Mark McCormack

This second edition of a major textbook uses lively prose and a series of carefully-crafted pedagogical features to both introduce sociology as a discipline and to help students realize how deeply sociological issues impact on their own lives. Over the book’s 12 chapters, students discover what sociology is, alongside its historical development and emergent new concerns. They will be led through the theories that underpin the discipline and familiarized with what it takes to undertake good sociological research. Ultimately students will be led and inspired to develop their own sociological imagination – learning to question their own assumptions about the society, the culture and the world around them today.Historically, the majority of introductory sociology textbooks have run to many hundreds of pages, discouraging students from further reading. By contrast, Discovering Sociology has been carefully designed and developed as a true introduction, covering the key ideas and topics that first year undergraduate students need to engage with without sacrificing intellectual rigour.New to this Edition:- Two new chapters adding coverage on crime, deviance and political sociology- Updated examples, Vox Pops and case studies keep this new edition feeling fresh and contemporary and ensure diverse coverage, including from beyond Western sociology- Thoughtfully updated and refreshed layout and visual features.Accompanying online resources for this title can be found at bloomsburyonlineresources.com/discovering-sociology-2e. These resources are designed to support teaching and learning when using this textbook and are available at no extra cost.

This important book provides unique new knowledge on the lived experience of openly bisexual men without medicalizing or pathologizing them. Presenting research from sexology, sociology, and psychology, it features extensive findings on the sexual, social, romantic, and emotional behaviors of the 90 men interviewed in the U.S. and U.K. Issues and challenges are examined in such areas as identity and self-concept, along with the burden of social erasure and the paradox of stigma from both the gay and straight communities. However, the research reveals evidence of a recent cultural transition toward acceptance of bisexual identity and behavior, with younger bisexual men experiencing better social lives and increased recognition of the legitimacy of bisexuality. Among the topics covered: Examining the components of sexuality. Measuring and surveying bisexuality. Bisexual burden Demonstrating a generational cohort effect Expansion of gendered boundaries. Erosion of the one-time rule of homosexuality. Coming out in the 21st century. Bringing clarity and focus beyond the gender binary—and compelling insights into why society and science have trouble shedding that paradigm—The Changing Dynamics of Bisexual Men’s Lives will interest sexuality scholars, sexologists, and social scientists studying the social aspects of sexuality.

This major new textbook uses lively prose and a series of carefully-crafted pedagogical features to both introduce sociology as a discipline and to help students realize how deeply sociological issues impact on their own lives. Over the book’s 10 chapters, students discover what sociology is, alongside its historical development and emergent new concerns. They will be led through the theories that underpin the discipline and familiarized with what it takes to undertake good sociological research. Ultimately students will be led and inspired to develop their own sociological imagination – learning to question their own assumptions about the society, the culture and the world around them today. Historically, the majority of introductory sociology textbooks have run to many hundreds of pages, discouraging students from further reading. By contrast, Discovering Sociology has been carefully designed and developed as a true introduction, covering the key ideas and topics that first year undergraduate students need to engage with without sacrificing intellectual rigour.

This important book provides unique new knowledge on the lived experience of openly bisexual men without medicalizing or pathologizing them. Presenting research from sexology, sociology, and psychology, it features extensive findings on the sexual, social, romantic, and emotional behaviors of the 90 men interviewed in the U.S. and U.K. Issues and challenges are examined in such areas as identity and self-concept, along with the burden of social erasure and the paradox of stigma from both the gay and straight communities. However, the research reveals evidence of a recent cultural transition toward acceptance of bisexual identity and behavior, with younger bisexual men experiencing better social lives and increased recognition of the legitimacy of bisexuality. Among the topics covered: Examining the components of sexuality. Measuring and surveying bisexuality. Bisexual burden Demonstrating a generational cohort effect Expansion of gendered boundaries. Erosion of the one-time rule of homosexuality. Coming out in the 21st century. Bringing clarity and focus beyond the gender binary—and compelling insights into why society and science have trouble shedding that paradigm—The Changing Dynamics of Bisexual Men’s Lives will interest sexuality scholars, sexologists, and social scientists studying the social aspects of sexuality.

Research has traditionally shown high schools to be hostile environments for LGBT youth. Boys have used homophobia to prove their masculinity and distance themselves from homosexuality. Despite these findings over the last three decades, The Declining Significance of Homophobia tells a different story. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews of young men in three British high schools, Dr. Mark McCormack shows how heterosexual male students are inclusive of their gay peers and proud of their pro-gay attitudes. He finds that being gay does not negatively affect a boy's popularity, but being homophobic does. Yet this accessible book goes beyond documenting this important shift in attitudes towards homosexuality: McCormack examines how decreased homophobia results in the expansion of gendered behaviors available to young men. In the schools he examines, boys are able to develop meaningful and loving friendships across many social groups. They replace toughness and aggression with emotional intimacy and displays of affection for their male friends. Free from the constant threat of social marginalization, boys are able to speak about once feminized activities without censure. The Declining Significance of Homophobia is essential reading for all those interested in masculinities, education, and the decline of homophobia.

Research has traditionally shown high schools to be hostile environments for LGBT youth. Boys have used homophobia to prove their masculinity and distance themselves from homosexuality. Despite these findings over the last three decades, The Declining Significance of Homophobia tells a different story. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews of young men in three British high schools, Dr. Mark McCormack shows how heterosexual male students are inclusive of their gay peers and proud of their pro-gay attitudes. He finds that being gay does not negatively affect a boy's popularity, but being homophobic does. Yet this accessible book goes beyond documenting this important shift in attitudes towards homosexuality: McCormack examines how decreased homophobia results in the expansion of gendered behaviors available to young men. In the schools he examines, boys are able to develop meaningful and loving friendships across many social groups. They replace toughness and aggression with emotional intimacy and displays of affection for their male friends.Free from the constant threat of social marginalization, boys are able to speak about once feminized activities without censure. The Declining Significance of Homophobia is essential reading for all those interested in masculinities, education, and the decline of homophobia.