Public Sociology ─ Research, Action, and Change

Writing for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, policy makers, activists, and practitioners, Nyden (sociology, Loyola U. Chicago) et al. assemble a group of US sociologists, activists, individuals in organizations, and other researchers who introduce public sociology (and its careers) and present 33 case studies of projects, from environmental justice to homelessness education, that illustrate how sociology steps outside academia to bring about social change in community settings, connecting it to the public by assisting nonprofit and social service organizations, influencing policy making, informing the public about key policy issues, or creating collaborative research centers. They describe how the projects developed, their research design and impact, lessons learned, and the areas in which social science has had an impact. Sidebars by researchers and students are incorporated. An imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)