Social Problems

Taking a conflict approach, Eitzen and Baca Zinn focus on the underlying features of the social world in an effort to help students to understand today's social problems. 

Table of Contents:
In this section: 1. Brief Table of Contents 2. Comprehensive Table of Contents   BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS Part One: Political Economy of Social Problems Chapter 1 Sociological Approach to Social Problems Chapter 2 Wealth and Power: the Bias of the System   Part Two: Problems of People, the Environment, and Location Chapter 3 World Population and Global Inequality Chapter 4 Threats to the Environment Chapter 5 Demographic Changes in the United States: the Browning and Graying of Society Chapter 6 Problems of Place: Urban, Suburban, and Rural   Part Three: Problems of Inequality Chapter 7 Poverty Chapter 8 Racial and Ethnic Inequality Chapter 9 Gender Inequality Chapter 10 Sexual Orientation Chapter 11 Disability and Ableism   Part Four: Social Structure and Individual Deviance Chapter 12 Crime and Justice Chapter 13 Drugs   Part Five: Institutional Problems Chapter 14 Work Chapter 15 Families Chapter 16 Education Chapter 17 Health and Health Care Delivery Chapter 18 National Security in the Twenty-First Century   Part Six: Solutions Chapter 19 Progressive Plan to solve Society’s Social Problems       COMPREHENSIVE TABLE OF CONTENTS   Part One: Political Economy of Social Problems Chapter 1Sociological Approach to Social Problems History of Social Problems Theory Toward a Definition of Social Problems Types of Social Problems Norm Violations Social Conditions The Sociological Imagination Social Structure as the Basic Unit of Analysis Person-Blame Approach versus System-Blame Approach Reasons for Focusing on the System-Blame Approach Organization of the Book Chapter Review Key Terms Websites for Further Reference Chapter 2Wealth and Power: The Bias of the System                          Capitalism and Socialism             Capitalism             Socialism             U.S. Economy: Concentration of Corporate Wealth             Monopolistic Capitalism             Transnational Corporations             Concentration of Wealth             Political System: Links between Wealth and Power             Government by Interest Groups             Financing of Political Campaigns             Candidate Selection Process             Bias of the Political System             Consequences of Concentrated Power             Subsidies to Big Business             Trickle-Down Solutions             The Powerless Bear the Burden             Foreign Policy for Corporate Benefit             Reprise: The Best Democracy Money Can Buy             Chapter Review             Key Terms             Websites for Further Reference   Part Two: Problems of People, the Environment, and Location Chapter 3World Population and Global Inequality               World Population Growth             Demographic Transition             Family Planning             Societal Changes             Poverty             Food and Hunger             Sickness and Disease             The New Slavery             Concentration of Misery in Cities             U.S. Relations with the Developing World             Transnational Corporations             United States in the Global Village             Chapter Review             Key Terms             Websites for Further Reference   Chapter 4Threats to the Environment               Worldwide Environmental Problems             Degradation of the Land             Environmental Pollution and Degradation             Global Environmental Crises             Fossil Fuel Dependence, Waste, and Environmental Degradation             Destruction of the Tropical Rain Forests and Other Forms of Deforestation             Global Warming             Sources of U.S. Environmental Problems             Cultural Sources             Structural Sources             Solutions to the Environmental Crises             Pro-Business Voluntaristic Approach             Egalitarian/Authoritarian Plan             Control of Resource Use             International Implications of Environmental Problems             Chapter Review             Key Terms             Websites for Further Reference   Chapter 5Demographic Changes in the United States: The Browning and Graying of Society               Profile of the U.S. Population             New Immigration and the Changing Racial Landscape             Immigration and Increasing Diversity             Consequences of the New Immigration             Immigration and Agency             Effects of Immigration on Immigrants: Ethnic Identity or Assimilation?             The Aging Society             Demographic Trend             Demographic Portrait of the Current Elderly Population             Problems of an Aging Society             Social Security             Paying for Health Care             Elderly Abuse             Responses by the Elderly: Human Agency             Chapter Review             Key Terms             Websites for Further Reference   Chapter 6Problems of Place: Urban, Suburban, and Rural               Urban Problems             Urban Job Loss             Disinvestment             Federal Abandonment             Urban Poverty             Urban Housing Crisis             Decaying Infrastructure             Transportation, Pollution, and the Environment             Health and Health Care             Urban Schools             Crime, Drugs, and Gangs             Suburban Problems             Suburban Sprawl             Automobile Dependency             Social Isolation in the Suburbs             Rural Problems             Poverty             Jobs in Rural Areas             Environment             Health Care and Delivery             Small Town Decline             Crime and Illicit Drugs             Chapter Review             Key Terms             Websites for Further Reference   Part Three: Problems of Inequality Chapter 7Poverty               Extent of Poverty             Racial Minorities             Nativity             Gender             Age             Place             The New Poor             The Working Poor             The Near Poor             The Severely Poor             Myths about Poverty             Refusal to Work             Welfare Dependency             The Poor Get Special Advantages             Welfare Is an African American and Latino Program             Causes of Poverty             Deficiency Theory I: Innate Inferiority             Deficiency Theory II: Cultural Inferiority             Structural Theories             Costs of Poverty             Elimination of Poverty             Chapter Review             Key Terms             Websites for Further Reference   Chapter 8 