Welcome to the companion website for

Dead White Men and Other Important People

Sociology’s Big Ideas

by Ralph Fevre and Angus Bancroft

Even if sociology had some big ideas, Mila knew that she would have a fundamental problem in recognising them… She would find out whether something really was a big idea by explaining it to other people. If they were suitably impressed or, at least, were not able to undermine her faith in the idea, then that would make it big enough and important enough to count.

Mila tests out sociology’s big ideas by putting them into the context of her own world, her experiences and the people around her. On this website you’ll find extra resources that will help you to explore the subject’s key concepts and theories even further too.

Use these resources to decode sociological jargon, find out how current events can help you make sense of sociological thinking, and see where other people are testing out the ideas that form and inform our society. You should use this information alongside your textbook, Dead White Men & Other Important People, to fire your sociological imagination and decide for yourself what makes sociology so important.

How to Use This Book This section explains how the text maps on to Sociology degree programmes. Whether you’re a lecturer who wants to use the book in seminars, or a student who is reading the book to complement your course, the authors explain here how to get the most out of your text.

How to Read Sociology Academic writing can often seem difficult to get to grips with. This section explains some conventions of academic writing, such as citations, and jargon, showing you how to get to the bottom of sociological arguments.

Jargon Buster Use our handy Jargon Buster tool to decode common terms that crop up in your reading – and suggest your own on Twitter via @milalive.

How to Use Everyday Examples for Sociology The best way to test sociological theories is sometimes to just apply them to our own everyday experiences. Use this section to explore this further, and follow sociological practices, structures and interactions in everyday activities.

Further Reading Guide Themed around key sociological topics, in this section the authors suggest journal articles, book chapters and online resources for further reading. Use this section as a starting-point for where to go next with your reading, and delve a little further into sociological debates and ideas.

Suggestions for Seminar Questions (By Chapter) Whether you’re a seminar-leader looking for ideas for classroom discussion, or a student looking to guide your reading, use this section to further explore the ideas in the book. You’ll find here some general questions on each chapter, and some more advanced ones for those who like to stretch their sociological imagination.

Blog In this regularly updated blog by the book’s authors, you can read more about how sociology can and does respond to changing world events.

Milalive @ Twitter Click here to visit Mila’s own Twitter page so you can keep following her journey as she discovers more ways of looking at her own life through a sociological lens.

What Other People Think of This Book With comments from both students and lecturers, this page tells you just how good this book is and why it will help you, whether you’re reading it front to back, or dipping in when you get confused or stuck.

If you have any feedback or comments on these pages or the book itself, please email the Commissioning Editor for Sociology, Anna Reeve, at a.reeve@palgrave.com.