The Relativity of Deviance
- John Curra - Eastern Kentucky University, USA
Sociology of Deviance
The Fifth Edition has been updated to include the most current developments in American society, including deviance at the highest levels of national politics and corporate life, sex abuse scandals, the opioid crisis, and the growing decriminalization of marijuana.
"Easy read and explanation of topics."
"The text is well written and explains various behaviors in detail with examples for experiential learning opportunities"
"It covered all of the major topics, but it did so in a unique way with unique and thought-provoking examples that appeal to my students."
"It has complete coverage, it is an interesting read, it approaches certain topics with a unique perspective (e.g., the medicalization of mental illness), it is reasonably priced.."
"The primary reason is because deviance is presented in terms of a social constructionist perspective. Most textbooks look at deviance from a functionalist or positivistic perspective. The examples used in the text are outstanding in terms of presenting the relative nature of deviance."
"Besides the fact that it doesn't have ancillary materials (which might scare some instructors away), it challenges students to think critically about the subject matter."
"I adopted The Relativity of Deviance because of the relativistic perspective it provides, because of the interesting examples and topics covered, because it's well-written and because it provides great opportunities and jump-off points for class discussion."
"If you teach this course, you should teach it from multiple perspectives and this book offers a nicely packaged way to present the relativistic perspective of deviance."
