Social Problems in a Diverse Society (Book Alone)

This text focuses on the significance of race, class, and gender; uses personal narratives to convey how problems are experienced by individuals and groups; and applies sociological perspectives throughout to examine social issues.

Table of Contents:
Every chapter ends with Summary, Key Terms, and Questions for Critical Thinking.   CHAPTER 1 STUDYING SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN THE TWENTY-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 A Stand-off on Gun Control Policy? 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 ¿          Box 1.3  Social Problems in the Media “If It Bleeds, It Leads”? News Reporting on Violence USING SOCIAL RESEARCH METHODS TO STUDY SOCIAL PROBLEMS Field Research Survey Research Secondary Analysis of Existing Data In Sum   CHAPTER 2 WEALTH AND POVERTY: U.S.AND GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITIES WEALTH AND POVERTY IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ANALYZING U.S. CLASS INEQUALITY ¿          Box 2.1  Social Problems in Global Perspective “Cheap Labor” and the Global Economy 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 Does One Size Fit All? Explanations for Poverty Can Class-Based Inequality Be Reduced?   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  Sociology 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 ¿          Box 3.2  Social Problems in the Media The Color of Mayhem: Racial Stereotyping, Sexism, and Violence in Video Games Functionalist Perspectives Conflict Perspectives INEQUALITIES AMONG RACIAL AND ETHNIC GROUPS Native Americans (American Indians) African Americans Latinos/as (Hispanic Americans) ¿          Box 3.3  Social Problems and Statistics Accurate and Inaccurate Comparisons Asian and Pacific Americans ¿          Box 3.4  Social Problems and Social Policy Social Justice: Beyond Black and White Summary CAN RACIAL AND ETHNIC INEQUALITIES BE REDUCED?   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 ¿          Box 4.1  Critical Thinking and You Does Class Position Influence How We Think About Gender? Peers and Gender Socialization Education and Gender Socialization Sports and Gender Socialization ¿          Box 4.2  Social Problems and Social Policy Title IX and Gender Quotas in College Sports? The Media and Gender Socialization 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 GLOBAL GENDER INEQUALITY ¿          Box 4.3  Social Problems in Global Perspective Missing Girls: Facing Up to the Problem in China CAN GENDER INEQUALITY IN THE UNITED STATES BE REDUCED?   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? ¿          Box 5.2  Social Problems and Statistics Drawing the Wrong Conclusion Death and Dying 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 CAN AGE-BASED INEQUALITY BE REDUCED?   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 ¿          Box 6.2  Social Problems in the Media Depictions of Gay Men and Lesbians: Accurate Portrayals in Television Programming? Religion and Sexual Orientation Law and Sexual Orientation DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION Lack of Marital Rights ¿          Box 6.3  Social Problems and Social Policy Should We Amend the U.S. Constitution to Define “Marriage”? Parental Rights 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 CAN INEQUALITIES BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION BE REDUCED?   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 ¿          Box 7.2  Social Problems and Statistics What We Know and Don’t Know about Prostitution Prostitution and Age, Class, and Race 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 THE FUTURE OF PORNOGRAPHY AND THE SEX INDUSTRY   CHAPTER 8  ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS DRUG USE AND ABUSE Defining Drug Abuse Drug Addiction ALCOHOL USE AND ABUSE ¿          Box 8.1  Social Problems in the Media The Two Faces of Alcohol: Framing Social Drinking and Alcoholism on TV Shows Alcohol Consumption and Class, Gender, Age, and Race 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 ¿          Box 8.2  Social Problems and Social Policy The Battle over Marijuana: Medicalization or Legalization? Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens EXPLANATIONS OF DRUG ABUSE Biological Explanations Psychological Explanations Sociological Explanations THE FUTURE OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE Prevention Programs Treatment Programs ¿          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 ¿          Box 9.2  Social Problems in Global Perspective Who Am I? Identity Theft in the Global Village Occupational (White-Collar) Crime 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?   CHAPTER 10  HEALTH CARE: PROBLEMS OF PHYSICAL AND 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 ¿          Box 10.2  Social Problems and Social Policy Who Pays for Health Care? A Brief Look at Canada, the United Kingdom, and Sweden Health Care Organization, Rising Costs, and Unequal Access The Uninsured and the Underinsured ¿          Box 10.3  Social Problems and Statistics Families without Health Insurance Race, Class, Gender, and Health Care SOCIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS FOR HEALTH CARE PROBLEMS The Functionalist Perspective The Conflict Perspective The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective   CHAPTER 11  THE CHANGING FAMILY THE NATURE OF FAMILIES Changing Family Structure and Patterns Are U.S. Families in Decline? ¿          Box 11.1  Social Problems in Global Perspective The Changing Family around the World Changing Views on Marriage and Families SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON FAMILY-RELATED PROBLEMS Functionalist Perspectives Conflict and Feminist Perspectives Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives 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 FAMILY-RELATED PROBLEMS IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY ¿          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 Education in Japan: Cramming for Success and Corporate Profits Conflict Perspectives Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives PROBLEMS IN U.S. EDUCATION What Can Be Done about Illiteracy? Immigration and Increasing Diversity in School Educational Opportunities and Race, Class, and Gender School Violence PROBLEMS IN SCHOOL FINANCING ¿          Box 12.2  Social Problems in the Media Ads and Obesity in the Classroom: Channel One PROBLEMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION The Soaring Cost of a College Education The Continuing Debate over Affirmative Action EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY ¿          Social Problems and Statistics Does Spending More Money Guarantee a Better Education?   