Think about the major questions that we ask about our social world. Are men and women really that different? Why do we have problems such as racism? What motivates people to have social status and respect? These questions are hugely important to life as a human being, and they are studied by the field of sociology. Sociology is the systematic and scientific study of human social life. Sociologists study people as they form groups and interact with one another. The groups they study may be small, such as married couples, or large, such as a subculture of suburban teenagers. Sociology places special emphasis on studying societies, both as individual entities and as elements of a global perspective. This is a rare textbook that helps students make micro-macro connections. It, Introduction to Sociology helps students uncover the surprising links between everyday life and global change.