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Social Problems, 15th edition

Published by Pearson (October 21, 2023) © 2024

  • D Stanley Eitzen Colorado State University
  • Kelly Eitzen Smith University of Arizona
  • Maxine Baca Zinn Michigan State University

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For courses in Social Problems.

Examine social problems via a coherent sociological framework

Social Problems examines the underlying features of the social world in order to help students understand the problems of society. Employing a consistently sociological approach, authors D. Stanley Eitzen, Maxine Baca Zinn and Kelly Eitzen Smith explain how social problems are interrelated and highlight society's role in their creation and perpetuation.

The 15th Edition has been updated to reflect contemporary issues such as the deepening ideological divide in the US and the impact of innovations in tech. New Social Changemakers features highlight organizations working towards positive social change.

Hallmark features of this title

  • Closer Look features elaborate on specific topics in detail.
  • Social Problems in Global Perspective features illustrate how other societies deal with particular social problems.
  • Social Policy features look at policy issues and highlight social policies that work to alleviate particular social problems.
  • Panels and tables throughout the text compare the US with other nations on such topics as crime/incarceration, medical care and education.
  • Chapter reviews and key terms at the end of each chapter afford students opportunities to check what they've learned.

New and updated features of this title

  • NEW: Social Changemakers features highlight people and organizations that are fighting for positive social change.
  • NEW: Chapter 10: Sexual Orientation offers extensive coverage of LGBTQ+ issues, including advances in equality.
  • NEW: The 15th Edition has been updated to reflect major events of the last several years, as well as a number of significant recent trends. New and updated content centers on the following topics, among others:
    • The impact of the ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade
    • The COVID-19 pandemic and its effects upon work, the economy and worker alienation
    • The Russian invasion of Ukraine

Features of Revel for the 15th Edition

  • The Pearson Originals docuseries is a series of high-quality social impact videos that exemplify and humanize key sociological concepts. These videos help students connect with stories on a personal level, view people with greater empathy and contextualize core concepts.
  • UPDATED: Data-rich interactive maps, figures, and tables with Social Explorer technology let students interact with real data to explore key concepts. These features have been updated to reflect the latest Census data.
  • Current Event Bulletins bring currency into your classroom with author-written articles that connect key concepts with real-life current events.

Part 1: The Political Economy of Social Problems

  1. The Sociological Approach to Social Problems
  2. Wealth and Power: The Bias of the System

Part 2: Problems of People, Location and the Environment

  1. World Population and Global Inequality
  2. Demographic Changes in the United States: The Browning and Graying of Society
  3. Problems of Place: Urban, Suburban and Rural
  4. Threats to the Environment

Part 3: Problems of Inequality

  1. Poverty
  2. Racial and Ethnic Inequality
  3. Gender Inequality
  4. Sexual Orientation
  5. Disability and Ableism

Part 4: Social Structure and Individual Deviance

  1. Crime and Justice
  2. Drugs

Part 5: Institutional Problems

  1. The Economy and Work
  2. Families
  3. Education
  4. Health and Health Care
  5. National Security

Part 6: Solutions

  1. Progressive Plan to Solve Social Problems

About our authors

The late Stanley Eitzen (Ph.D. University of Kansas) was professor emeritus in sociology from Colorado State University, where previously he was the John N. Stern Distinguished Professor. Among his books are Social Problems (with Maxine Baca Zinn and Kelly Eitzen Smith) and Diversity in Families (with Maxine Baca Zinn and Barbara Wells), both of which received McGuffey Awards from the Text and Academic Authors Association for excellence and longevity over multiple editions. He was also the author and co-author of 4 Solutions to Social Problems volumes with Allyn & Bacon; Paths to Homelessness: Extreme Poverty and the Urban Housing Crisis (with Doug A. Timmer and Kathryn Talley); Sociology of North American Sport (with George H. Sage); and Fair and Foul: Rethinking the Myths and Paradoxes of Sport. He served as the president of the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport and as editor of The Social Science Journal.

Maxine Baca Zinn (Ph.D. University of Oregon) is Professor Emeritus in sociology at Michigan State University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Oregon. Her main research interests are racial inequality, gender and family life. She is the author and co-author of many other books, including Diversity in Families (with D. Stanley Eitzen and Barbara Wells), Social Problems (with D. Stanley Eitzen and Kelly Eitzen Smith), Women of Color in U.S. Society, Gender Through the Prism of Difference and Globalization: The Transformation of Social Worlds. In 2000, she received the ASA Jessie Bernard Career Award.

Kelly Eitzen Smith received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Arizona. She is currently the director of the Center for Applied Sociology and a lecturer at the University of Arizona. At the Center for Applied Sociology, she has conducted research in the areas of day labor, homelessness, poverty, urban housing and neighborhood development. Her sociological interests include gender, family, sexuality, stratification and social problems. She is also the co-author of Experiencing Poverty (with D. Stanley Eitzen) and Social Problems (with D. Stanley Eitzen and Maxine Baca Zinn).

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