The preliminary group of essays serves as an introduction to the topic of social change. Katherine Walker and Mary E. Lee cover the subject of change from its inception as a field of sociological study, noting how “modernity has its roots in the intellectual revolutions that ended the Middle Ages and brought about…the growth of science and rationality.” In a particularly helpful essay, Lee reviews the four major areas that ground the conception of the modern period: rationality, capitalism, industrialism, and political governance. Leading theorists Max Weber and Ferdinand Toennies are recognized for their respective theories of traditional and rational societies and the notion of “the loss of community” as a consequence of industrialization. “The Causes of Social Change” turns to the nature of change that often accompanies technological advancement, which is also a signature of modernization.