A companion volume to New Introducing Sociology, this is a new collection of excerpts from articles and books selected by sociologists who are themselves leading authorities in their fields. The book begins with an overview of the different conceptions of sociology from the classic writings of Durkheim, Marx and Weber through to modern theorists such as Wirth, Goffman and Garfinkel, the assumptions underlying those theories and the very varied methods they entail, from ethnography to statistical methods of inquiry. The main emphasis, however, is upon recent research into modern industrial society: its emergence and spread across the globe, the growth of urbanism and the development of classes, and the position of women and of ethnic minorities. The links between the social order and the educational system, and the ways in which social relations affect health are examined, together with the tensions of contemporary society that result in criminal and deviant behaviour. The book concludes with an examination of the major theoretical schools that dominate modern sociology.