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 ¿          Box 13.1  Social Problems in Global Perspective The Malling of China: Transnational Corporations and Global Consumerism PROBLEMS IN THE U.S. ECONOMY Concentration of Wealth The National Debt and Consumer Debt Corporate Welfare ¿          Box 13.2  Critical Thinking and You Are You a Conservative or a Liberal? The Language of the Political Economy PROBLEMS IN POLITICAL PARTICIPATION AROUND THE WORLD PROBLEMS IN U.S. POLITICS Voter Apathy and the Gender Gap Politics and Money in Political Campaigns ¿          Box 13.3  Social Problems and Social Policy “He Who Pays the Piper, Calls the Piper’s Tune?” Passing Campaign Finance Reform Government by Special-Interest Groups Government by Bureaucracy The Military-Industrial Complex SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE POLITICAL ECONOMY The Functionalist Perspective The Conflict Perspective PROBLEMS IN POLITICS AND THE ECONOMY IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY   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 ¿          Box 14.1  Critical Thinking and You Where Does Your News Come From? Should You Care? GLOBAL MEDIA ISSUES ¿          Box 14.2  Social Problems in Global Perspective Skewed Depictions of Africa in the Media POTENTIAL MEDIA EFFECTS Aggression, Violence, and the Media Perpetuation of Race and Gender Stereotypes in the Media SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON MEDIA-RELATED PROBLEMS The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective The Functionalist Perspective The Conflict Perspective THE MEDIA IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY   CHAPTER 15  POPULATION, GLOBAL INEQUALITY, AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS GLOBAL OVERPOPULATION Population Growth ¿          Box 15.1  Social Problems in Global Perspective International Migration: Problem or Solution? The Impact of Population Growth World Hunger CONTROLLING FERTILITY Family Planning Zero Population Growth IMMIGRATION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES ¿          Box 15.2  Social Problems in the Media Children in the Trunk? Framing Ads to Discourage Illegal Border Crossings POPULATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT Economic Growth and Environmental Degradation Air Pollution Problems with Water, Soil, and Forests Solid, Toxic, and Nuclear Wastes SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON POPULATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT ¿          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 POPULATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY   CHAPTER 16  URBAN PROBLEMS CHANGES IN U.S. CITIES Early Urban Growth and Social Problems Contemporary Urban Growth URBAN PROBLEMS IN THE UNITED STATES Fiscal Crisis in the 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 ON URBAN PROBLEMS The Functionalist Perspective The Conflict Perspective The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective URBAN PROBLEMS IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY   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 WAR AND TERRORISM IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY ¿          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 on 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 on 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 on the Macrolevel Solution Approach ¿          Box 18.2  Critical Thinking and You Applying Sociology to the Ordinary and to the Extraordinary in Everyday Life FINAL REVIEW OF SOCIAL THEORIES AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS   GLOSSARY REFERENCES NAME INDEX SUBJECT INDEX  

About the Author :
Diana Kendall received a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was invited to membership in Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.   Her areas of specialization and primary research interests are sociological theory, race/class/gender studies, and the sociology of medicine. Her articles and presented papers primarily focus on the scholarship of teaching and on an examination of U.S. women of the upper classes across racial and ethnic groups.   In addition to Social Problems in a Diverse Society, she is the author of The Power of Good Deeds: Privileged Women and the Social Reproduction of the Upper Class (Rowman & Littlefield, 2002) andFraming Class: Media Representations of Wealth and Poverty in America(Rowman & Littlefield, 2005).   Diana Kendall is currently Professor of Sociology at Baylor University, where she has taught a variety of courses, including Introduction to Sociology, Sociological Theory (undergraduate and graduate), Sociology of Medicine, and Race, Class, and Gender. Previously, she enjoyed many years of teaching sociology and serving as chair of the Social and Behavioral Science Division at Austin Community College. Professor Kendall is actively involved in national and regional sociological associations, including the American Sociological Association, Sociologists for Women in Society, the Society for the Study of Social Problems, the Southern Sociological Society, and the Southwestern Sociological Association.