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IN THIS SECTION:
1.) BRIEF
2.) COMPREHENSIVE
BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS:
CHAPTER 1: Studying Social Problems in theTwenty-First Century
CHAPTER 2: Wealth and Poverty: U.S. and Global Economic Inequalities
CHAPTER 3: Racial and Ethnic Inequality
CHAPTER 4: Gender Inequality
CHAPTER 5: Inequality Based on Age
CHAPTER 6: Inequality Based on Sexual Orientation
CHAPTER 7: Prostitution, Pornography, and the Sex Industry
CHAPTER 8: Alcohol and Other Drugs
CHAPTER 9: Crime and Criminal Justice
CHAPTER 10: Health Care: Problems of Physicaland Mental Illness
CHAPTER 11: The Changing Family
CHAPTER 12: Problems in Education
CHAPTER 13: Problems in Politics and the Global Economy
CHAPTER 14: Problems in the Media
CHAPTER 15: Population, Global Inequality, and the Environmental Crisis
CHAPTER 16: Urban Problems
CHAPTER 17: Global Social Problems: War and Terrorism
CHAPTER 18: Can Social Problems Be Solved?
COMPREHENSIVE TABLE OF CONTENTS:
(Every chapter ends with Summary, Key Terms, and Questions for Critical Thinking.)
Preface
CHAPTER 1 Studying Social Problems in theTwenty-First Century
USING SOCIOLOGICAL INSIGHTS TO STUDY SOCIAL PROBLEMS
What Is a Social Problem?
The Sociological Imagination: Bringing Together the Personal and the Social
Box 1.1 Social Problems and Social Policy: “Packing Heat”: Should College Students Be Allowed to Carry Guns on Campus?
DO WE HAVE A PROBLEM? SUBJECTIVE AWARENESS AND OBJECTIVE REALITY
Box 1.2 Critical Thinking and You : Determining What Constitutes a Social Problem
USING SOCIAL THEORY TO ANALYZE SOCIAL PROBLEMS
The Functionalist Perspective
The Conflict Perspective
The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
USING SOCIAL RESEARCH METHODS TO STUDY SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Field Research
Box 1.3 Social Problems in the Media
“If It Bleeds, It Leads”? News Reporting on Violence Survey Research
Secondary Analysis of Existing Data
IS THERE A SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM SUCH AS GUN VIOLENCE?
Functionalist/Conservative Solutions
Conflict/Liberal Solutions
Symbolic Interactionist Solutions
Critique of Our Efforts to Find Solutions
CHAPTER 2 Wealth and Poverty: U.S. and Global Economic Inequalities
WEALTH AND POVERTY IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
Box 2.1 Social Problems in Global Perspective
A New Way of Looking at World Hunger
ANALYZING U.S. CLASS INEQUALITY
Wealth versus Income Inequality
Divisions in the U.S. Class Structure
POVERTY IN THE UNITED STATES
Box 2.2 Social Problems and Statistics
Poverty in the United States
The Poverty Line
Who Are the Poor?
Consequences of Poverty
SOCIAL WELFARE IN THE UNITED STATES
Box 2.3 Social Problems and Social Policy
More Than a Decade after Reforms: Welfare Rolls
Down–Poverty Up
Explanations for Poverty
IS THERE A SOLUTION TO POVERTY?
Functionalist/Conservative Solutions to the Problem of Poverty
Conflict/Liberal Solutions to the Problem of Poverty
Symbolic Interactionist Solutions to the Problem of Poverty
CHAPTER 3 Racial and Ethnic Inequality
RACIAL AND ETHNIC INEQUALITY AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM
What Are Race and Ethnicity?
