About the Book
This thirty-second edition of Annual Editions: Social Problems is a collection of articles from the best of the public press. The articles include: Parental and family issues; crime, terrorism and violence; health and health care issues; poverty and inequality; cultural pluralism and affirmative action; cities, urban growth and the quality of life; and global issues. The articles come from sources such as Fortune, Modern Maturity, The Economist and The Nation. This title is supported by the student Web site, Dushkin Online. (http://www dushkin.com/online)
Table of Contents:
UNIT 1. Introduction: The Nature of Social Problems and General Critiques of American Society 1. Social Problems: Definitions, Theories, and Analysis, Harold A. Widdison and H. Richard Delaney, McGraw-Hill/Dushkin, 1995 This essay, written specifically for this volume, explores the complexities associated with defining, studying, and attempting to resolve "social" problems. The three major theoretical approaches symbolic interactionism, functionalism, and conflict are summarized. 2. The Fragmentation of Social Life, D. Stanley Eitzen, Vital Speeches of the Day, July 1, 2000 In this essay about America, Stanley Eitzen addresses a crucial problem: the fragmentation of social life. He suggests that America could come apart in the future. Eitzen discusses excessive individualism, heightened personal isolation, increasing inequality, and the deepening racial/ethnic/religious/sexuality divide. 3. How to Re-Moralize America, Francis Fukuyama, The Wilson Quarterly, Summer 1999 Recently many of the indicators of moral decline have started to show improvement. Francis Fukuyama reports the changes and accepts the challenge of explaining how moral regeneration occurs generally and what caused a potential moral regeneration in the 1990s. In the process he explores the basic sociological questions: What are the sources of value systems? How do they arise and change? In his search for an answer he leads the reader through a sociological detective story. UNIT 2. Problems of the Political Economy Part A. The Polity 4. Who Rules America?, G. William Domhoff, from Who Rules America? Power and Politics in the Year 2000, Mayfield Publishing Company, 1997 G. William Domhoff is the leading proponent of the power elite view of American politics as it applies to political influence in America today. 5. Rights, Liberties, and Security: Recalibrating the Balance After September 11, Stuart Taylor Jr., Brookings Review, Winter 2003 A rule of government is that when dangers increase, liberties shrink. Yes, but how much? Where should the balance be? Stuart Taylor Jr. analyzes the problem starting with the premise that today we face dangers without precedent: a mass movement of militant Islamic terrorists who crave martyrdom, hide in shadows, are fanatically bent on slaughtering as many of us as possible. Taylor calls for a reassessment of the civil liberties rules that restrict the government's investigative powers. 6. How the Little Guy Gets Crunched, Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele, Time, February 7, 2000 Politics means a win for some and a loss for others. The authors show that the campaign contributions of powerful special interests provide gains for the contributor but losses for the little guy. Part B. The Economy 7. The End of Globalization, Michael Shuman, Utne Reader, July/August 2002 Michael Shuman argues that globalization does not mean that corporations must become giants. "Many companies are finding it makes more economic sense to get smaller, not larger", and Shuman explains why. 8. Where the Good Jobs Are Going, Jyoti Thottam, Time, August 4, 2003 The old story is that manufacturing companies have moved production and blue collar jobs to Third World countries. The new story is that service companies are moving white collar jobs to Third World countries. At this point the numbers are small but they are increasing at a very rapid rate. Jyoti Thottam documents this trend and discusses how it is affecting the American labor force. Part C. Problems of Place 9. A Broken Heartland, Jeff Glasser, U.S. News & World Report, May 7, 2001 Stories of economic decline are grim. Such is the situation today in many midwest rural counties that are distant from cities. They are dying economically and many residents are moving away, making it harder for those who remain to survive economically. Their history includes heroic struggles against economic hardships but today they fight a losing battle. UNIT 3. Problems of Poverty and Inequality Part A. Inequality and the Poor 10. For Richer: How the Permissive Capitalism of the Boom Destroyed American Equality, Paul Krugman, New York Times Magazine, October 20, 2002 The American economy has made the rich very rich in the past three decades but has not been nearly as generous to the poor. As a result the income gap has widened considerably. Paul Krugman details the facts about the growing inequality and explains how it happened. 11. The Real Face of Homelessness, Joel Stein, Time, January 20, 2003 The bum sleeping on the park bench is not the new face of homelessness. Increasingly the homeless are mothers with children. Joel Stein points out why this is the case and tells the painful stories of some homeless families. 