Full Description
Seeing Social Problems: The Hidden Stories Behind Contemporary Issues shows students how to think about social problems in a new way, by carefully analyzing headline-making issues they are already familiar with and illustrating the connection between individual problems and larger social forces. Each chapter engages students in thinking about the world sociologically by focusing on a specific case study that represents a more general social problem. The chapters always start with the knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and personal experiences that students bring to the case—what author Ira Silver refers to as conventional wisdom—and effectively demonstrate to them the "first wisdom" of sociology: "things are not what they seem." In each instance, Silver shows how sociologists ask questions, gather empirical data, use multiple perspectives, and consider larger social forces to discover the "hidden stories" behind individual behavior.
Contents
Preface
Chapter 1 - Introduction: Making Sense of Hot-Button Issues
What Is the Problem?
Exploring Multiple Perspectives
The Craft of Sociology
Igniting Your Sociological Imagination
The World Is Your Oyster
PART I: INEQUALITY
Chapter 2 - Class and the American Dream
Struggling to Get By
Unequal Chances for Success
Stuck in Poverty
Living the Dream
Looking Inward
Chapter 3 - Race, Crime, and Policing
Tragic Encounters
Assigning Personal Blame
Images of Danger
Susceptibility to Crime
Gaining New Perspective
Chapter 4 - Gender, Violence, and Power
Invisible Scars in Plain Sight
Sources of Abuse
Be a Man
Limited Options
Adding Insult to Injury
Seeing a Private Matter as a Public Issue
Chapter 5 - LGBTQ+ People and Their Critics
The Pulse of Opposition
Protecting Vulnerable Children
Widespread Panic
Living with Labels
Expanding Your Mind
PART II: DANGER AND RISK
Chapter 6 - Drug Use and Abuse
Just Say No
External Influences
Menaces and Miracles
Getting an Edge
Unequal Impacts of Drug Enforcement
Thinking Broadly about Drugs
Chapter 7 - Health and the Environment
Social Determinants of Health
Food Choices and Other Indicators of Well-Being
Going Upstream
Houston, We Have a Problem
Preying upon Vulnerabilities
Surrounded by Doughnuts
Chapter 8 - Mass Shootings, Hate Groups, and Access to Weapons
Familiar Scenes of Horror
Displaying Masculinity
Seeking Revenge
Contagious Behavior
Locked and Loaded
A Pack of Wolves
Chapter 9 - Mental Illness and Suicide
A Source of Stigma
Distracted in School
Feeling Sad When You Should Be Happy
Making Sense of the Unexplainable
Living and Dying without Shame
PART III: INSTITUTIONS
Chapter 10 - Immigration and Border Security
Navigating Perilous Waters
Entering and Staying in the United States
Bringing Vice into the Country
Fleeing from Imminent Dangers
Looking Globally and Locally
Chapter 11 - Education and Upward Mobility
Crumbling Classrooms
Funding for Public Schooling
Reinforcing Inequalities
Going to College
Education as Transformation
Chapter 12 - Media, Body Image, and Self-Worth
Pursuing an Ideal
Thin Is In
Hitting the Gym
Feeling Disembodied
Love Yourself
Keeping It Real
Chapter 13 - Technology and Instant Pleasure
Divided Attention
Constantly Scrolling
Feeling Disconnected
Sowing Division
Behaving Compulsively
Rethinking Technology's Rewards
Chapter 14 - Conclusion: Seeing Multiple Realities
Stepping Outside Your Matrix
Thinking Comprehensively
Glossary
Photo Credits
Index