“Official” Racial and Ethnic Classifications
Dominant and Subordinate Groups
RACISM, PREJUDICE, AND DISCRIMINATION
Box 3.1 Social Problems in Global Perspective
The Polish Plumber in France: Negative Stereotypes about “Cheap Labor”
PERSPECTIVES ON RACIAL AND ETHNIC INEQUALITY
Social-Psychological Perspectives
Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives
Functionalist Perspectives
Box 3.2 Social Problems in the Media
Video Games, Racial Stereotypes, and Glamorized Violence
Conflict Perspectives
INEQUALITIES AMONG RACIAL AND ETHNIC GROUPS
Native Americans (American Indians)
African Americans
Latinos/as (Hispanic Americans)
Asian and Pacific Americans
Box 3.3 Social Problems and Statistics
Accurate and Inaccurate Comparisons
Box 3.4 Social Problems and Social Policy
Social Justice: Beyond Black and White
IS THERE A SOLUTION TO RACIAL AND ETHNIC INEQUALITY?
Functionalist/Conservative Solutions to the Problem of Racial and Ethnic Inequality
Conflict/Liberal Solutions to the Problem of Racial and Ethnic Inequality
Symbolic Interactionist Solutions to the Problem of Racial and Ethnic Inequality
CHAPTER 4 Gender Inequality
GENDER INEQUALITY AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM
Defining Sex and Gender
Biological and Social Bases for Gender Roles
GENDER INEQUALITY AND SOCIALIZATION
Gender Socialization by Parents
Peers and Gender Socialization
Box 4.1 Critical Thinking and You
Does Class Position Influence How We Think About Gender?
Education and Gender Socialization
Sports and Gender Socialization
The Media and Gender Socialization
Box 4.2 Social Problems and Social Policy
Title IX and Gender Quotas in College Sports
CONTEMPORARY GENDER INEQUALITY
The Gendered Division of Paid Work
The Wage Gap
Sexual Harassment
The Glass Ceiling and the Glass Escalator
The Double Shift
PERSPECTIVES ON GENDER INEQUALITY
The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
The Functionalist Perspective
Conflict and Feminist Perspectives
Box 4.3 Social Problems in Global Perspective
Missing Girls: Facing Up to the Problem in China
GLOBAL GENDER INEQUALITY
IS THERE A SOLUTION TO GENDER-RELATED INEQUALITY?
Functionalist/Conservative Solutions to the Problem of Gender Inequality
Conflict/Liberal Solutions to the Problem of Gender Inequality
Symbolic Interactionist Solutions to the Problem of Gender Inequality
CHAPTER 5 Inequality Based on Age
AGEISM AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM
Age-Based Stereotypes
Social Inequality and the Life Course
Box 5.1 Social Problems in the Media
Middle-aged Women: Over the Hill and in Need of Repair?
Death and Dying
Box 5.2 Social Problems and Statistics
Drawing the Wrong Conclusion
PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH AGING
Workplace Discrimination
Retirement and Changing Roles
Health, Illness, and Health Care
Box 5.3 Social Problems and Social Policy
Government-Funded Health Care for Older People: Medicare
Victimization
Family Problems and Social Isolation
Housing Patterns and Long-Term Care Facilities
PERSPECTIVES ON AGING AND SOCIAL INEQUALITY
The Functionalist Perspective
The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
The Conflict Perspective
IS THERE A SOLUTION TO AGE-BASED INEQUALITY?
CHAPTER 6 Inequality Based on Sexual Orientation
NATURE AND EXTENT OF INEQUALITY BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION
Box 6.1 Social Problems and Statistics
How Many Gays and Lesbians?
IDEOLOGICAL BASES OF INEQUALITY BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION
Religion and Sexual Orientation
Box 6.2 Social Problems in the Media
Getting Better All the Time? Representations of Gay Life on TV
Law and Sexual Orientation
DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION
Lack of Marital Rights
Parental Rights
Box 6.3 Social Problems and Social Policy
Should We Amend the U.S. Constitution to Define“Marriage”?
Housing Discrimination
Discrimination in Medical Care
Occupational Discrimination
Discrimination in the Military
Victimization and Hate Crimes
PERSPECTIVES ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND SOCIAL INEQUALITY
Biological and Psychological Perspectives
Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives
Functionalist and Conflict Perspectives
IS THERE A SOLUTION TO INEQUALITY BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION?
