LibGuides: Open Educational Resources: Sociology

Sociology Resources

This is a selection of openly licensed textbooks that has been created for free use in courses. These resources may be adopted for use as classroom text, modified to create new texts, or used as a supplemental learning tool to aid in understanding key concepts.

General Sociology

Introduction to Sociology 2e by Jeff Bry; Faye Jones; Heather Griffiths; Nathan Keirns; Eric Strayer; Susan Cody-Rydzewski; Gail Scaramuzzo; Tommy Sadler; Sally Vyain
ISBN: 9781938168413

Publication Date: 2015-03-17

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.
Social Problems by University of Minnesota Libraries
ISBN: 9781946135230

Publication Date: 2016-03-25

Social Problems: Continuity and Change is a realistic but motivating look at the many issues that are facing our society today. As this book’s subtitle, Continuity and Change, implies, social problems are persistent, but they have also improved in the past and can be improved in the present and future, provided that our nation has the wisdom and will to address them.
Sociology by University of Minnesota Libraries
ISBN: 9781946135247

Publication Date: 2016-04-08

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.

Research Methodology

Folklife and Fieldwork: An Introduction to Cultural Documentation by Stephen Winick and Peter Bartis

A field manual produced by Peter Bartis, Stephen Winick, and the Library of Congress' American Folklife Center, intended to help guide researchers in the conduction of fieldwork. It is an updated version of the similarly titled 1979.
Principles of Sociological Inquiry – Qualitative and Quantitative Methods by Amy Blackstone

A textbook intended to emphasize the relevance of sociological research methods for the everyday lives of its readers, specifically meant for students in undergraduate sociology courses. The text is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA license.
Scientific Inquiry in Social Work by Matthew DeCarlo

As an introductory textbook for social work students studying research methods, this book guides students through the process of creating a research project. Students will learn how to discover a researchable topic that is interesting to them, examine scholarly literature, formulate a proper research question, design a quantitative or qualitative study to answer their question, carry out the design, interpret quantitative or qualitative results, and disseminate their findings to a variety of audiences.
Social Science Research: Principles, Methods, and Practices by Anol Bhattacherjee

An open textbook intended to introduce students to the scientific research process, specifically those students conducting research in the social sciences and related disciplines. The resource is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0 Unported license.

General Sociology Courses

Introductory to Sociology - Saylor Academy
This open course comes from Saylor Academy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free and open online courses to anyone who wishes to learn. It is intended to serve as a general introduction to sociology and is a complete, module-based course. All content authored by Saylor Academy is made available under a Creative Commons CC-BY 3.0 Unported License.
Foundations of Modern Social Theory - Open Yale Courses
Yale University has published a number of open courses, including this introduction to modern theories of sociology. This course provides an overview of major works of social thought from the beginning of the 'modern' era through the 1920s. It includes courseware and full course lectures. Unless stated otherwise, content provided by Open Yale Courses is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
Social Problems: Who Makes Them? - OpenLearn
This free and open course from OpenLearn seeks to examine certain social problems (i.e. antisocial behavior, homelessness, drug abuse) and what makes these problems 'social.' It examines how these issues are identified, defined, given meaning, and acted upon. All content created by The Open University is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0 UK license.

Anthropology and Archaeology Courses

MIT Open Courseware
MIT has a large number of 'open' courses that relate to anthropology and archaeology. Most contain syllabi, course readings and/or reading lists, assignments, and exams that are available for download under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. Some additional courses also contain videos of lectures. Selected course topics Include:
- How Culture Works, by Professor Manduhai Buyandelger
- Introduction to Anthropology, by Professor Graham Jones
UCI Open
The University of California-Irvine has a large collection of open courses, containing full lecture videos. Each course is openly licensed under individual Creative Commons licenses.
- Religion and Social Order, by Sheila O'Rourke

