysis findings show a similar pattern, but also some evidence for the increased inclusion of theories and examples that examine gender, race, and class at multiple levels of analysis. Implications of these findings are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intersections of Gender, Race, and Class in Introductory Textbooks

Puentes

Gougherty

2012

Teach Sociol

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“…According to the review of Lynch and Bogen (1997), however, the best-selling introductory texts of the 1990s showed a remarkable similarity, while they did not fully represent the intellectual state of the wider discipline. After the review of all American sociology textbooks published between 1998 and 2004, Manza et al (2010) concluded that textbooks mainly concentrated on structural functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism.…”

Section: Assessment Of the State Of Sociology And Evolutionary Explanmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Textbooks play a conservative role in reproducing the dominant ideas of a disciplinary field (Fleck, 1935(Fleck, /1979Kuhn, 1979;Manza et al, 2010). An alternative indicator of the state of the art of the discipline is the material of introductory course syllabi.…”

Section: The State Of the Art: Introductory Curriculamentioning

confidence: 99%

Discounting of Evolutionary Explanations in Sociology Textbooks and Curricula

Takács

2018

Front. Sociol.

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Despite being internally fragmented by clashes of paradigms, sociology textbooks and introductory courses show a remarkable similarity in their content, while they share a peculiar neglect of small scale societies, non-human social relations, as well as evolutionary explanations. The mistreatment is explained by the strong position of sociology in the nature vs. nurture debate, by paradigmatic and ideologically motivated condemnations, by the later misuse of Social Darwinism, by certain unresolved issues of evolutionary explanations of human sociality, and by epistemological critiques of evolutionary explanations. The current study assesses the extent of this avoidance in sociology by three methods: a review of major sociology textbooks, a descriptive quantitative text analysis of introductory course outlines at top ranked universities, and a keyword search in the all-time most emblematic classical books in sociology. In reaction to this mistreatment, the benefits of synthesis of sociological explanations with evolutionary thinking are discussed.

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“…Similarity in the structure of the books and chapter headings and the extensive use of textbooks in courses implies that there is some agreement on what constitutes the core content of sociology. Some contend that this consensus also makes sociology textbooks inherently conservative and that market forces "interact to discourage more vibrant content" (Manza, Sauder, and Wright 2010).…”

Section: Key Sociological Content-the Long or Short Listmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does the Center Hold? Reflections on a Sociological Core

et al. 2016

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Is there a distinct disciplinary core (or foundation of agreed on knowledge) in sociology? Should we define a core in our broad field to build consensus? If so, what should it look like? We address these questions by presenting three viewpoints that lean for and against identifying a core for department curricula, students, and the public face of sociology. First, “There really is not much, if any, core.” Second, sociology is “a habit of the mind” (a sociological imagination). Third, key content of a sociological core can be identified using a long or short list. Centripetal forces pressure the discipline to define itself for assessment, transfer articulations, general education, the trend toward interdisciplinary courses, and the public face of sociology. We describe previous efforts for the introductory course and sociology curricula. We conclude with a discussion of everyday practices in sociology that are built on the conception of a core.

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Producing Textbook Sociology

Cited by 27 publications

References 42 publications

Intersections of Gender, Race, and Class in Introductory Textbooks

Intersections of Gender, Race, and Class in Introductory Textbooks

Discounting of Evolutionary Explanations in Sociology Textbooks and Curricula

Does the Center Hold? Reflections on a Sociological Core

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