John J. Macionis was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He began studying engineering at Cornell University before majoring in sociology and earning a bachelor’s degree. John received a doctorate in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania.
Welcome to the John Macionis website, which encourages us to see the path to change. Perhaps you are a college or university teacher, perhaps you are a student, but almost certainly you are a person concerned about the state of our world.
The goal of all our publishing has always been quality without compromise. To achieve this objective, I am personally involved in all aspects of developing our texts. Beyond doing all the writing, I work on design and production, which includes the selection of all images.
These new titles for 2020 are available now for sociology courses. Both Revel titles provide students with the digital format and interactive experience they prefer. For those students who wish, a few dollars buys a print copy added to the digital version.
Both titles are completely up-to-date, with more than 350 new research citations; every statistic is the latest available. New coverage includes the latest on economic inequality, gender and racial inequality, recent efforts by many states to restrict abortion access, new data on the sexual identity, and the latest on the transgender movement, employment, changing marijuana laws, hate crimes, and the 2020 presidential race. I will make updates to Revel right after the November election. I am exploring ways to make additions to these titles regarding the COVID-19 pandemic--stay tuned.
Revel update editions have more interactive content, which encourages discovery learning. Figures and graphs are interactive. All Window on the World global maps now have a comparison map that encourages students to see how one variable affects another. Similarly, all the Seeing Ourselves national maps also have comparison maps, and they allow student to zoom in on their own communities to see local social patterns. New, high quality videos have been added for the Revel update editions.
What's New, Chapter-by-Chapter in Society: The Basics 15e 2020 update and Sociology 17e 2020 update.
The focus of my work remains writing what I hope are the most engaging, up-to-date, and change-focused texts in the field of sociology. In an age of outsourcing and cost saving, I still do the work the old-fashioned way--by myself, and I do what it takes to get it right. All the content, all the supplements, all the test questions are done “in house” so you can have complete confidence in accuracy and quality. The Revel digital learning material, which is fully functional on any and all computers and mobile devices, is interactive, current, and written to change lives and change society.
Why digital? This is the future and it is already here. Most of today’s students have experienced digital learning for their entire lives. Because students expect information to be available through electronic devices, they are most likely to complete assignments that are available online. There are other advantages as well. Our digital titles are completely ADA compliant, presenting material in ways that meet the needs of all people including those with various disabilities. Readers can modify screen size, just as students can choose to listen to content available in audio files.
Digital learning is also the answer to the long-time problem of high book prices: Revel titles are sold for less than half of cost of print books (and students may choose to purchase a supplemental print version for a small additional cost). Yes, they can also opt to rent print books for a very low cost.
Most important, digital allows all students to learn through discovery. Rather than passively reading a book, students interact with a digital title that invites the experience of active discovery. Every semester, I increase the interactive content of our titles. This is the bright future of learning. Will you join me and our students on this journey?
If you have questions or comments, I invite you to write to me at macionis@kenyon.edu
One of my favorite pastimes is music, playing as well as listening. Some years back, I spent time in a local recording studio performing oldies tunes that have stayed with me over the years. The link below will take you to the music page of this site. There, you will find one of the CDs from that time, featuring nineteen of my favorite “covers.” Grab your headphones! I hope you enjoy listening to these songs.
Would you like to add engaging PowerPoint presentations that highlight recent research to your classes? My colleague Kimberlee Klesner and I have prepared twenty-four exciting PowerPoint presentations, which correspond to every chapter in Sociology, 17th edition, 2020 update and Society, 15th edition, 2020 update.
Here is a forty minute video lecture that examines income inequality beginning with my own Kenyon campus and then investigates broader patterns of inequality in diverse work settings, including education, medicine, and the world of finance. The presentation also contrasts public perceptions to the reality of wealth inequality.