Criminology Courses

The Meaning of Crime - OpenLearn
This open course from OpenLearn seeks to introduce students to the meaning of 'crime,' and how we as a society define that meaning. It also discusses fear generated within communities regarding crime and evidence and claims surrounding crime rates. All content created by The Open University is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0 UK license.
Race, Crime, and Citizenship in American Law - MIT OpenCourseware
This course, by Professor Malick Ghachem, looks at key issues in the development of the modern American criminal justice system - specifically focusing on its connections to citizenship, nationhood, and race. Included are a variety of assignments and course readings. All portions created by MIT are available for download under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
UCI Open
The University of California-Irvine has a large collection of open courses, containing full lecture videos. Each course is openly licensed under individual Creative Commons licenses.
- Hate Crimes, by Prof. Valerie Jenness
- White-Collar and Corporate Crime, by Prof. Henry Pontell

Global Societies

International Sociology, by Dr. David Frank
This course comes from David Frank, professor of sociology at the University of California, Irvine. It is intended to discuss the aspects and impacts of globalization, as well as some of its causes and implications for the individual lives of students. The course contains the full lecture slides for a semester-length course. It is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND 3.0 United States license.
Living in a Globalized World - OpenLearn
This course from OpenLearn examines how inequalities in access to material wealth between countries can lead to international tensions - specifically highlighting U.S. / Mexico relations. It also seeks to look at the use of immigrant labor in comparison to the labor of citizens, asking 'How equal is the globalized world?' All content created by The Open University is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0 UK license.
MIT Open Courseware
MIT has a large number of 'open' courses that relate to global societies and cultural studies. Most contain syllabi, course readings and/or reading lists, assignments, and exams that are available for download under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. Some additional courses also contain videos of lectures. Selected course topics Include:
- Citizen Participation, Community Development, and Urban Governance in the Developing World, by Professor Baiocchi
- Ethnicity and Race in World Politics, by Professor Melissa Nobles
- Globalization, by Professor Suzanne Berger

Social Behavior and Social Psychology Courses

MIT Open Courseware
MIT has a large number of 'open' courses that relate to social behaviors and social psychology. Most contain syllabi, course readings and/or reading lists, assignments, and exams that are available for download under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. Some additional courses also contain videos of lectures. Selected course topics Include:
- Social Psychology, by Stephan L. Chorover
- Special Topics: Social Animals, by Profesor Rebecca Saxe

Research Methodology Courses

Ethics of Human Subject Research, by Holly Taylor
This course, from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, introduces students to the ethics of human subject research, discussing topics such as informed consent, role and function of institutional review boards, just selection of research subjects, ethical aspects of study design, and issues of privacy and confidentiality. The course is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0 license.
MIT Open Courseware
MIT has a large number of 'open' courses that relate to research methodologies in the social sciences. Most contain syllabi, course readings and/or reading lists, assignments, and exams that are available for download under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. Some additional courses also contain videos of lectures. Selected course topics Include:
- Practice of Participatory Action Research (PAR), by Professor Lawrence Susskind and Dayna Cunningham, Esq.
- Survival Skills for Researchers: The Responsible Conduct of Research, by Professors Elizabeth Myers and Stephanie Bird

Anthropology and Archaeology Resources

Cultural Anthropology - LibreTexts
This resource contains a collection of open text maps derived from a variety of different open cultural anthropology textbooks. Each contains a selection of reading materials to help students gain an overview of the topic. Unless otherwise noted, the contents are licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
eFossils
eFossils is an interactive site from the University of Texas at Austin, and serves as a platform for the publication of data about fossils and archaeological sties. Some items are licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0 license.
eLucy
eLucy is an interactive site from the University of Texas at Austin, licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-SA 3.0 license. The purpose of the site is to help users learn about 'Lucy,' perhaps the world's most famous fossil of the early human ancestor Australophithecus afarensis. It includes anatomical renderings, student activities, and teacher lessons.
The eSkeletons Project
The University of Texas has created a collection of interactive, 3-D models of the skeletons of humans and a variety of other primate species. The collection is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0 license.
Interactive Fossils - LibreTexts
Interactive Fossils is a collection of interactive models of early hominin fossil skull remains, provided by LibreTexts. Unless otherwise noted, the contents are licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
Physical Anthropology - LibreTexts
This resource contains a collection of open text maps derived from a variety of different open physical anthropology textbooks. Each contains a selection of reading materials to help students gain an overview of the topic. Unless otherwise noted, the contents are licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.