Functionalist/Conservative Solutions to the Problem
Conflict/Liberal Solutions to the Problem
Symbolic Interactionist Solutions to the Problem
CHAPTER 7 Prostitution, Pornography, and the Sex Industry
DEVIANCE, THE SEX INDUSTRY, AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS
PROSTITUTION IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
The World’s Oldest Profession?
The Global Sex Industry
Box 7.1 Social Problems in Global Perspective
Economic Development or Childhood Sexual Slavery?
Health Aspects of Prostitution for Women
PROSTITUTION IN THE UNITED STATES
The Nature of Prostitution
The Extent of Prostitution
Prostitution and Age, Class, and Race
Box 7.2 Social Problems and Statistics
What We Know and Don’t Know about Prostitution
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON PROSTITUTION
The Functionalist Perspective
The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
The Conflict Perspective
PORNOGRAPHY
The Social Construction of Pornography as a Social Problem
The Nature and Extent of Pornography
Box 7.3 Social Problems and Social Policy
The Issue of Real versus Virtual Actors in Internet Child Pornography
Research on Pornography
Pornography and Age, Gender, Class, and Race
IS THERE A SOLUTION TO PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH PROSTITUTION, PORNOGRAPHY, AND THE SEX INDUSTRY?
Functionalist/Conservative Solutions
Conflict/Liberal Solutions
Symbolic Interactionist Solutions
CHAPTER 8 Alcohol and Other Drugs
DRUG USE AND ABUSE
Defining Drug Abuse
Drug Addiction
ALCOHOL USE AND ABUSE
Alcohol Consumption and Class, Gender, Age, and Race
Box 8.1 Social Problems in the Media
TV Shows and the Framing of Alcohol Use
Alcohol-Related Social Problems
TOBACCO (NICOTINE) USE AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, OVER-THE-COUNTER DRUGS, AND CAFFEINE
Prescription Drugs
Over-the-Counter Drugs
Caffeine
ILLEGAL DRUG USE AND ABUSE
Marijuana
Stimulants
Box 8.2 Social Problems and Social Policy
The Battle over Marijuana: Medicalization or
Legalization
Depressants
Narcotics
Hallucinogens
EXPLANATIONS OF DRUG ABUSE
Biological Explanations
Psychological Explanations
Sociological Explanations
IS THERE A SOLUTION TO PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE?
Prevention Programs
Treatment Programs
The Medical Treatment Model
The Therapeutic Community
Box 8.3 Critical Thinking and You
Calling on a Higher Power or Using Self-Reliance?
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs
CHAPTER 9 Crime and Criminal Justice
CRIME AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM
Problems with Official Statistics
Defining Crime and Delinquency
TYPES OF CRIMES
Violent Crime
Box 9.1 Social Problems in the Media
Murder in the Media: Framing News Stories to Get Attention
Property Crime
Occupational (White-Collar) Crime
Box 9.2 Social Problems in Global Perspective
Who Am I? Identity Theft in the
Global Village
Corporate Crime
Organized Crime
Juvenile Delinquency
WHO COMMITS CRIMES?
BIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS OF CRIME
Biological Explanations
Psychological Explanations
SOCIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS OF CRIME
The Functionalist Perspective
The Conflict Perspective
The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
The Police
The Courts
Punishment and the Prisons
The Death Penalty
Box 9.3 Social Problems and Social Policy
Crime Prevention or the Prison-Industrial Complex?
IS THERE A SOLUTION TO THE CRIME PROBLEM?
Functionalist/Conservative Solutions
Conflict/Liberal Solutions
Symbolic Interactionist Solutions
CHAPTER 10 Health Care: Problems of Physicaland Mental Illness
HEALTH CARE AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM
Acute and Chronic Diseases and Disability
Box 10.1 Social Problems in Global Perspective
Global Enemies of Health: The Double Burden of
Low-Income Nations
The AIDS Crisis
MENTAL ILLNESS AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM
Treatment of Mental Illness
Race, Class, Gender, and Mental Disorders
THE CRISIS IN U.S. HEALTH CARE
Health-Care Organization, Rising Costs, and Unequal Access
Box 10.2 Social Problems and Social Policy
Who Pays for Health Care? A Brief Look at Canada, the United Kingdom, and Sweden
The Uninsured and the Underinsured
Race, Class, Gender, and Health Care
Box 10.3 Social Problems and Statistics
Families without Health Insurance
SOCIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS AND SOLUTIONS
The Functionalist Perspective
The Conflict Perspective
The Symbolic Interactionist Perspectiv
CHAPTER 11 The Changing Family
THE NATURE OF FAMILIES
Changing Family Structure and Patterns
Are U.S. Families in Decline?
