Welcome!

Welcome to the online resources accompanying Introduction to Sociology, by Frank van Tubergen.

Why are today’s youth soccer players of the national teams often born in January and rarely in December? Why are many people satisfied with their own life, but think the world is getting worse? Why is binge drinking so common in college, whereas the majority of students are against it? Why are your friends so similar to you? Why are citizens of the United States more religious than those in Western Europe?

Sociology is a science that studies a wide range of fascinating topics such as these. This textbook addresses not only foundational sociological work, but also integrates key insights from contemporary sociological research. It is written primarily as an introduction to sociology, and it covers a rich diversity of sociological topics and social problems, such as crime, immigration, race and ethnicity, media, education, family, organizations, gender, poverty, modernization, and religion.

This textbook presents in a highly accessible and engaging way key knowledge in sociology, introducing students to core concepts, theories, perspectives, methods and findings. Furthermore, it helps students learning to think like a sociologist. It offers students a ‘sociological toolkit’, a set of useful insights, tools and principles, which will enable them to do research like a sociologist themselves. Being able to think like a sociologist helps students to analyze any sociological topic and any contemporary social problem - even those with which one is yet unfamiliar.

What you will find on this website

For students:

Multiple choice questions categorised by chapter
Glossary definitions of the key terms, per chapter
Suggestions for further reading
Appendices to several chapters, presenting supplemental and more in-depth material

For instructors:

Customisable PowerPoint presentations covering the main points of each chapter
A comprehensive test bank of short assignable questions testing knowledge gained
Discussion questions with Answers for each chapter

Book Cover

Book Information Complimentary Exam Copy

About the Author

Frank van Tubergen is Professor of Sociology at Utrecht University (Netherlands), where he teaches introduction to sociology for many years. His current work is focused on social networks, immigration, and religion. His work appeared in top journals, including American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, European Sociological Review and Demography. He received numerous awards for his scientific work, and he is a Fellow of the European Academy of Sociology.

What scholars in the field are saying about the book

"Frank van Tubergen's excellent introduction delivers a fresh and unique approach to the key challenge of teaching Sociology: how can we combine the fascination for all the many social phenomena with the virtue of clear and systematic thinking, step by step? It was more than time to have such a textbook available."

Frank Kalter, University of Mannheim, Germany

“I’ve been waiting for an introduction like this for years. It introduces students to sociology’s overarching themes and shows how the principles of asking sociological questions, formulating and testing sociological ideas, and thus building knowledge applies across the seemingly different topics in our broad discipline. If you’re looking for an introduction that helps your students understand and engage with state-of-the-art (academic) sociology, look no further. This is an excellent introduction for students wishing to understand the key principles of building sound sociological knowledge and applying the sociological perspective across a wide range of topics. I will be recommending this to all our graduate students – whether they already took an intro to sociology or not.”

Christiaan Monden, University of Oxford, UK

"Finally a free-of-dust introduction to state-of-the art sociology. Van Tubergen presents an excellent and most engaging overview of the discipline and shows beginners how to think as sociologists. An indispensable book to teach and learn the sociology that really matters."

Javier G. Polavieja, University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain

"Frank van Tubergen's Introduction to Sociology is an invitation to think like a sociologist, written with a passion for the discipline and a mastery of the sociological toolkit. The book is a beacon for the aspiring sociology student and an inspiring and positive call for sociology as a science.”

Christofer Edling, Lund University, Sweden

"Prof. van Tubergen’s Introduction to Sociology is very original in the understanding of social phenomena with the scheme of common themes such as norms, groups, networks, stratification, etc., which cuts across various institutional lives. The organization of the textbook is also very innovative and coherent in its approach to introducing students sociological imagination."

Ping-Yin Kuan, National Chengchi University, Taiwan

"I’ve been teaching both ‘Introduction to Sociology’ and ‘Social Theory’ modules for a number of years and have never been able to find a textbook that I could recommend to my students for either. I’d given up looking for a textbook and was resigned to having to write them myself. You can imagine how overjoyed I was then to receive this draft text to review! Finally, a textbook that treats sociology as ‘normal science’ seeking explanations for social phenomena using social mechanisms and rigorous evidence. The focus on asking good questions and developing a sociological ‘toolkit’ means that students can see sociology as a coherent discipline which offers explanation, not just description. I really like the way that each chapter opens with a social pattern which is puzzling or at least interesting and then sets out to show how sociology can help us understand how it emerges from different social processes."

Richard Layte, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

"Frank van Tubergen's excellent introduction delivers a fresh and unique approach to the key challenge of teaching Sociology: how can we combine the fascination for all the many social phenomena with the virtue of clear and systematic thinking, step by step? It was more than time to have such a textbook available."
Frank Kalter, University of Mannheim, Germany

“I’ve been waiting for an introduction like this for years. It introduces students to sociology’s overarching themes and shows how the principles of asking sociological questions, formulating and testing sociological ideas, and thus building knowledge applies across the seemingly different topics in our broad discipline. If you’re looking for an introduction that helps your students understand and engage with state-of-the-art (academic) sociology, look no further. This is an excellent introduction for students wishing to understand the key principles of building sound sociological knowledge and applying the sociological perspective across a wide range of topics. I will be recommending this to all our graduate students – whether they already took an intro to sociology or not.”
Christiaan Monden, University of Oxford, UK

"Finally a free-of-dust introduction to state-of-the art sociology. Van Tubergen presents an excellent and most engaging overview of the discipline and shows beginners how to think as sociologists. An indispensable book to teach and learn the sociology that really matters."
Javier G. Polavieja, University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain

"Frank van Tubergen's Introduction to Sociology is an invitation to think like a sociologist, written with a passion for the discipline and a mastery of the sociological toolkit. The book is a beacon for the aspiring sociology student and an inspiring and positive call for sociology as a science.”
Christofer Edling, Lund University, Sweden

"Prof. van Tubergen’s Introduction to Sociology is very original in the understanding of social phenomena with the scheme of common themes such as norms, groups, networks, stratification, etc., which cuts across various institutional lives. The organization of the textbook is also very innovative and coherent in its approach to introducing students sociological imagination."
Ping-Yin Kuan, National Chengchi University, Taiwan

"I’ve been teaching both ‘Introduction to Sociology’ and ‘Social Theory’ modules for a number of years and have never been able to find a textbook that I could recommend to my students for either. I’d given up looking for a textbook and was resigned to having to write them myself. You can imagine how overjoyed I was then to receive this draft text to review! Finally, a textbook that treats sociology as ‘normal science’ seeking explanations for social phenomena using social mechanisms and rigorous evidence. The focus on asking good questions and developing a sociological ‘toolkit’ means that students can see sociology as a coherent discipline which offers explanation, not just description. I really like the way that each chapter opens with a social pattern which is puzzling or at least interesting and then sets out to show how sociology can help us understand how it emerges from different social processes."
Richard Layte, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland