Preface  (Page 5/4)

About openstax

OpenStax is a non-profit organization committed to improving student access to quality learning materials. Our free textbooks are developed and peer-reviewed by educators to ensure they are readable, accurate, and meet the scope and sequence requirements of modern college courses. Unlike traditional textbooks, OpenStax resources live online and are owned by the community of educators using them. Through our partnerships with companies and foundations committed to reducing costs for students, OpenStax is working to improve access to higher education for all. OpenStax is an initiative of Rice University and is made possible through the generous support of several philanthropic foundations.

About concept coach

Thanks to a generous courseware grant, OpenStax is developing a new, free tool to increase reading comprehension. This free tool, called Concept Coach, will be embedded in the web view of OpenStax’s college textbooks. As students read, they will be asked questions to reinforce their understanding of the content. Concept Coach automatically incorporates proven cognitive science principles — spaced practice, retrieval practice, and feedback — to increase students' long-term retention. Concept Coach is designed to easily integrate into a professor's existing workflow and is not a replacement for traditional or online homework.

At the end of each non-introductory section of the chapter, students will find Concept Coach questions. Additional homework questions, if needed, are accessible via the PDF (under "Downloads" at the bottom of this page).

About this book

Welcome to Introduction to Sociology 2e with Concept Coach , an OpenStax resource created with several goals in mind: accessibility, affordability, customization, and student engagement—all while encouraging learners toward high levels of learning. Instructors and students alike will find that this textbook offers a strong foundation in sociology. It is available for free online and in low-cost print and e-book editions. In this web view version of the book, students will find Concept Coach questions at the end of most non-introductory sections. Additional homework questions, if needed, are accessible via the PDF (under "Downloads" at the bottom of this page).

To broaden access and encourage community curation, Introduction to Sociology 2e is “open source” licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license. Everyone is invited to submit examples, emerging research, and other feedback to enhance and strengthen the material and keep it current and relevant for today’s students. You can make suggestions by contacting us at info@openstaxcollege.org. You can find the status of the project, as well as alternate versions, corrections, etc., on the StaxDash at (External Link) .

To the student

This book is written for you and is based on the teaching and research experience of numerous sociologists. In today’s global socially networked world, the topic of sociology is more relevant than ever before. We hope that through this book, you will learn how simple, everyday human actions and interactions can change the world. In this book, you will find applications of sociology concepts that are relevant, current, and balanced.