Dress and Society

In presenting sociological research on the way people dress, this text helps students develop an appreciation for the value of research skills in their academic and professional careers. What more exciting topic to study and research than dress and society! And what more engaging way to present this topic than with current research that analyzes dress as an individual social behavior controlled by factors that students can relate to their own lives and their own way of dressing. Concepts such as gender, religion, race, and education and the cultural norms promoted by each of these factors are thoroughly discussed in terms of dress. So too are violations of these norms and the consequences of the violations for the individual and society. For each concept, recent and classic research demonstrates its practical application. A host of pedagogical features make the academically rigorous content enjoyable and memorable for the students. Each chapter opens with an example from the headlines of the popular press followed by chapter objectives. Chapters conclude with a summary, a list of key terms, discussion questions, suggested readings, and references, all of which help students retain and think about what they have learned. Features -- Newspaper and magazine articles as opening vignettes for each chapter -- Discussion questions help students think about what they have lerned -- Instructor's Guide on CD-ROM providing a test bank, Internet research activities, and presentation notes in PowerPoint format