Social Problems An Introduction to Critical Constructionism

by Heiner, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780199859078
• ISBN10: 0199859078
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-07-13
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Social Problems: An Introduction to Critical Constructionismsynthesizes conflict theory and social constructionism to help students think critically about social problems. A concise, student-friendly alternative to all-encompassing standard textbooks, this book examines a single theoretical paradigm in depth, demonstrating how theory can be used to understand a breadth of real world structures. Now thoroughly updated and revised, this fourth edition offers more thorough coverage of race and gender and inequality in education and health care. It also includes new sections on same-sex marriages and the medicalization of deviance.

Author Biography

Robert Heiner is Professor and Coordinator of Sociology at Plymouth State University. He is editor of Deviance Across Cultures (OUP, 2007) and a number of other anthologies.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
An Introduction to the Sociology of Social Problems	p. 1
The Sociological Perspective	p. 1
Critical Constructionism	p. 7
Nonsociological Philosophies	p. 11
The Cross-Cultural and Global Perspectives	p. 12
Corporate America	p. 14
The Media	p. 15
The Homogenization of Culture	p. 19
Summary	p. 20
The Plan of this Book	p. 22
Inequality and Capitalism	p. 24
An Introduction to Critical Economics	p. 24
The Gap between the Rich and the Rest	p. 28
The Plight of the American Worker	p. 37
Poverty	p. 51
Global Inequalities	p. 59
Application: The Gross Domestic Product	p. 64
Summary	p. 66
Inequality of Life Chances in the United States	p. 70
Inequality and Race	p. 70
Inequality and Gender	p. 78
Inequality and Education	p. 85
Inequality and Health Care	p. 89
Application: Immigration	p. 94
Summary	p. 97
Problems of the Family	p. 100
The Family in Historical Perspective	p. 100
The Current State of the Family	p. 107
Children: Our Most Precious Resource?	p. 111
Capitalism versus the Family	p. 121
Same-Sex Marriage	p. 123
Application: Children Having Children	p. 126
Summary	p. 130
Crime and Deviance	p. 134
Universality and Relativity	p. 134
Examples of the Relativity of Crime and Deviance	p. 135
The Cultural Production of Knowledge about Crime	p. 141
Crime Scares	p. 145
Street Crime	p. 153
The American Punishment Frenzy	p. 161
The Medicalization of Deviance	p. 172
Application: Terrorism	p. 177
Summary	p. 180
Problems of the Environment	p. 183
Technology and the Environment	p. 183
Scientific Uncertainty	p. 184
Corporate Suasion	p. 187
Consumerism	p. 198
Inequality and the Environment	p. 205
Global Inequality	p. 209
Application: Overpopulation	p. 213
Summary	p. 218
Conclusions	p. 221
Glossary	p. 231
Notes	p. 236
Index	p. 261
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