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Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials, 13th Edition

Diana Kendall

  • Copyright 2026
  • {{checkPublicationMessage('Published', '2025-01-21T00:00:00+0000')}}
Starting At $79.95 See pricing and ISBN options
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Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials 13th Edition by Diana Kendall
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Overview

Kendall/Atkins’ “Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials” 13th Edition, presents data and insights on perspectives, issues and trends in the U.S. and around the world from a sociological perspective. The diverse, inclusive text emphasizes themes of social change, social impacts COVID-19, changing experiences with work, effects of social media on communication and the effects of politics and social policy in the U.S. and worldwide. Students explore the changing state of democracy, environmental activism and whether employers should be allowed to monitor employees using technology. Chapters provide first-person experiences to draw students in, and contain one or more types of features to engage students, including Sociology in Global Perspective, Sociology and Social Policy and You Can Make a Difference. This text is also available with MindTap.

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Meet the Authors

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Diana Kendall

Diana Kendall is professor of sociology at Baylor University, where she has been recognized as an Outstanding Professor. She has taught a variety of courses, including Introduction to Sociology, Sociological Theory (undergraduate and graduate), Sociology of Medicine, Sociology of Law, and Race, Class and Gender. Previously, she enjoyed many years of teaching sociology and serving as chair of the Social and Behavioral Science Division at Austin Community College. Dr. Kendall's areas of specialization and primary research interests are sociological theory and the sociology of medicine. In addition to SOCIOLOGY IN OUR TIMES: THE ESSENTIALS, she is the author of THE POWER OF GOOD DEEDS: PRIVILEGED WOMEN AND THE SOCIAL REPRODUCTION OF THE UPPER CLASS (Rowman & Littlefield, 2002), MEMBERS ONLY: ELITE CLUBS AND THE PROCESS OF EXCLUSION (Rowman & Littlefield, 2008) and FRAMING CLASS: MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS OF WEALTH AND POVERTY IN AMERICA, 2nd Edition (Rowman & Littlefield, 2012). Her most recent scholarly publication is "Class: Still Alive and Reproducing in the United States", a book chapter in PRIVILEGE: A READER, 4th Edition (2016, Westview Press). Dr. Kendall is actively involved in national and regional sociological associations, including the American Sociological Association, the Society for the Study of Social Problems and the Southwestern Sociological Association. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was invited to membership in Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

What's New

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  • This edition provides the most current and relevant information about sociological thinking and places more emphasis on pressing social and political issues.
  • Revised for stronger inclusivity, the text considers the experiences and viewpoints of all people, including comprehensive coverage of LGBTQIA+ groups and language revisions.
  • This edition focuses on social change and ways in which politics, health, media and other forms of technology impact our social interactions and daily lives.
  • This edition features the latest scholarship in sociological theory and research, including using the latest statistics on crime, demographics and more, and is available as of 2024.

Features

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  • This edition highlights the individual and social consequences of important topics in today’s society like income inequality, social networking, gun violence and more.
  • This edition emphasizes the themes of diversity, application of sociology to daily life, the impact of media, the importance of a global perspective and social and global change.
  • You Can Make a Difference boxes help students learn how to become involved in their communities and the world to become engaged citizens.
  • The Sociology and Everyday Life chapter openers personalize topics by combining first-person commentaries with scholarship, media insights and policy considerations.

Table of Contents

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Part I: STUDYING SOCIETY AND SOCIAL LIFE.
1. The Sociological Perspective and Research Process.
2. Culture.
3. Socialization.
Part II: SOCIAL GROUPS AND SOCIAL CONTROL.
4. Social Structure and Interaction in Everyday Life.
5. Groups and Organizations.
6. Deviance and Crime.
Part III: SOCIAL INEQUALITY.
7. Class and Stratification in the United States.
8. Global Stratification.
9. Race and Ethnicity.
10. Sex, Gender, and Sexuality.
Part IV: SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS.
11. Families and Intimate Relationships.
12. Education and Religion.
13. Politics and the Economy.
14. Health, Health Care, and Disability.
Part V: SOCIAL DYNAMICS AND SOCIAL CHANGE.
15. Population and Urbanization.
16. Collective Behavior, Social Movements, and Social Change.

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MindTap Options

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MindTap
Each MindTap product offers the full, mobile-ready textbook combined with superior and proven learning tools at one affordable price. Students who purchase digital access can add a print option at any time when a print option is available for their course.

This Cengage solution can be seamlessly integrated into most Learning Management Systems (Blackboard, Brightspace by D2L, Canvas, Moodle, and more) but does require a different ISBN for access codes. Please work with your Cengage Learning Consultant to ensure the proper course set up and ordering information. For additional information, please visit the LMS Integration site.

Standalone Digital Access — Ultimate Value

Recommended and most popular

  • ISBN-10: 8214147409
  • ISBN-13: 9798214147406
  • RETAIL $84.95
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Textbook Only Options

Traditional eBook and Print Options

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  • ISBN-10: 8214147476
  • ISBN-13: 9798214147475
  • RETAIL $79.95

  • ISBN-10: 8214147360
  • ISBN-13: 9798214147369
  • RETAIL $184.95
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Supplements

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Cengage provides a range of supplements that are updated in coordination with the main title selection. For more information about these supplements, contact your Learning Consultant.

FOR STUDENTS

MindTap for Kendall/Atkins' Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials, 1 term Instant Access

ISBN: 9798214147406
MindTap for Kendall/Atkins’ “Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials” 13th Edition, is the digital learning solution that powers students from memorization to mastery. MindTap gives you complete control of your course to provide engaging content, challenge every student and build students' confidence. MindTap organizes all of your students' course materials -- readings, multimedia, activities and assessments -- into a learning path that guides them through the introduction to sociology course. MindTap for Kendall/Atkins’ “Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials” 13th Edition, includes activities that help students understand their implicit biases, develop a sociological imagination and master important chapter concepts. Determine what your students already know through the What Do Sociologists Know? activity. Students will explore common misconceptions that people bring to the study of sociology. Offer application practice with the Apply Your Knowledge activity and nurture your students’ sociological imaginations with the What Would You Do? scenario exercises. Students can check their comprehension of core concepts and theories by using the auto-graded Check Your Understanding and End of Chapter Quiz activities. Students can also extend their learning and make connections to their own lives through curated video content in the Intro to Sociology YouTube channel found under Additional Resources. With MindTap, you can customize the eBook and assignments, emphasize the most important topics and add your own material, notes and bookmarks. In MindTap, you have the flexibility to reorder textbook chapters, add your own notes and bookmarks and embed a variety of content, thus personalizing course content to meet your students’ needs. In addition, the Progress App in MindTap is a built-in gradebook that helps you track students’ progress and engagement as well as pinpoint areas where students may need more support.