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Social Problems
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Social Problems
Community, Policy, and Social Action

Sixth Edition
August 2018 | 480 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
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The author is a proud sponsor of the 2020 SAGE Keith Roberts Teaching Innovations Award—enabling graduate students and early career faculty to attend the annual ASA pre-conference teaching and learning workshop.


Empower your students to become part of the solution.

The new Sixth Edition of Social Problems: Community, Policy, and Social Action goes beyond the typical presentation of contemporary social problems and their consequences by emphasizing the importance and effectiveness of community involvement to achieve real solutions. With a clear and upbeat tone, this thought-provoking text challenges readers to see the social and structural forces that determine our social problems; to consider various policies and programs that attempt to address these problems; and to recognize and learn how they can be part of the solution to social problems in their own community.

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Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
1. Sociology and the Study of Social Problems
Using Our Sociological Imagination

 
What Is a Social Problem?

 
The History of Social Problems

 
Understanding the Sociological Perspective

 
The Science of Sociology

 
The Transformation From Problem to Solution

 
Making Sociological Connections

 
Chapter Review

 
Key Terms

 
Study Questions

 
 
Part I. The Bases of Inequality
 
2. Social Class
What Does It Mean to Be Poor?

 
Sociological Perspectives on Social Class and Poverty

 
The Consequences of Poverty

 
Responding to Class Inequalities

 
Chapter Review

 
Key Terms

 
Study Questions

 
 
3. Race and Ethnicity
Defining Race and Ethnicity

 
Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Integration

 
Sociological Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Inequalities

 
The Consequences of Racial and Ethnic Inequalities

 
Responding to Racial and Ethnic Inequalities

 
Chapter Review

 
Key Terms

 
Study Questions

 
 
4. Gender
Sociological Perspectives on Gender Inequality

 
The Consequences of Gender Inequality

 
Gender Nonconformity Discrimination

 
Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault

 
Responding to Gender Inequalities

 
Chapter Review

 
Key Terms

 
Study Questions

 
 
5. Sexual Orientation
Sociological Perspectives on Sexual Orientation and Inequality

 
Sexual Orientation and Inequality

 
Responding to Sexual Orientation Inequalities

 
Chapter Review

 
Key Terms

 
Study Questions

 
 
6. Age and Aging
Our Aging World

 
Sociological Perspectives on Age, Aging, and Inequality

 
The Consequences of Age Inequality

 
Responding to Age Inequalities

 
Chapter Review

 
Key Terms

 
Study Questions

 
 
Part II. Our Social Institutions
 
7. Families
Myths of the Family

 
Sociological Perspectives on the Family

 
Problems in the Family

 
Community, Policy, and Social Action

 
Chapter Review

 
Key Terms

 
Study Questions

 
 
8. Education
The New Educational Standard

 
Sociological Perspectives on Education

 
Problems and Challenges in Education

 
Community, Policy, and Social Action

 
Chapter Review

 
Key Terms

 
Study Questions

 
 
9. Work and the Economy
The Changing Nature of Work

 
Sociological Perspectives on Work

 
Problems in Work and the Economy

 
Community, Policy, and Social Action

 
Chapter Review

 
Key Terms

 
Study Questions

 
 
10. Health and Medicine
Sociological Perspectives on Health, Illness, and Medicine

 
Health Inequalities and Problems

 
Community, Policy, and Social Action

 
State Prescription Drug Plans

 
Chapter Review

 
Key Terms

 
Study Questions

 
 
11. The Media
Sociological Perspectives on the Media

 
The Media and Social Problems

 
Community, Policy, and Social Action

 
Chapter Review

 
Key Terms

 
Study Questions

 
 
Part III. Our Social and Physical Worlds
 
12. Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Sociological Perspectives on Drug Abuse

 
What Is Drug Abuse?

 
The Problems of Drug Abuse

 
Community, Policy, and Social Action

 
Chapter Review

 
Key Terms

 
Study Questions

 
 
13. Crime and Criminal Justice
Sociological Perspectives on Crime

 
Sources of Crime Statistics

 
Types of Crime

 
The Inequalities of Crime—Offenders and Victims

 
Our Current Response to Crime

 
Community, Policy, and Social Action

 
Chapter Review

 
Key Terms

 
Study Questions

 
 
14. Urbanization and Population Growth
Urban Sociology and Demography

 
The Processes of Urbanization and Suburbanization

 
Population Growth and Composition

 
Sociological Perspectives on Urbanization and Population Growth

 
The Consequences of Urbanization and Population Growth

 
Community, Policy, and Social Action

 
Chapter Review

 
Key Terms

 
Study Questions

 
 
15. The Environment
Environmental Problems Are Human Problems

 
Sociological Perspectives on Environmental Problems

 
Social Problems and the Environment

 
Community, Policy, and Social Action

 
Chapter Review

 
Key Terms

 
Study Questions

 
 
16. War and Terrorism
Defining Conflict

 
Sociological Perspectives on War and Terrorism

 
The Problems of War and Terrorism

 
Community, Policy, and Social Action

 
Chapter Review

 
Key Terms

 
Study Questions

 
 
Part IV. Individual Action and Social Change
 
17. Social Problems and Social Action
Understanding Social Movements

 
How Do Social Movements Begin?

 
How Have Reform Movements Made a Difference?

 
Making the Last Connection

 
Chapter Review

 
Key Terms

 
Study Questions

 
 
Glossary
 
References
 
Index

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Key features
NEW TO THIS EDITION:
  • Many of the social policy discussions (including immigration, LGBTQ rights, the Affordable Care Act, and Internet neutrality) have been updated to reflect the most recent government actions and debates.
  • More recent data, and new data sources, have been incorporated throughout, both in the main narrative and in the "Exploring Social Problems" features.
  • New “Voices in the Community” subjects on gender, work and the economy, and war and terrorism appear in several chapters.
  • New “In Focus” topics include Black Lives Matter, assault weapons, and college drug problems.
  • The chapter on gender has been substantially updated with new or expanded coverage of binary/cisgender/transgender identification, gender nonconformity discrimination, sexual misconduct on college campuses, and the rights of trans and intersex individuals.
  • Other new or expanded coverage includes economic anxiety, robotization in the workplace, white nationalists, feminist theories about race, “fake” news, net neutrality, community policing, gentrification and segregation in U.S. cities, and the immigration and environmental policies of the Trump administration.
KEY FEATURES:
  • The author presents four theoretical perspectives for each social problem: functionalist, conflict, feminist, and interactionist.
  • More than most social problems texts, there is a strong focus on social policy, social action, and the significant social policy decisions and debates taking place in our society.
  • The text includes five chapters that focus on the bases of social inequality and emphasizes how social class and poverty, race and ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and age and aging contribute to our experience and understanding of social problems.
  • Throughout the text, the consequences of social problems throughout the world are highlighted (“Taking a World View”), drawing on data and research from international scholars and sociologists.
  • The “Exploring Social Problems” features use quantitative data to tell the story of one social issue (the demographics of poverty, public support for same-sex marriage, teen birthrates, etc.) through a series of maps, charts, and tables.
  • Each chapter discusses attempts to address the problem in question through government policies, social movements, and the actions of individuals and organizations.
  • “Sociology at Work” profiles recent graduates, the workplace skills they developed by studying sociology, and the jobs they perform in government or community service.


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BUNDLE: Leon-Guerrero: Social Problems 6e (Paperback) + Leon-Guerrero Social Problems 6e IEB

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