Power, Politics, and Society ― An Introduction to Political Sociology

Power, Politics & Society: An Introduction to Political Sociology discusses how sociologists have organized the study of politics into conceptual frameworks, and how each of these frameworks foster a sociological perspective on power and politics in society. This includes discussing how these frameworks can be applied to understanding current issues and other "real life" aspects of politics. The authors connect with students by engaging them in activities where they complete their own applications of theory, hypothesis testing, and forms of inquiry.

Betty A. Dobratz received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin and is Professor of Sociology at Iowa State University. She has authored, co-authored, or co-edited 14 books or issues of journals and more than 50 research articles, chapters, and pieces on teaching. Her co-authored book, White Power, White Pride! The White Separatist Movement in the U.S., with Stephanie Shanks-Meile, received two sociology book awards, one from a section of the American Sociological Association (ASA) and the other was from the North Central Sociological Association Scholarly Achievement Award. The book also was one of sixteen sociology books to be included in Choicea€?s Outstanding Academic Books list for 1998. Her earlier work focused on contemporary Greek politics, and she spent ten months in Greece on a NATO post-doctoral fellowship.

Timothy Buzzell is Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Department of History, Culture & Society at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas. He teaches courses in Criminology, Deviance, Politics and Society, Religion, Ritual & Belief, as well as Theory in Sociology. In addition, he currently serves as the Coordinator of the Social Justice program. His research on the nature of computer crime and deviance has appeared in the journals Deviant Behavior, Sexuality & Culture, and Criminal Justice Studies. Prior to his appointment at Baker University, he served as the Director of the Iowa Center for Law & Civic Education at the Drake Law School in Des Moines, Iowa. He received his PhD in Sociology from Iowa State University in 1991.

Lisa K. Waldner received her Ph.D. from Iowa State University with Betty A. Dobratz as her dissertation advisor and is currently Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of St. Thomas where she teaches courses in research methods, statistics and sexuality. Her research interests include political activism, hate crimes, gay and lesbian issues, and violence in intimate relationships including sexual coercion with her work appearing in several journals including Violence and Victims, Journal of Homosexuality, Aggression and Violent Behavior, and the Journal of Political and Military Sociology. She has received several teaching awards and is heavily involved in promoting student-faculty collaborative research.