Course Title:
Introduction to Contemporary Social Problems

Faculty Contact Information:

Warren Johnson, Collegiate Associate Professor Office hours: before class, during break or by appointment wjohnson@faculty.ed.umuc.edu http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~wjohnson

Course Materials:

Henslin, J.M. (2002). Social Problems (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Course Description:

SOCY 105 Introduction to Contemporary Social Problems (3) (Fulfills the civic responsibility requirement.) This course explores various problems that confront American society today: personal, institutional, cultural and historical-global. Problems range from drugs, divorce, crime, mental illness, environment, alienation in modern society to economic and political conflicts that are national and global. Special attention is paid to high-tech virtual reality as a new arena for problematic social issues. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: SOCY 105 or SOCY 210.

Course Goals/Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to do the following:

1. Analyze citizens' conflicting perceptions of various social problems
2. Analyze a variety of social problems using various sociological perspectives
3. Identify the social scientific research methods used to acquire information about social problems
4. Identify the background factors leading to the emergence of social problems in their historical context
5. Analyze how various groups, organizations, and individuals bring social problems to the public's attention
6. Evaluate the government's role in solving a variety of social problems
7. Identify the factors that may inhibit efforts to resolve specific social problems
8. Predict future trends of current social problems, based on empirical research

Course Introduction:

Everyday the media reports on a variety of perplexing social problems: drug and alcohol abuse, crime, family and sexual violence, racism, sexism, poverty, inner-city decay, environmental pollution, and terrorism. The common wisdom is that many social problems are caused by "bad" people or by "the breakdown of society". These ideas are less useful than they may seem. However, social observers generally disagree on the solutions to such problems. Often they cannot even agree on exactly WHAT the problem is. Are such social problems inevitable? How can they be resolved? In this course, we will survey a variety of social problems from a sociological perspective to try to answer these questions.

Grading Information and Criteria:

Grades will be based on: Class participation 15% Term paper 25% Midterm 30% Final 30% A = 90 and above B = 80-89 C = 70-79 D = 60-69 F = 59 and below

Other Information:

Students should prepare a 1,500-word (5-7 page) term paper concerning a subject chosen from SOCY 105 and approved by the teacher. Grading criteria will include facts, grammar, spelling, and length: not too short, but not too long either.

Project Descriptions:

See Term Paper

Academic Policies:

Cases of plagiarism are handled consistent with current UMUC guidelines.
See the UMUC policies at the following URL:
http://www.umuc.edu/policy/

Course Schedule:

Week 1 Ch. 1: How Sociologists View Social Problems Ch. 2:Interpreting Social Problems Week 2 Ch. 3: Prostitution, Homosexuality and in Social Context Pornography Ch. 4: Crime and Criminal Justice Week 3 Ch. 5: Violence in Society: Rape and Murder Ch. 6: Crime and Criminal Justice Week 4 Ch. 7: Economic Problems: Wealth and Poverty Midterm Exam Week 5 Ch. 8: Race and Ethnic Relations Ch. 9: Sex Discrimination Inequality Week 6 Ch. 10: Medical Care: Problems of Physical and Mental Illness Ch. 11: The Changing Family Week 7 Ch. 12: Urban Problems Social Change, Ch. 13: Population and Food Week 8 Ch. 14: The Environmental Crisis Ch. 15: War, Terrorism, and the Balance of Power Final Exam

Faculty Bio:

http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~wjohnson