Introduction

This text is written in my voice and from my viewpoint, and it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea! It is written for my students and describes what inspires and interests me about sociological approaches to social problems. But I’m not the typical sociologist and this book is not the typical sociological text. It is meant to be concise, relevant, and maybe even a little bit funny. It begins by evaluating the reader’s knowledge about basic world facts, and I’ll attempt to make a case for optimism in trying times. Fresh year, fresh start, fresh minds.