SOCI 102 Social Problems

The general objective of this course is to give students a broad overview of contemporary problems both in America and around the world. This course will analyze social problems, both internationally and here in the United States, using various sociological perspectives. Students will use the tools of sociology - its analytical insights, its theoretical frameworks, and its methods - to ask questions about what constitutes a social problem, when does a social condition become problematic, who are advocating which strategies for solutions or social change. The course will focus on three general classes of social problems: problems of social inequality and conflict, problems arising within specific social institutions (family life, education, crime, and health care), and problems arising from social change (environmental crises, population growth, and social upheaval). In each case, students will study what is known: (1) about the problem and recent trends therein, (2) its causes and consequences, and (3) individual and societal responses to the phenomenon.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

Eligible to enroll in ENGL 121

Hours Weekly

3 hours weekly

Course Objectives

1. 1. Identify and summarize the basic facts of a variety of social problems in the lives of
   individuals, their communities, and the larger global society.
2. 2. Identify key concepts and theoretical perspectives essential to the development of a
   sociological analysis of the social problems underlying individual experience.
3. 3. Differentiate the major sociological research methods and correctly identify key components
   of the scientific model as it is used by sociologists to reason and evaluate with scientific
   evidence.
4. 4. Apply the sociological imagination to a critical analysis of a variety of social problems, their
   causes and consequences, and the solutions being advocated by social actors.
5. 5. Identify the social patterns underlying individual experiences and the social basis of
   ideologies and individual beliefs.
   
6. 6. Identify a number of social problems, and explain how social problems come to be defined in
   the larger society.
7. 7. Understand and explain how the social problems of the modern world arise from the capitalist
   and consumerist structures of contemporary social life.
8. 8. Identify the extent, causes, consequences and responses to each of the social problems
   studied in class.
9. 9. Formulate specific, unified and concise theses through writing that demonstrate an
   understanding of sociological thinking.

Course Objectives

1. 1. Identify and summarize the basic facts of a variety of social problems in the lives of
   individuals, their communities, and the larger global society.
2. 2. Identify key concepts and theoretical perspectives essential to the development of a
   sociological analysis of the social problems underlying individual experience.
3. 3. Differentiate the major sociological research methods and correctly identify key components
   of the scientific model as it is used by sociologists to reason and evaluate with scientific
   evidence.
4. 4. Apply the sociological imagination to a critical analysis of a variety of social problems, their
   causes and consequences, and the solutions being advocated by social actors.
5. 5. Identify the social patterns underlying individual experiences and the social basis of
   ideologies and individual beliefs.
   
6. 6. Identify a number of social problems, and explain how social problems come to be defined in
   the larger society.
7. 7. Understand and explain how the social problems of the modern world arise from the capitalist
   and consumerist structures of contemporary social life.
8. 8. Identify the extent, causes, consequences and responses to each of the social problems
   studied in class.
9. 9. Formulate specific, unified and concise theses through writing that demonstrate an
   understanding of sociological thinking.