Sociology Student

Because I took only one AP Psych. class in my life, I understood several concepts in this Sociology book---be warned: this review may be just a little biased.To continue:Even though I do have some basic understanding of Sociology because of Psychology, Shepard uses many different kinds of examples to clarify the definitions throughout the book. Most of the terms are pretty straight forward but having different kinds of examples help cement what a certain definition means and in what way. There are also tables (research results, maps, events in the news dealing with sociology, etc.) that help clarify statistics or theories that may not be as clear cut. Important (main) definitions are bolded and usualy correspond to the subsectin topic, so it's not confusing in any way. Questions are posed with these subsections of the chapter to help clairfy what the topic being discussed is about, as well as to make the individual think about it and remember it better. With any textbook, there are major pluses and minuses. With this book, I'd have to say that some topics that were bolded and seemed important weren't clarified further and it seemed that it was left hanging. Some definitions were a bit turned around; but , the examples were helpful in understanding what it meant.Headings, subsections and the study guide sections are bolded and in green, as well as all the tables. Having it only 1 or 2 colors allows easier handling and finding information.The mini study guides after each section and after the chapter was very helpful and made me think about what I was reading. If I could answer the questions, I had been paying attention, if not, well....I wasn't. Answers are given for all the study questions which is always nice, but easy to cheat with. All in all, I'm pretty satisfied with Shepard's Eighth Edition. It's easy to read, it's the language that everyone knows and understands, good explanations and examples, and comprehensive study guides for help.