al in this book is to demonstrate the vitality, interest, and utility associated with the study of sociology. Examining society and trying to understand how it works is an exciting and absorbing process. I have not set out to make sociologists of my readers ... but rather to show how sociology applies to many areas of life and how it is used in day-to-day activities. In meeting this objective, I have focused on two basic ideas: that sociology is a rigorous scientific discipline and that a basic knowledge of sociology is essential for understanding social interaction in many different settings, whether they be work or social. In order to understand society, we need to understand how it shapes people and how people in turn shape society. Sociology is a highly organized discipline shaped by several theoretical perspectives or schools of thought. It is not merely the study of social problems or the random voicing of opinions. In this book, no single perspective is given greater emphasis; a balanced presentation of both functionalist theory and conflict theory is supplemented whenever possible by the symbolic interactionist viewpoint. The book has received a great deal of praise for being cross-cultural in approach and for bringing in examples from a wide variety of societies. Sociology is concerned with the interactions of people wherever and whenever they occur. It would be shortsighted, therefore, to concentrate on only our own society. Often, in fact, the best way to appreciate our own situation is through comparison with other societies. We use our cross-cultural focus as a basis for comparison and contrast with U.S. society.