Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Society and Law

Society and Law addresses the social context of law, the legal structure, and the relationships between society and law. The goal of this text is to help undergraduate students gain an understanding of the significant role law plays in our everyday lives and in larger society. It covers emerging theories and ideas from innovative fields such as critical legal studies, feminist jurisprudence, critical race theories, and intersectionality. Society & Law summarizes the material as succinctly as possible, incorporating examples of new laws, changes in laws, and legal cases that interest college students and help them connect the material to their own lives. The law can be fascinating, frustrating, and even funny. Society & Law presents these various aspects of the law in readable, understandable, and interesting ways. Features: ·Student-oriented pedagogy includes key terms and a complete glossary, chapter summaries, critical thinking questions, and movie suggestions ·Case-in-Point boxes provide extended examples that illustrate key points ·Legalese boxes define legal terminology ·Sidebar boxes provide additional information about select concepts Review Hayden (criminal justice, Merrimack College) has written a reader-friendly textbook for undergraduates in courses in sociology, criminology, criminal justice, and social justice. Intended to engage students on a personal level, the book is jam-packed with figures, black-and-white photos, cartoons, and other visuals. Especially helpful is the highlighting in bold of important key terms defined in an extensive glossary. Special features found in every chapter include summaries, critical thinking questions, and movie suggestions. Other pedagogical tools are "Case in Point" boxes that provide extended examples, "Legalese" boxes that define legal terms, and "Sidebar" boxes that explain legal concepts. Many examples and cases are related to Massachusetts. . . Hayden does a good job of overlaying topics of relevance to law and the legal system, including the rule of law, the organization of law, lawmaking, dispute processing, and the legal profession. The chapters on the legal constructions of gender and race are insightful. Though intended as textbook, the volume might find use as a secondary resource for those studying social justice. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates.--CHOICE About the Author Karen Hayden joined the faculty at Merrimack College in 1997 and earned tenure and promotion to Associate Professor in 2001. She served as the chairperson of the Department of Sociology & Criminology before moving on to Chair the Department of Criminology. Dr. Hayden’s areas of interest within criminology include girls, women, and crime; rural crime; law and society; and cultural criminology. Her work has appeared in Studies in Symbolic Interaction, Teaching Sociology and she wrote two chapters in the forthcoming edited volume, Against Urbanormativity: Perspectives on Rural Theory (Lexington Books/Rowan & Littlefield Publishers, Inc).