James m henslin biography

James M. Henslin is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville.
James M. Henslin, who was born in Minnesota, graduated from high school and junior college in California and from college in Indiana.
James M. Henslin is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville.

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Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach

February 26, 2012

I’ve been reading quite a bit of sociology lately and so I thought it might be a good idea to read a general textbook to get an overview of the subject itself. This was interesting, though very American, obviously. And that had both benefits and disadvantages. Much of the sociology I’ve been reading has been European – so it was interesting to see a US perspective on the subject. All the same, this is such a general introduction that besides the occasional statistic there wasn’t all that much that I felt I learnt from it.

The best chapter is five – where he explains various sociological research methods and the limitations and difficulties of each. The best part of this chapter is the summary at the end, perhaps as good a summary of these methods in a few pages as I’ve found to date.

The chapter I found least useful was the chapter on religion. I guess it is important to remember that the US is an extremely religious nation and quite unusual as such for an advanced industrial society. I think this might have coloured a lot

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James M. Henslin, who was born in Minnesota, graduated from high school and junior college in California and from college in Indiana. Awarded scholarships, he earned his Master's and doctorate degrees in sociology at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. After this, he was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Institute of Mental Health, and spent a year studying how people adjust to the suicide of a family member. His primary interests in sociology are the sociology of everyday life, deviance, and international relations. Among his numerous books are Sociology: A-Down-to-Earth Approach (Allyn & Bacon, available in three versions); Social Problems (Allyn & Bacon); and Down-to-Earth Sociology: Introductory Readings (Free Press). He has also published widely in sociology journals, including Social Problems and American Journal of Sociology. While a graduate student, Jim Henslin taught at the University of Missouri at St. Louis. After completing his doctorate, he joined the faculty at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, where he is Professor Emeritus of

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