Our Social World: Condensed Version - Softcover

Jeanne H. Ballantine is Emerita Professor of Sociology at Wright State University, a state university of about 17,000 students in Ohio. She has also taught at several 4-year colleges, including an “alternative” college and a traditionally Black college, and at international programs in universities abroad. She has been teaching introductory sociology for more than 30 years with a mission to introduce the uninitiated to the field and to help students see the usefulness and value in sociology. She has been active in the teaching movement, shaping curriculum, writing and presenting research on teaching, and offering workshops and consulting in regional, national, and international forums. She is a Fulbright Senior Scholar and serves as a Departmental Resources Group consultant and evaluator.

Jeanne has written several textbooks, all with the goal of reaching the student audience. As the original director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Wright State University, she scoured the literature on student learning and served as a mentor to teachers in a wide variety of disciplines. Local, regional, and national organizations have honored her for her teaching and for her contributions to helping others become effective teachers. In 1986, the American Sociological Association’s Section on Undergraduate Education (now called the Section on Teaching and Learning in Sociology) recognized her with the Hans O. Mauksch Award for Distinguished Contributions to Teaching of Sociology. In 2004, she was honored by the American Sociological Association with its Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award. In 2010, the North Central Sociological Association awarded her the J. Milton Yinger Award for Distinguished Career in Sociology.

Keith A. Roberts is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Hanover College, a private liberal arts college of about 1,100 students in Indiana. He has taught introductory sociology for 35 years with a passion for active learning strategies and a focus on “deep learning” by students that transforms the way they see the world. Prior to teaching at Hanover, he taught at a 2-year regional campus of a large university.

He has been active in the teaching movement, writing on teaching and serving as a consultant to sociology departments across the country in his capacity as a member of the American Sociological Association Departmental Resources Group. He has written a very popular textbook in the sociology of religion, has coauthored a book on writing in the undergraduate curriculum, has published and led many workshops on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, and for 22 years ran an annual workshop for high school sociology teachers. He has chaired the Selection Committee for the SAGE Innovations and Professional Development Awards since the program’s inception. He has been honored for his teaching and teaching-related work at local, state, regional, and national levels. The American Sociological Association’s Section on Teaching and Learning awarded him the Hans O. Mauksch Award for Distinguished Contributions to Teaching of Sociology in 2000. He was honored with the American Sociological Association’s Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award in 2010. In 2012, the North Central Sociological Association awarded Keith the J. Milton Yinger Award for Distinguished Career in Sociology.

"The pedagogical features found in Ballantine and Roberts were useful, particularly the Thinking Sociologically questions. I think it helps the instructor think about questions they want to ask the students. And it helps to think about questions that might spark discussion. The Engaging Sociology sections also can be used at the beginning of a lecture discussion to get the students interested in the material and to see how the material can be applied to them―excellent."

"I like the use of the social world model to demonstrate how the individual is affected by larger community, national, societal, and global phenomena. The pages are aesthetically pleasing and there is a good balance of pictures, charts, other graphics, and text. The chapters convey a great deal of information while still remaining organized and concise. I feel like the writing is accessible to students but also retains a professionalism."