This highly original and compelling book offers an introduction to the art and science of social inquiry, including the theoretical and methodological frameworks that support that inquiry. The new edition offers coverage of post-modernism and Indigenous ways of knowing, as well as a discussion of the research process and how to communicate arguments effectively. The result is a book that blends the best of earlier editions with updates that provide a strong foundation in critical thinking, rooted in the social sciences but relevant across disciplines.

A Good Book, In Theory is a great book in practice; cogent and comprehensive, relevant and readable, it will excite and enrich the social theory class experience for even the most theory-averse students. -- Mark Rubinfeld, Westminster College ...a passionate, candid, and personal text about a subject that is dreaded as abstract, complex, and boring... -- Shahrzad Mojab, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto This vibrant, entertaining book is packed with tools not only to foster independent, theoretical thinking but also to enable students to understand why these abilities matter in the twenty-first century. -- Genevieve LeBaron, University of Sheffield

About the Author
Alan Sears is Professor of Sociology at Ryerson University. He is the author of The New Left: A History of the Future (2014) and co-author with James Cairns of The Democratic Imagination: Envisioning Popular Power in the Twenty-First Century (2012). James Cairns is Associate Professor, Social and Environmental Justice, at Wilfrid Laurier University, Brantford. He is the author (with Alan Sears) of A Good Book, In Theory: Making Sense Through Inquiry (2015) and The Democratic Imagination: Envisioning Popular Power in the Twenty-First Century (2012).


Book Information
ISBN 9781442600775
Author Alan Sears
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint University of Toronto Press
Publisher University of Toronto Press
Weight(grams) 320g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 140mm * 20mm