In the second edition we demonstrate the vitality, interest and utility associated with the study of sociology. Examining society, social institutions, and social processes is an exciting and absorbing undertaking. Our goals is not to make sociologists of our reader (although if that is an outcome we will be delighted) but rather to show how sociology applies to many areas of life and how it is used in day-to-day activities. In meeting this objective we focused on two basic ideas: first, sociology as a rigorous scientific discipline; and second, that a basic knowledge of sociology is essential for understanding social interactions in many different settings, whether they are oriented to a work or social environment. In order to understand society, we need to understand how society shapes people and how people in turn shape society. We need to develop a new way of understanding the world we have been experiencing for so many years.