SOC 212 - Social Problems

 
Description
This course provides a sociological understanding of social problems. One part of that involves looking at specific social conditions defined as social problems, analyzing the root causes of those conditions and proposing and evaluating attempts to solve those problems. The other involves analyzing the process through which certain social conditions are defined as social problems. Topics include inequalities based in race/ethnicity, class, gender/sexuality or other systems of stratification, global climate change and its effects and crime and the criminal justice system.

1. Analyze the theories used by sociologists to describe and understand social problems and how sociological research is used to build these theories. 
2. Discuss the processes that lead to certain conditions being defined as social problems.
3. Examine the root causes of conditions defined as social problems.
4. Evaluate the impact of various attempts to solve social problems and the processes that lead to these attempts.
5. Discuss how social problems may have different impacts on diverse communities.

1. Sociological theories regarding social problems
2. Research methods used to build theories and measure conditions defined as social problems
3. Root causes of social problems and how they are identified and measured
4. Effects and impact of social problems on diverse communities
5. Potential solutions to social problems and processes through which they are developed, implemented and evaluated
6. Role of social institutions in the creation and development of social problems
7. Role of social policy in both the creation of and attempts to solve social problems
8. Specific social problems, including inequalities based in systems of stratification, effects of global climate change and crime and the criminal justice system

• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
• Culture Society & Citizenship

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