Racial and Ethnic Inequality               How to Think about Racial and Ethnic Inequality             Racial and Ethnic Minorities             Racial Categories             Differences among Ethnic Groups             Explanations of Racial and Ethnic Inequality             Deficiency Theories             Bias Theories             Structural Discrimination Theories             Discrimination against African Americans and Latinos: Continuity and Change             Income             Education             Unemployment             Type of Employment             Health             Contemporary Trends and Issues in U.S. Racial and Ethnic Relations             Growing Racial Strife             More Racially Based Groups and Activities             Economic Polarization in U.S. Inner Cities             Racial Policies in the New Century             Chapter Review             Key Terms             Websites for Further Reference   Chapter 9Gender Inequality               Women and Men Are Differentiated and Ranked             Is Gender Biological or Social?             Gender and Power             What Causes Gender Inequality?             Socialization versus Structure: Two Approaches to Gender Inequality             Learning Gender             Children at Home             Children at Play             Formal Education             Socialization as Blaming the Victim             Reinforcing Male Dominance             Language             Interpersonal Behavior             Mass Communications Media             Religion             The Law             Politics             Structured Gender Inequality             Occupational Distribution             The Earnings Gap             Intersection of Race and Gender in the Workplace             Pay Equity             How Workplace Inequality Operates             Gender in the Global Economy             Costs and Consequences of Sexism             Who Benefits?             Social and Individual Costs             Fighting the System             Feminist Movements in the United States             Women’s Struggles in the Twenty-First Century             Chapter Review             Key Terms             Websites for Further Reference   Chapter 10Sexual Orientation               Social Deviance             Gay and Lesbian Community: An Overview             Defining Homosexuality             Roots of Homosexuality             Numbers: How Many Gays and Lesbians?             Interpersonal Relationships and Domestic Arrangements among Gays and Lesbians             Discrimination             Ideological Oppression             Legal Oppression: The Law, the Courts, and the Police             Occupational Discrimination             Fighting the System: Human Agency             Chapter Review             Key Terms             Websites for Further Reference   Chapter 11Disability and Ableism               Definitions             Individual Model of Disability             Social Model of Disability             Toward a More Complete Definition of Disability             People with Disabilities as a Minority Group             Defined as Different             Naming             Minority as a Master Status             Categorization, Stigma, and Stereotypes             Exclusion and Segregation             Matrix of Domination             Discrimination             Issues of Gender, Sexual Behavior, and Fertility             Gender Stereotyping             Sexual Relationships             Physical and Sexual Abuse             Abortion Issue             Agency             Disability Rights Movement             Americans with Disabilities Act             Conclusion             Chapter Review             Key Terms             Websites for Further Reference   Part Four:Social Structure and Individual Deviance Chapter 12Crime and Justice               Crime in Society             What Is Crime?             Crime Rates             Demographic Characteristics of People Arrested for Crimes             Categories of Crime             Unjust System of Justice             Laws             Police             Judicial Process             Correctional System             Unjust Imposition of the Label “Criminal”             Chapter Review             Key Terms             Websites for Further Reference   Chapter 13Drugs               The Politics of Drugs             Historical Legality of Drugs             Factors Influencing Drug Laws and Enforcement             Drug Use in U.S. Society             Commonly Abused Illegal Drugs             Legal but Dangerous Drugs             Drug Use Patterns by Class, Race, and Gender             Why Use Drugs?             U.S. Official Policy: A War on Drugs             Consequences of Official Drug Policies             Is the Drug War Racist?             Alternatives             Regulation of Trade or Use through Licensing and Taxation             Noninterference             Chapter Review             Key Terms             Websites for Further Reference   Part Five: Institutional Problems Chapter 14  Work               Problems of Work             Control of Workers             Alienation             Dangerous Working Conditions             Sweatshops             Unions and Their Decline             Discrimination in the Workplace: Perpetuation of Inequality             Unemployment             Globalization and the Structural Transformation of the Economy             Globalization             From Manufacturing to Services             Age of Discontinuity             Changing Nature of Jobs             Job Insecurity             Benefits Insecurity             Increased Workload             Worker Compensation             Demography and Jobs             Changing Economy, Demography, and the Future of Work             Transformation of the Economy and the Bifurcation of the United States             Chapter Review             Key Terms             Websites for Further Reference   Chapter 15Families               The Mythical Family in the United States             U. S. Families in Historical Perspective: The Family in Capitalism             Stratification and Family Life: Unequal Life Chances             Changing Families in a Changing World             Economic Transformation and Family Life             Today’s Diverse Family Forms             Balancing Work and Family with Few Social Supports             Single Parents and Their Children             Societal Response to Disadvantaged Children             Divorce             Consequences of Divorce             Children of Divorce             Violence in U.S. Families             Violence and the Social Organization of the Family             Intimate Partner Violence             Child Abuse and Neglect             Chapter Review             