Table of Contents
Each chapter concludes with "Chapter Review," "Key Terms," "For Further Study," and "Websites."
I. THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS.
1. The Sociological Approach to Social Problems.
The History of Social Problems Theory.
Toward a Definition of Social Problems.
Types of Social Problems.
Social Structure as the Basic Unit of Analysis.
Organization of the Book.
2. Wealth and Power: The Bias of the System.
Capitalism and Socialism.
The U.S. Economy: The Concentration of Corporate Wealth.
The Political System: The Links between Wealth and Power.
The Bias of the Political System.
II. PROBLEMS OF PEOPLE, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND LOCATION.
3. World Population and Global Inequality.
World Population Growth.
Poverty.
Priorities of Third World Nations: Military Security or Economic Security?
U.S. Relations with the Third World.
4. Threats to the Environment.
Worldwide Environmental Problems.
Global Environmental Crises.
Sources of U.S. Environmental Problems.
Solutions to the Environmental Crises.
International Implications of Environmental Problems.
5. Demographic Changes in the United States: The Browning and Graying of Society.
A Profile of the United States Population.
The New Immigration and the Changing Racial Landscape.
Immigration and the Changing Racial Landscape.
The Aging Society.
Problems of an Aging Society.
Responses by the Elderly: Human Agency.
6. Urban Problems in the UnitedStates.
The Mugging of U.S. Cities.
The Declining Quality of Urban Life.
Urban Policy: Rebuilding U.S. Cities.
American Cities at the Beginning of a New Century.
III. PROBLEMS OF INEQUALITY.
7. Poverty.
The Extent of Poverty.
Myths About Poverty.
The Costs of Poverty.
The Causes of Poverty.
The Elimination of Poverty.
8. Racial and Ethnic Inequality.
How to Think About Racial and Ethnic Inequality.
Racial and Ethnic Minorities.
Explanations of Racial and Ethnic Inequality.
Discrimination Against African Americans and Latinos: Continuity and Change.
Contemporary Trends and Issues in U.S. Racial and Ethnic Relations.
Racial Policies at the Turn of the Century.
9. Gender Inequality.
The Differentiation and Ranking of Women and Men.
Learning Gender.
Reinforcing Male Dominance.
Structured Gender Inequality.
The Costs and Consequences of Sexism.
Fighting the System.
10. Sexual Orientation.
Social Deviance.
The Gay and Lesbian Community: An Overview.
Discrimination.
Fighting the System: Human Agency.
11. Disability and Ableism.
Definitions.
People with Disabilities as a Minority Group.
Issues of Gender, Sexual Behavior, and Fertility.
Agency.
Conclusion.
IV. SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND INDIVIDUAL DEVIANCE.
12. Crime and Justice.
Crime in Society.
The Unjust System of Justice.
The Unjust Imposition of the Label "Criminal."
13. Drugs.
Drugs in Society.
The Politics of Drugs.
U. S. Official Policy: A War on Drugs.
Alternatives.
V. INSTITUTIONAL PROBLEMS.
14. Work.
The Problems of Work.
The Structural Transformation of the Economy.
Age of Discontinuity.
The Changing Economy, Demography, and the Future of Work.
The Transformation of the Economy and the Bifurcation of the United States.
15. Families.
The Mythical Family in the United States.
Families in Contemporary U.S. Society: The Family in Capitalism.
Stratification and Family Life: Unequal Life Chances.
Parents and Children.
Divorce.
Violence in U.S. Families.
16. Education.
The Characteristics of Education in the United States.
Education and Inequality.
Possiblilities for Promoting Equality of Opportunity.
Restructuring Society.
17. Health and Health Care Delivery.
Unequal Access to Health Care.
The Changing Social Organization of Health Care Delivery.
Toward a Better Health Care System: Some Alternatives.
18. National Security in the 21st Century.
The U. S. Defense Establishment.
Terrorism.
VI. SOLUTIONS
19. A Progressive Plan to Solve Society's Social Problems.
Social Problems and Social Policy.
Sociology, Social Problems, and Social Change.
Progressive Principles to Guide Public Policy.
Is a Progressive Social Policy Possible?
Human Agency: Social Change from the Bottom Up. @CHAPTER= Bibliography.
Name Index. @CHAPTER= Subject Index.