Changing Views on Marriage and Families
Box 11.1 Social Problems in Global Perspective
The Changing Family around the World
DIVERSITY IN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS AND FAMILIES
Singlehood
Postponing Marriage
Cohabitation and Domestic Partnerships
Dual-Earner Marriages
Comparing Two-Parent and One-Parent Households
CHILD-RELATED FAMILY ISSUES
Reproductive Freedom, Contraception, and Abortion
Infertility and New Reproductive Technologies
Adoption
Teen Pregnancies and Unmarried Motherhood
DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE
Box 11.2 Social Problems and Statistics
The Odds of Getting Divorced
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Child Abuse
Spouse Abuse
Social Responses to Domestic Violence
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES AND SOLUTIONS
Functionalist Perspectives
Conflict and Feminist Perspectives
Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives
Box 11.3 Social Problems and Social Policy
Paying for Child Care? “It Takes a Village ...”
CHAPTER 12 Problems in Education
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON EDUCATION
Functionalist Perspectives
Box 12.1 Social Problems in Global
Perspective: Cramming for Success in Japan and South Korea
Conflict Perspectives
Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives
PROBLEMS IN U.S. EDUCATION
What Can Be Done about Illiteracy?
Immigration and Increasing Diversity in Schools
Educational Opportunities and Race, Class, and Gender
School Violence
Box 12.2 Social Problems in the Media
Report Card Framing: Does Education Get an “A” or an “F”?
PROBLEMS IN SCHOOL FINANCING
PROBLEMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
The Soaring Cost of a College Education
The Continuing Debate over Affirmative Action
ARE THERE SOLUTIONS TO EDUCATIONAL
PROBLEMS?
Box 12.3 Social Problems and Statistics
Does Spending More Money Guarantee a Better Education?
Functionalist/Conservative Solutions
Conflict/Liberal Solutions
Symbolic Interactionist Solutions
CHAPTER 13 Problems in Politics and the Global Economy
THREE MAJOR MODERN ECONOMIC SYSTEMS
Capitalism
Socialism
Mixed Economies
PROBLEMS IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY
Inequality Based on Uneven Economic Development
Transnational Corporations and the Lack of
Accountability
PROBLEMS IN THE U.S. ECONOMY
Concentration of Wealth
Box 13.1 Social Problems in Global Perspective
The Malling of China: Transnational Corporations and Global Consumerism
The National Debt and Consumer Debt
Corporate Welfare
PROBLEMS IN POLITICAL PARTICIPATION AROUND THE WORLD
Box 13.2 Critical Thinking and You
Are You a Conservative or a Liberal? The Language of the Political Economy
PROBLEMS IN U.S. POLITICS
Voter Apathy and the Gender Gap
Politics and Money in Political Campaigns
Government by Special-Interest Groups
Government by Bureaucracy
Box 13.3 Social Problems and Social Policy
“He Who Pays the Piper, Calls the Piper’s Tune?”
Passing Campaign Finance Reform
The Military-Industrial Complex
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE POLITICAL ECONOMY
The Functionalist Perspective
The Conflict Perspective
ARE THERE SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS IN POLITICS AND THE ECONOMY?
CHAPTER 14 Problems in the Media
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MEDIA IN CONTEMPORARY LIFE
THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF MEDIA INDUSTRIES
Media Ownership and Control
Problems Associated with Convergence
GLOBAL MEDIA ISSUES
Box 14.1 Social Problems in the Media
Where Does Your News Come From? Should You Care?