12. In Harm's Way: The Working Class on the War Front and the Home Front, Rodney Ward, Dollars and Sense, May/June 2003 Do the effects of war have a class bias? Rodney Ward argues that the war in Iraq is killing mainly working class American soldiers and is being used as an excuse to strip the working class and the poor of programs that benefit them. It is also imposing other economic harships on them. These findings provide new evidence for a prevailing theory of stratification among sociologists. Part B. Welfare 13. Corporate Welfare, Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele, Time, November 9, 1998 In this essay, the authors explain how hundreds of companies get on the dole to the tune of two weeks' pay for every working American. The federal government has issued over $125 billion to corporate America which tilts the playing field toward the already powerful in society. 14. Requiem for Welfare, Evelyn Z. Brodkin, Dissent, Winter 2003 The old welfare system has been buried. What is the new welfare system and what has happened to the people who were on the old welfare system? Evelyn Z. Brodkin tackles these issues and criticizes some aspects of the transformed welfare system. Part C. Racial and Ethnic Inequality and Issues 15. What's At Stake, Barbara Kantrowitz and Pat Wingert, Newsweek, January 27, 2003 The issue of affirmative action is in confusion today. It was definitely a badly needed policy in the beginning and it has accomplished much and made our society much more fair and just. But is it needed now and is it unfair now? This article clarifies what affirmative action is, where it stands legally today, and how universities should handle the issue. 16. Why We Hate, Margo Monteith and Jeffrey Winters, Psychology Today, May/June 2002 The authors demonstrate the prevalence of prejudice and hatred in America and explain this in terms of social identity theory. Whenever people are divided into groups, negative attitudes develop toward the out group. Part D. Gender Inequality and Issues 17. Human Rights, Sex Trafficking, and Prostitution, Alice Leuchtag, The Humanist, January/February 2003 One of the evil plagues haunting the world today is sex slavery and it is getting worse. It is the product of extreme poverty and considerable profits in which the exploitation involved is horrendous. For these resons, human rights groups are trying to stop the practice. Alice Leuchtag covers many aspects of this issue. 18. The War Over Gay Marriage, Newsweek, July 7, 2003 Gays have demanded and gradually obtained equal rights as citizens. Now they seek to gain the right to marry members of the same sex. According to many, this threatens the meaning of marriage as an institution so their resistance is strong. Evan Thomas gives the background, human interest stories, and recent relevant events concerning this war. 19. The New Gender Gap, Michelle Conlin, Business Week, May 26, 2003 Women may not yet be equal to men in the economy but girls are ahead of boys in school. According to Michelle Conlin this is a the new gender gap. From kindergarten to grad school girls outperform boys and have higher graduation rates. Conlin details the differences, what is behind them, and what may need to be done to address problems that this issue has surfaced. Part E. Disadvantages or Vulnerable Groups 20. When Baby Boomers Grow Old, Elizabeth Benedict, The American Prospect, May 21, 2001 Currently the elderly are often horribly treated. As the baby boomers grow old the problems will multiply. Elizabeth Benedict foresees major housing problems and the need for new public policies. UNIT 4. Institutional Problems Part A. The Family 21. The American Family, Stephanie Coontz, Life, November 1999 Stephanie Coontz explains that modern families are better than the way the media portray them and that families of the past were probably worse. She corrects myths about the modern family with many underreported facts. 22. We're Not in the Mood, Kathleen Deveny, Newsweek, June 30, 2003 Kathleen Deveny discusses a problem that has not received much attention, that overworked married couples do not have energy for much of a sex life. "Their once steamy love life slowly cooled" sums up her analysis. She also describes ways that couples are trying to resist this trend. 23. Divorce and Cohabitation: Why We Don't Marry, James Q. Wilson, Current, June 2002 Despite its title, this article focuses on the shocking increase in the proportion of mothers who are unmarried. In explaining this phenomenon James Q. Wilson examines the role of welfare which he argues is small. The big cause is cultural change which removes the stigma of welfare and of unmarried motherhood and weakens the moral underpinnings of marriage. 24. Should You Stay Together for the Kids?, Walter Kirn, Time, September 25, 2000 Walter Kirn reviews the hot debate over whether parents who are in bad marriages should stay together for the sake of the children. Clearly the children suffer from the divorce of their parents, and in many cases the damage lasts for a long time, but incompatible marriages can also be harmful. Part B. Education 25. Against School: How Public Education Cripples Our Kids, and Why, John Taylor Gatto, Harper's Magazine, September 2003 John Taylor Gatto attacks the American school system for preventing children from growing up and being boring. He suspects that this result is exactly what those who control the school system want schools to be. In arguing his radical thesis, he presents a very provocative history of the evolution of the American school system. Part C. Health 26. The Doctor Won't See You Now, Daniel Eisenberg and Maggie Sieger Joliet, Time, June 9, 2003 The health care system seems to be constantly in crisis. According to the authors, the soaring costs of malpractice insurance are the source of the latest crisis. Many doctors are quitting their practice or changing their specialties because they cannot afford the insurance even if they have a spotless record. 