Contemporary Social Problems: Fourth Edition (Fourth Edition)

Author: Parillo
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2002-01-01
Features: Contemporary Social Problems uses the United States as a case study, employing sociological methods such as functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, feminism, and postmodernism to provide a comprehensive and systematic analysis of contemporary social problems, their interrelationships, and the reasons behind their existence. The book is divided into five parts. The first part focuses on introducing different sociological theories and perspectives related to social problems, while the remaining parts discuss the prevalent issues in contemporary society in terms of individual well-being, social equality, social institutions, and social quality. It covers an exceptionally broad range of topics, including alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual behavior, crime, violence, healthcare, flaws in the education system, the environment, homelessness, population growth, poverty, racial discrimination, single-parent families, urban infrastructure and violence, large-scale mergers, and layoffs, among others. Each chapter discusses a specific issue, first outlining its background and relevant statistics, then introducing different sociological theories' research and perspectives on the issue, thereby encouraging students to think sociologically about contemporary social problems. Although the book uses the United States as a case study, the social problems discussed are prevalent in countries worldwide. The style is concise, coherent, vivid, and easy to read, consistently maintaining the reader's interest.