Faculty of Arts
Department of Sociology
Sociology
Beyond Race: Cultural Influences on Human Social Life
This sociology text covers introductory concepts in cultural sociology, from culture and meaning to cultural identity.
Includes: Learning objectives, key terms and concepts
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library
Foundations in Sociology, Volume I: Social Construction of Everyday Life
One part of a two-part introduction to the discipline of sociology, the study of society. It examines how we come to understand and experience ourselves and the world around us and how we create culture. Students will be introduced to the study of culture, socialization, social interaction, identity formation and self-fashioning, the social construction of class, gender and race, age, deviance, and other social phenomena. This two-volume series is based on Introduction to Sociology – 2nd Canadian Edition, was adapted for use at the University of Saskatchewan.
Includes: Learning objectives, videos, key terms, and concepts
Licence: CC BY 4.0
Foundations in Sociology, Volume II: Society, Structure, Process
The second part of a two-part introduction to the discipline of sociology, the study of society. It examines theories and methods for studying changes to the nature and organization of society from pre-modern, to modern and post-modern. Students will be introduced to core sociological concepts used to understand social inequality, social order, social change, and globalization. This two-volume series is based on Introduction to Sociology – 2nd Canadian Edition, was adapted for use at the University of Saskatchewan.
Includes: Learning objectives, videos, key terms, and concepts
Licence: CC BY 4.0
Introduction to Sociology, 2nd Canadian Edition
This text covers introductory concepts in sociology, from sociological research to government and politics. It is modified for a Canadian environment from the very popular OpenStax textbook, reviews of which can be read here, and ancillary materials for which can be found here.
Includes: Case studies, key terms, section quizzes
Licence: CC BY 4.0
Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library and Campus Manitoba.
Principles of Sociological Inquiry: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods
This text covers introductory concepts in sociological methods.
Includes: Learning objectives, key takeaways, exercises
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library and Campus Manitoba.
A Quick Guide to Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences
This book is intended as an easy-to-use guide for anyone who needs some quick and simple advice on quantitative aspects of research in social sciences, which may prove useful as a supplemental material for undergraduate or graduate students. Chapters are organized by the research process.
Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0
Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library
Social Problems: Continuity and Change
This text provides an overview of social problems, including poverty, racial and gender inequality, ageism, the economy, healthcare, and war.
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library
Sociocultural Systems
Sociocultural Systems open access book aims to reinstate macrosociology as the heart of the discipline by demonstrating that both classical and contemporary macrosociologists stand upon common ground. Focusing on the broad issues that concerned the founders, Elwell addresses questions such as: Historically, what factors accounted for the origin, survival, and evolution of sociocultural systems? Why were some societies more technologically advanced than others? What is the origin of capitalism? What factors determine the allocation of goods and services within and among societies? What effects do changes in government and economic institutions have on communities?
Includes: Independently developed ancillary materials, end of chapter summaries, reviews, and scenarios for application, key takeaways, reflection questions
Licence: CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CA (Note: This is an open access text which restricts remixing and adapting).
Sociology of Education in Canada
Sociology of Education in Canada utilizes a contemporary theoretical focus to analyze how education in Canada is affected by pre-existing and persistent inequalities among members of society. It presents the historical and cultural factors that have shaped our current education system, examines the larger social trends that have contributed to present problems, discusses the various interest groups involved, and analyzes the larger social discourses that influence any discussion of these issues.
Includes: Review questions, exercises, key terms, glossary, film recommendations
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Sociology of Family [New]
This course is an introduction to a sociological examination of contemporary family forms and relations in North American society. Topics include: theories and methods for understanding families; formation of intimate relationships; mate selection processes; marriage and parenting; families over the life course; gender issues and transitions in families.
This course is comprised of 12 units designed to be delivered over a 13-week semester. The course layout is aligned with the textbook: Families Across the Life Course (2nd Ed.) by Silvia K. Bartolic, Todd F. Martin, and James M. White. Course materials include introductory resources and guidelines for the first week followed by an instructor’s manual, testbank, and answer key for each of the remaining 12 weeks.
Assessment for this course is based on weekly chapter quizzes, class work and participation, a unit reflection component, peer feedback, a collaborative book review project, and final exam. Quizzes are not included in this course pack. Instead, it is expected that instructors will choose questions from the testbanks to create their own. A sample final exam is provided. [Description from resource].
Licence: CC BY
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois [New]
The Souls of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches (1903) is a collection of essays by American and Ghanaian sociologist and writer W. E. B. Du Bois. The book contains several essays on race with Du Bois drawing on his own experiences as a Black man in America. Not only is it considered a pioneer work in the history of sociology and a cornerstone of African-American literature, but it also sees Du Bois credited with coining the term “double consciousness,” thus marking it as an influential work in the field of sociology [Description from resource].
Includes: audiobook
Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)
Together: The Science of Social Psychology
This sociology text has been positively-reviewed by peers. It covers introductory concepts in sociology, from the science of social phycology to organizational behaviour.
Includes: Instructor resources, vocabulary, discussion questions
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library
Law and Society
Crime and Fear in Public Places
This open access essay collection aims to illustrate the complexity of patterns of crime and fear in public places with examples of studies on these topics contextualized in different cities and countries around the world. This is achieved by tackling five crosscutting themes: the nature of the city’s environment as a backdrop for crime and fear; the dynamics of individuals’ daily routines and their transit safety; the safety perceptions experienced by those who are most in fear in public places; the metrics of crime and fear; and finally, examples of current practices in promoting safety.
Licence: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Note: This is an open access text which restricts remixing and adapting).
Criminal Futures
This open access book explores how predictive policing transforms police work. An accessible and compelling read, this book will appeal to students and scholars of criminology, sociology, and cultural studies as well as to police practitioners and civil liberties advocates, in addition to all those who are interested in how to implement reasonable forms of data-driven policing.
Licence: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Note: This is an open access text which restricts remixing and adapting).
Explaining Criminal Careers: Implications for Justice Policy
Explaining Criminal Careers is an open access book that presents a simple quantitative theory of crime, conviction and reconviction.
Licence: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 (Note: This is an open access text which restricts remixing and adapting).
Healing the American Community: Race and Criminal Justice (Chapter 10)
This is an open access chapter in the book Imagining a Greater Justice. This book develops a concept of relational justice for survivors, offenders and community by paying close attention to the relational harms suffered by victims.
Licence: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Note: This is an open access text which restricts remixing and adapting).
Improving Interagency Collaboration, Innovation and Learning in Criminal Justice Systems
This edited open access collection seeks to improve collaboration between criminal justice and welfare services in order to help prepare offenders for life after serving a prison sentence.
Licence: CC BY 4.0
Please refer to the Libraries and Cultural Resources (LCR) Staff Directory to connect with a librarian supporting this subject area.
Know of an open educational resource (OER) not listed?
Contact us at oer@ucalgary.ca.
Already using an OER? Have you adapted or created an OER?
Let us know by completing the OER Adoption and Creation Sharing Form