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Sociology: Compass for a New Social World, 8th Edition |

Robert J. Brym, Lisa Strohschein, Karen Kampen

  • Copyright 2025
  • {{checkPublicationMessage('Published', '2024-02-21T00:00:00+0000')}}
Starting At $77.95 See pricing and ISBN options
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Sociology: Compass for a New Social World 8th Edition by Robert J. Brym/Lisa Strohschein/Karen Kampen
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Overview

​Sociology: Compass for a New Social World shows students how thinking sociologically can help them draw connections between themselves and the social world. Sociological concepts are clearly connected to students’ interests and experiences by taking universal and popular elements of contemporary culture and rendering them sociologically relevant.

This text differs from other major introductory sociology textbooks in four ways: (1) Drawing connections between one’s self and the social world by illustrating key sociological ideas with examples that resonate deeply with student interests and experiences; (2) Focusing on how to think instead of what to think by showing the sociologists thought process, presenting contending interpretations of the issue, and then providing data to judge the merits of those interpretations; (3) Making connections between objectivity and subjectivity; and (4) Exploring diversity and a global perspective, including decolonization and inviting students to engage in reconciliation.​

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Meet the Authors

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Robert J. Brym

ROBERT BRYM (pronounced “brim”) was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, studied sociology in Canada and Israel, and received his PhD from the University of Toronto, where he is now S. D. Clark Professor of Sociology. Bob’s research focuses on the social bases of politics, social movements, and ethnic relations in Canada, Russia, and the Middle East. Bob is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and has won numerous awards for his research and teaching, including the Northrop Frye Award, the British Journal of Sociology Prize, and the University of Toronto’s highest teaching honour, the President’s Teaching Award.

Lisa Strohschein

LISA STROHSCHEIN (rhymes with sunshine) was born in Ontario and received her PhD at McMaster University in 2002. She is a professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Alberta, president of the Canadian Population Society, associate editor of Canadian Public Policy, and a frequent consultant for the federal government. As a life course researcher, Lisa examines how family dynamics influence the health, development, and well-being of children and adults. She is internationally recognized for her work on the mental health effects of divorce and poverty. In her spare time, Lisa enjoys travelling, gardening, and cooking.

Karen Kampen

KAREN KAMPEN was born in Vancouver and raised in Winnipeg, and received her master’s degree from the University of Alberta. She has been an instructor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Manitoba since 2002. Along with Lance Roberts, she co-authored The Methods Coach and The Statistics Coach (Oxford University Press), and she is a contributing author to Statistics for Social Science with Steve Hayward et al. (Top Hat Inc.) She is currently developing a new course called Sociology of the Life Course. Karen is an avid volunteer in her community and is happiest when spending time in the wilderness with her family.

What's New

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  • ​Up-to-date research, including data from the most recent Canadian census​
  • ​Reflects recent and emerging issues such as the gender binary, unmarked graves at former residential schools, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the parental rights movement ​

Features

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  • ​Multiple pedagogical aids including chapter objectives, Time to Review feature at the end of each major section within each chapter, chapter summaries at, and definitions of key terms​
  • ​What Do Sociologists Know? MindTap activity is an activator activity containing 5 true/false statements covering common misconceptions students may face in the real world​
  • ​Focus on Social Policy activities in MindTap presents a contemporary illustration of widespread social conduct and asks students to examine how sociological ideas could improve policy directives​
  • ​Sociological Imagination MindTap activities guide students through step-by-step applications to everyday scenarios. Each exercise reflects on a specific illustration and encourages students to connect “knowing” and “doing”​
  • ​End-of-Chapter Quizzes allows students to evaluate what they have learned from the chapter​
  • ​Video assignment activities in MindTap challenge students to become more media and digital literate, and how to remain critical of what they read in the media​

Table of Contents

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Chapter 1 A Sociological Compass
Chapter 2 How Sociologists Do Research
Chapter 3 Culture
Chapter 4 Socialization
Chapter 5 Social Interaction
Chapter 6 Networks, Groups, Bureaucracies, and Societies
Chapter 7 Deviance and Crime
Chapter 8 Social Stratification
Chapter 9 Globalization, Inequality, and Development
Chapter 10 Race and Ethnicity
Chapter 11 Sexualities and Gender Stratification
Chapter 12 The Body and Health: Disability, Aging, and Death
Chapter 13 Political Economy
Chapter 14 Families
Chapter 15 Religion
Chapter 16 Education
Chapter 17 Mass and Social Media
Chapter 18 Collective Action and Social Movements
Chapter 19 Technology, Population, and the Environment

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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.

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  • ISBN-10: 1778414036
  • ISBN-13: 9781778414039
  • RETAIL $99.95
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Traditional eBook and Print Options

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  • ISBN-10: 1778414001
  • ISBN-13: 9781778414008
  • RETAIL $77.95

  • ISBN-10: 1778412793
  • ISBN-13: 9781778412790
  • RETAIL $139.95

  • ISBN-10: 1778419992
  • ISBN-13: 9781778419997
  • RETAIL $159.95
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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.

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MindTap Instant Access (Multi-Term) for Brym’s, Sociology: Compass for a New World, 8e

ISBN: 9781778414039