27. Death Stalks a Continent, Johanna McGeary, Time, February 12, 2001 One of the greatest and most painful crises in the world today is the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Johanna McGeary's report on this crisis reveals shocking behavior by families and others toward victims and points out cultural and structural factors which contribute to the crisis. UNIT 5. Crime, Violence, and Law Enforcement Part A. Crime 28. Global Trends in Crime, Gene Stephens, The Futurist, May/June 2003 Gene Stephens describes crime trends throughout the world. Overall crime rates in the United States were the highest in the Western world in 1980 but have fallen in the United States and increased in many other nations so that several Western countries now have higher rates. Nevertheless, the U.S. murder rate is still the highest. The author also reviews the competing explanations for the crime decline in the United States. Part B. Law Enforcement 29. Reasonable Doubts, Stephen Pomper, The Washington Monthly, June 2000 Stephen Pomper critically assesses the criminal justice system and recommends strong, badly needed reforms. 30. Causes and Consequences of Wrongful Convictions, Hugo Adam Bedau, Current, March/April 2003 Recently much light has been shed on the injustices of the criminal justice system. Hugo Adam Bedau has spent several decades researching wrongful convictions and lays out the evidence for its prevalence and suggests reforms that should greatly reduce them. 31. On Patrol, Eli Lehrer, The American Enterprise, June 2001 The police have been both strongly praised and strongly criticized this past decade. Now it is time to get up close and personal as the police do their work. Eli Lehrer follows a policewoman on her patrol and lets us see how extremely varied is police work. Part C. Violence and Terrorism 32. Teaching Kids to Kill, Dave Grossman, Phi Kappa Phi Journal, Fall 2000 Why is violent crime rising rapidly worldwide? The key indicator of this problem is aggravated assault which "went up from around 60 per 100,000 in 1957 to over 440 per 100,000 by the mid-1990s" in the United States. David Grossman describes the psychological processes whereby violence in the media has trained kids to kill, inadvertently mimicking the principles of basic military training. 33. The New Terrorism: Securing the Nation Against a Messianic Foe, Steven Simon, Brookings Review, Winter 2003 Terrorism is not new but America is facing a new type of terrorism according to Steven Simon. It is religiously motivated and devoted to mass destruction. It is especially hard to combat, because it is not land based nor open to bargaining, and defense is nearly impossible with so many potential targets to protect. UNIT 6. Problems of Population, Environment, Resources, and the Future Part A. State of the Planet: Population and the Environment 34. Sixteen Impacts of Population Growth, Lester R. Brown, Gary Gardner, and Brian Halweil, The Futurist, February 1999 The authors discuss many impacts of world population growth on the environment, food production, depletion of resources, biodiversity, climate change, jobs, income, housing, education, and urbanization. 35. Achievements and Challenges, World Development Report, 2003 The World Bank provides a current "state of the world" report in this article. Its assessment focuses on poverty, inequality, conflict, and the environment. It describes the major trends that will have important impacts on the future of the world. It expresses great concern but also hope. Part B. Technological Issues 36. The Future of Humanity, Colin Tudge, New Statesman, April 8, 2002 DNA research has opened up breathtaking possibilities and excrutiating moral dilemmas at the same time. Now society has to decide whether to continue to leave the creation of humans to providence or evolution, or to genetically engineer our offspring. In this article, Colin Tudge presents the issues, options, and debates. Part C. The Future 37. American Culture Goes Global, or Does It?, Richard Pells, The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 12, 2002 Richard Pells challenges the thesis that the culture of America is Americanizing the world. He points out that much of American culture is imported. "American culture has spread throughout the world because it has incorporated foreign styles and ideas." 38. Community Building: Steps Toward a Good Society, Amitai Etzioni, Current, January 2001 As America becomes more diverse and more unequal, can we build community? Identity politics have partly corrected past injustices, "but have also divided the nation along group lines." According to Amitai Etzioni a new thrust is needed. He reviews the threats to community and recommends communitarian solutions including ways to curb inequality, ways to increase bonding, and ways to increase value commitments. 39. A New Era of History, William Van Dusen Wishard, Vital Speeches of the Day, December 1, 2000 William Van Dusen Wishard, a leading world trends expert, describes many historical realities that have ended and the new era that is beginning. We are in a transition period. Key trends in this tradition are an increasing awareness that "our existence is a single entity" (globalization), the advance of technology to the point that technological developments could permanently alter life on Earth, and the idea that "we are in the midst of a long-term spiritual and psychological reorientation."