Key Terms             Websites for Further Reference   Chapter 16 Education               Characteristics of Education in the United States             Education as a Conserving Force             Mass Education             Local Control of Education             Competitive Nature of U.S. Education             “Sifting” and “Sorting” Function of Schools             Preoccupation with Order and Control             Education and Inequality             Financing Public Education             Family Economic Resources             Higher Education and Stratification             Segregation             Tracking and Teachers’ Expectations             Possibilities for Promoting Equality of Opportunity             Universal Preschool Programs             Free Education             The Role of Government             Reducing Class and School Size             Attracting and Retaining Excellent Teachers             Extending the School Day and Year             Holding Educators Accountable             Reforming the Educational Philosophy of Schools             Restructuring Society             Chapter Review             Key Terms             Websites for Further Reference   Chapter 17Health and Health Care Delivery               The Crisis in Health Care: Cost and Coverage             Rising Health Care Costs             The Uninsured and Underinsured             Unequal Access to Health Care             Social Class             Race             Gender             Class, Race, and Gender: Who Wins and Who Loses in the Battle against HIV/AIDS?             Changing Social Organization of Health Care Delivery             Fee for Service System             Shift to Managed Care             Shift from Private to For.Profit Hospitals             Toward a Better Health Care System: Some Alternatives             Reforms within the Medical Community             National Health Insurance             Societal Changes             Chapter Review             Key Terms             Websites for Further Reference Chapter 18National Security in the 21st Century               The Threat of Nuclear Weapons             The Threat of Climate Change             The Threat of Terrorism             The U. S. Military Establishment             The Size of the Military             The Cost of Maintaining U. S. Military Superiority             U. S. National Security and the War on Terror             Precursors to the 9/11 Attacks             The Precipitating Event             A Rush to War             The War in Iraq             The Occupation: What Went Wrong?             Consequences of the U. S. Responses to 9/11             The Costs of War             The Legacy of War             Strategies to Combat the New Terrorism             Lesson I: Military Might Alone Does Not Make a Nation Secure             Lesson II; Vengeance is Self-Defeating             Lesson III: The Solution to Terrorism is to Address Its Root Causes             Lesson IV: In Planning for War, the Question Guiding the Plan Must Be: How Does the Conflict End?             Lesson V: The U. S. Goal of Spreading Democracy in the Middle East Will Likely Fail             Lesson VI: The Path to the Moral High Ground Goes Through International Organizations and International Law             Chapter Review             Key Terms             Websites for Further Reference   Part Six: Solutions  Chapter 19Progressive Plan to Solve Society's Social Problems                Sociology, Social Problems, and Social Change             Sociological Paradox: Structure and Agency             Sociological Imagination and Social Problems             Sociological Dilemma: Recognition and Rejection             Progressive Principles to Guide Public Policy             Is a Progressive Social Policy Possible?             Should a Progressive Plan Be Adopted by U.S. Society?             Financing the Progressive Agenda             Is There Any Hope of Instituting a Social Agenda Based on Progressive Principles?             Human Agency: Social Change from the Bottom Up             Individuals Protesting and Organizing for Change             Chapter Review             Key Terms             Websites for Further Reference

About the Author :
D. Stanley Eitzen is professor emeritus in sociology from Colorado State University, where previously he was the John N. Stern Distinguished Professor. He recieved his Ph.D. from the Unitsity of Kansas. Among his books are: Social Problems, which was awarded the McGuffey Longevity Award for excellence over multipe editions in 2000 by the Text and Academic Authos Association, and Diversity in Families (both co-authored with Maxine Baca Zinn), Solutions to Social Problems: Lessons from Other Societies (with Graig S. Leeham) , Paths to Homelessness: Extreme Poverty and the Urban Housing Crisis (with Doug A. Timmer and Kathryn Talley), Sociology of North American Sport (with George H. Sage,) and Fair and Foul: Rethinking the Myths and Paradoxes of Sport. He has served as the president of the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport and as editor of The Social Science Journal. Kelly Eitzen Smith received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Arizona in 1999. She is currently the director of the Center for Applied Sociology and a lecturer at the University of Arizona. At the Center for Applied Sociology she has conducted research in the areas of day labor, homelessness, poverty, urban housing and neighborhood development. Her sociological interests include gender, family, sexuality, stratification, and social problems. She is the co-author of Experiencing Poverty, 1/e, Social Problems 11/e, and In Conflict and Order 12/e (forthcoming).

Review :
  "I like the perspective adopted by Eitzen and Baca Zinn. It is explicitly political and does a good job tying each specific social problem to a critical, intersectional analysis." Kathleen J. Ferraro NAU   "The text’s foci on critical awareness and social justice are the main reasons I use it. No other social problems text does a better job at raising critical awareness of the full nature and extent of the social problems currently faced by the global community. " Craig A. Swanson North Central Michigan College   "The authors have done an excellent job of keeping all of these materials (statistics, references, examples, and photos) updated and up-to-date." C. William Hall North Carolina State University   "I adopted this text because of its progressive approach to analyzing social problems and the discussion of possible solutions at the end of the book. I especially like the fact that the book takes a stance against the status quo....It is part of what makes this book unique." Larry R. Ridener Pfeiffer University