This best-selling text emphasizes why social and cultural changes are the pervasive realities of our time. A key theme of Contemporary Society is that the transition from an industrial to a post-industrial order in today?s world is fraught with difficulties, as was the transition from an agricultural to an industrial order in an earlier era. Within this framework, we can observe the increasing fragmentation of the social order today, which tends to lead people away from community and a common purpose, more often bringing conflict and disunity. Still, countervailing social forces are also at work, providing some stability--some shelter in a sea of change.? Ever more, societies are faced with the rapid and transformative power of information technology, which helps propel separate groups of people into a global entity.This introduction to the social sciences shows what the authors have learned from such disciplines as anthropology, geography, history, sociology, psychology, political science, and economics--and how to apply social science approaches to an ever-faster tempo of change. ?The authors cover family life, interaction with others, racial and ethnic diversity, education, religion, population, environment, and many other topics analyzed in a student-friendly approach.