Open Books

• Classical Sociological Theory and Foundations of American Sociology
  This text includes selections from Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber as well as a section on early American sociological theory.
• Doing Research
  Informed by the Association of College and Research Library’s Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, this introductory guide to doing research is useful for students in any subject area.
• Foundations in Sociology: Social Construction of Everyday Life
  This first part of a two-part introduction to sociology “examines how we come to understand and experience ourselves and the world around us and how we create culture.”
• Foundations in Sociology: Society Structure Process
  This second part of a two-part introduction to sociology “examines theories and methods for studying changes to the nature and organization of society from pre-modern, to modern and post-modern.”
• Introduction to Sociology 2e (OpenStax)
  “Introduction to Sociology 2e adheres to the scope and sequence of a typical, one-semester introductory sociology course. It offers comprehensive coverage of core concepts, foundational scholars, and emerging theories.”
• Introduction to Sociology: Understanding and Changing the Social World
  “The founders of sociology in the United States wanted to make a difference. A central aim of the sociologists of the Chicago school was to use sociological knowledge to achieve social reform. A related aim of sociologists like Jane Addams, W.E.B. DuBois, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett and others since was to use sociological knowledge to understand and alleviate gender, racial, and class inequality.”
• Radical Social Theory: An Appraisal, A Critique, and an Overcoming
  “Our focus is the history of social thought in the West, studied through a decolonial critique. Most of the readings assigned are primary sources, texts written by people who were living and writing at the time of the events addressed. The ideas expressed in these readings are the result of thinkers analyzing complex social processes, allowing for people to contemplate and create new ways of living that pushed the world into unchartered territories.”
• Urban Literacy: Learning to Read the City Around You
  “The purpose of this book is to provide you with the background you need so you can read the stories in the city around you. This book is designed to introduce you to some basic concepts and theories about how cities function and develop. The book is organized into thematic chapters that highlight different aspects of urban life, from the environment to culture to housing.”

Additional OER

• Foundations of Modern Social Theory Course (Open Yale)
  “This course provides an overview of major works of social thought from the beginning of the modern era through the 1920s. Attention is paid to social and intellectual contexts, conceptual frameworks and methods, and contributions to contemporary social analysis. Writers include Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Adam Smith, Marx, Weber, and Durkheim.”
• Sociology101
  Including a syllabus, readings, assignments, and other resources, this wiki was organized by Jessie Daniels for Sociology 101 faculty and students at Hunter as well as “for anyone teaching a beginning sociology course.”

Zero-cost Resources

• Books in Sociology (Project Gutenberg)
• Racial Equity Tools
  “Racial Equity Tools is designed to support individuals and groups working to achieve racial equity. It offers tools, research, tips, curricula, and ideas for people who want to increase their own understanding and to help those working toward justice at every level—in systems, organizations, communities, and the culture at large.” Most of the materials included at the site are freely accessibly online to users, but not all of them are openly licensed.


This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.