This text was written in the belief that sociological discourse is the basis not only for direct engagement in social science, but also for the cultivation of sensitivity towards socio-cultural aspects, which is an essential ingredient for all spheres of higher education: politics, law, history, economics, psychology, teaching, medicine, engineering, and urban planning. There are good reasons explaining why sociology is offered in most undergraduate programmes. The volume attempts to satisfy such a varied array of needs with its features of compactness, readability, consistency and the linear nature of its underlying thematic process.

Contents: Preface - 1. Sociology as the Science of Social Phenomena - 2. What Is Society? - 3. Social Actors - 4. Social Structures - 5. The Subject-Structure Relationship and the Function of Power - Bibliography.

Franco Crespi teaches Sociology in the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Perugia.