Box 14.2 Social Problems in Global Perspective
Skewed Depictions of China in the Media?
POTENTIAL MEDIA EFFECTS
Aggression, Violence, and the Media
Racial and Ethnic Stereotyping
Gender Stereotyping
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON MEDIA-RELATED PROBLEMS
The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
The Functionalist Perspective
The Conflict Perspective
Box 14.3 Critical Thinking and You
Media Ownership: Can Business and Personal Ties
Create a Disservice to Audiences?
ARE THERE SOLUTIONS TO MEDIA-RELATED PROBLEMS?
CHAPTER 15 Population, Global Inequality, and the Environmental Crisis
GLOBAL OVERPOPULATION
Population Growth
The Impact of Population Growth
Box 15.1 Social Problems in Global Perspective
International Migration: Problem or Solution?
World Hunger
CONTROLLING FERTILITY
Family Planning
Zero Population Growth
IMMIGRATION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
Box 15.2 Social Problems in the Media
“Run! Hide!” Media Framing of the Illegal Border-Crossing Experience
POPULATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Economic Growth and Environmental Degradation
Air Pollution
Problems with Water, Soil, and Forests
Solid, Toxic, and Nuclear Wastes
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES AND SOLUTIONS FOR POPULATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
The Functionalist Perspective
Box 15.3 Critical Thinking and You
Do We Have a Problem or Not? Learning from
Environmental Sociology
The Functionalist Perspective
The Conflict Perspective
The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
CHAPTER 16 Uban Problems
CHANGES IN U.S. CITIES
Early Urban Growth and Social Problems
Contemporary Urban Growth
URBAN PROBLEMS IN THE UNITED STATES
Fiscal Crises in Cities
The Crisis in Health Care
Housing Problems
Box 16.1 Social Problems in the Media
Media Framing of Stories about Homelessness and the Holidays
Box 16.2 Social Problems and Social Policy
Persons Living with HIV/AIDS and Homelessness:
What Should the Government Do?
Racial and Ethnic Segregation
PROBLEMS IN GLOBAL CITIES
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES AND SOLUTIONS TO URBAN PROBLEMS
The Functionalist Perspective
The Conflict Perspective
The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
CHAPTER 17 Global Social Problems: War and Terrorism
WAR AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM
The Nature of War
The Consequences of War
Box 17.1 Social Problems in the Media
“Weapons of Mass Destruction”: Political Spin and Media Framing of a War
MILITARY TECHNOLOGY AND WAR
GLOBAL TERRORISM
TERRORISM IN THE UNITED STATES
EXPLANATIONS OF WAR AND TERRORISM
Biological Perspectives
Psychological Perspectives
Sociological Explanations
The Conflict and Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives
SOLUTIONS TO WAR AND TERRORISM
Box 17.2 Social Problems and Social Policy
Does the USA PATRIOT Act Protect Us or Threaten Our Liberties? Ask Your Librarian
CHAPTER 18 Can Social Problems Be Solved?
Box 18.1 Social Problems in the Media
Covering the Hurricane Katrina Disaster: Journalists as Advocates in New Orleans
THE PROBLEM WITH TACKLING SOCIAL PROBLEMS
SOCIAL CHANGE AND REDUCING SOCIAL PROBLEMS
MICROLEVEL ATTEMPTS TO SOLVE SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Seeking Individual Solutions to Personal Problems
Limitations of the Microlevel Solutions Approach
MIDRANGE ATTEMPTS TO SOLVE SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Groups That Help People Cope with Their Problems
Grassroots Groups That Work for Community-Based Change
Limitations of the Midlevel Solutions Approach
MACROLEVEL ATTEMPTS TO SOLVE SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Working through Special-Interest Groups for Political Change
Working through National and International Social Movements to Reduce Problems
Limitations of the Macrolevel Solution Approach
Box 18.2 Critical Thinking and You
Applying Sociology to the Ordinary and the
Extraordinary in Everyday Life
FINAL REVIEW OF SOCIAL THEORIES AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Glossary
References
Name Index
Subject Index
Credits
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