What are OER - Open Educational Resources?
Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research resources that are free of cost and access barriers, and which can be fully used, shared and adapted in the digital environment.
What are OER? Why use OER? Where is OER? How is OER created? Who can help?
OER in Sociology
Open Educational Resources in Sociology
OER books come from many sources. Some are developed by the author specifically to teach a course, some are new textbooks from a commercial publisher, some are older textbooks where the copyright has reverted to the author. Below are some examples of the variety of OER books you can find.
- Introduction to Sociology 2e This open textbook adheres to the scope and sequence of a typical, one-semester introductory sociology course. It offers comprehensive coverage of core concepts, foundational scholars, and emerging theories. The textbook presents section reviews with rich questions, discussions that help students apply their knowledge, and features that draw learners into the discipline in meaningful ways. The second edition has been updated significantly to reflect the latest research and current, relevant examples.
- The Sociology of Rural Life First providing an overview of rural sociology, Hillyard goes on to offer contemporary case studies that clearly demonstrate the need for a reinvigorated rural sociology. Tackling a range of contentious issues, this book offers a new model for rural sociology and reassesses its role in contemporary society.
- Sustainability through the Lens of Environmental Sociology Our planet is undergoing radical environmental and social changes. Understanding and attaining sustainability is a crucial matter at a time when our planet is in peril—environmentally, economically, socially, and politically. Since its official inception in the 1970s, environmental sociology has provided a powerful lens to understanding the challenges, possibilities and modes of sustainability.
- Current Studies in the Sociology of Religion The study of religion as an academic discipline is a rather recent development in colleges and universities in the United States and abroad. This special issue of Religions brings together scholars from around the world who use diverse methodologies to study the impact of religion on a broad range of outcomes.