I'm a student
I'm an educator
Request full copy

Sociology Project, The: Social Problems, 1st edition

Published by Pearson (October 17, 2018) © 2019

  • Jeff Manza New York University
  • Patrick Sharkey

eTextbook

per month

  • Anytime, anywhere learning with the Pearson+ app
  • Easy-to-use search, navigation and notebook
  • Simpler studying with flashcards
$79.99

  • Hardcover, paperback or looseleaf edition
  • Affordable rental option for select titles
  • Free shipping on looseleafs and traditional textbooks

Revel

from$79.99

  • Inspire engagement through active learning
  • Provide an immersive reading experience
  • Assess student progress with performance insights

For courses in Social Problems.

An inquiry-based approach to Social Problems that sparks the sociological imagination

Social Problems: The Sociology Project shows students how to analyze the world's most pressing social problems. This engaging text uses the big questions of the discipline as a framework.

Each chapter of this brief text has been authored by 1 or more faculty members from the NYU Sociology Department who write and teach in a specific subfield. This collaboration offers a unique approach that draws on the collective wisdom of a large, successful sociology department to reveal how both individuals' lives and social problems are shaped by the contexts in which we live and act.

Hallmark features of this title

  • The text's collaborative expert authorship guarantees inclusion of the most up-to-date content as well as a passionate perspective that draws students into every topic area.
  • Each chapter is organized around 3 to 5 big questions that define the subfield being discussed. This encourages student exploration, and prompts readers to ask their own questions about our world.
  • Compelling chapter-opening stories introduce the topics to follow, and set the stage for broader sociological insights.
  • Chapter-ending Revisiting the Big Questions sections enable students to review the key content presented.
  • At the beginning of each chapter, the authors provide insights into the “a-ha” moments when their own sociological imaginations were sparked, which inspires readers.

Features of Revel

  • The Pearson Originals docuseries explains contemporary issues and current events, helping students to connect with stories on a personal level and to contextualize core concepts.
  • UPDATED: Current Event Bulletins, written by the text's authors, enable students to connect key concepts with real-life current events. Our authors regularly add new or revised articles to ensure that the content remains current. New articles include the following:
    • COVID-19 and Inequality
    • Personal Liability for Police Officers?
    • Black Lives Matter and “Agenda Setting”
  • Interactive graphs, maps and activities featuring innovative Social Explorer technology allow students to explore data as they read, boosting engagement with key concepts.

I. Brief Table of Contents

1. The Sociology of Social Problems
2. Theories of Social Problems
3. Poverty and Inequality
4. Racial and Ethnic Disparities
5. Gender and Sexualities
6. Changing Families
7. Work and Careers in a Changing Labor Market
8. Aging and Society
9. Housing and Segregation
10. Crime and Punishment
11. Schools and the Educational System
12. Health and Medicine
13. Drug and Alcohol Abuse
14. Environmental Challenges
15. American Democracy in Crisis
16. Global Terrorism and Militarism
17. Globalization and Immigration


II. Comprehensive Table of Contents

1. The Sociology of Social Problems
by Jeff Manza
The Big Questions
1.1 What Is "Social" About Social Problems?
1.2 How Does Using a Sociological Imagination Help Us to Understand Social Problems?
1.3 How Do Some Societal Conditions Become Social Problems?
Conclusion
The Big Questions Revisited 1

2. Theories of Social Problems
by Jeff Manza, Thomas Ertman, Lynne Haney, and Steven Lukes
The Big Questions
2.1 What Is Social Theory?
2.2 How Did the Early Social Theorists Think About Social Problems?
2.3 What Innovations in Social Problems Theory Emerged in the Mid-Twentieth Century?
2.4 How Has a New Generation of Social Problems Theory Evolved Since the Turbulent 1960s?
2.5 How Do Contemporary Sociologists Approach the Study of Social Problems?
Conclusion
The Big Questions Revisited 2

3. Poverty and Inequality
by Florencia Torche, Patrick Sharkey, Richard Arum, and Jeff Manza
The Big Questions
3.1 Why Does Poverty Exist in Rich Countries?
3.2 Why Is There So Much Poverty and Inequality in America?
3.3 Do All Americans Have an Equal Opportunity to Succeed in Life?
3.4 How Does Poverty Harm Children and Adults?
3.5 What, If Anything, Can Be Done About Poverty and Inequality?
Conclusion
The Big Questions Revisited 3

4. Racial and Ethnic Disparities
by Ann Morning and Jeff Manza
The Big Questions
4.1 Why Are People Divided by Race and Ethnicity?
4.2 What Is Racism?
4.3 What Are the Main Sources of Racial and Ethnic Inequality Today?
4.4 How Do Sociologists Explain the Privileges of Being White?
4.5 How Are Race and Ethnicity Changing in the Twenty-First Century?
Conclusion: Can Racial and Ethnic Divisions Be Reduced in the Future?
The Big Questions Revisited 4

5. Gender and Sexualities
by Paula England with Jessie Ford and Michelle O'Brien
The Big Questions
5.1 How Should We Think About Gender Differences?
5.2 Why Does Gender Inequality Persist?
5.3 What Are the Gender Inequalities in Sex and Intimate Relationships?
5.4 Why Is There So Much Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment?
5.5 What Challenges Do LGBTQ Individuals Face in their Daily Lives?
Conclusion: What Could Be Done to Reduce Gender and Sexual Inequality?
The Big Questions Revisited 5

6. Changing Families
by Kathleen Gerson, Lawrence Wu, and Jeff Manza with Lester Andrist and Amanda Weiss
The Big Questions
6.1 What Is the Family?
6.2 How Has Marriage Changed in Recent Decades?
6.2 What Are the Central Problems in Marriages Today?
6.4 Are Today's Children Getting the Families They Need?
Conclusion: The Future of Marriage and the Family
The Big Questions Revisited 6

7. Work and Careers in a Changing Labor Market
by Jeff Manza with Dirk Witteveen
The Big Questions
7.1 How Has the Labor Market Evolved Over the Past Century?
7.2 Why Is Having a Job So Important?
7.3 How Is the Nature of Work Changing and Becoming Less Secure
7.4 How Are Americans' Work Lives Changing?
7.5 Why Has Precarious Work Become More Prevalent?
Conclusion: What Can Be Done?
Big Questions Revisited 7

8. Aging and Society
by Jeff Manza and Lawrence Wu with Lester Andrist
The Big Questions
8.1 Who Are Older Americans, and Why Does the Age Distribution of the Population Matter?
8.2 What Are the Consequences of Age Discrimination?
8.3 What Problems Are Associated with Alzheimer's and Dementia?
8.4 What Are the Social Challenges of Care at the End of Life?
8.5 What Are the Societal and Economic Costs of Caring for an Aging Population?
Conclusion
The Big Questions Revisited 8

9. Housing and Segregation
by Patrick Sharkey
The Big Questions
9.1 Why Is Housing Unaffordable for So Many Americans?
9.2 Can We Eliminate Homelessness?
9.3 How Segregated Are Cities?
9.4 Do Our Neighborhoods Affect Our Chances in Life?
Conclusion
The Big Questions Revisited 9

10. Crime and Punishment
by Jeff Manza, Patrick Sharkey, and Troy Duster with Offer Egozy, Delaram Takyar, and Matthew Wolfe
The Big Questions
10.1 What Constitutes a Crime, and What are the Different Offense Types?
10.2 How Much Crime, Particularly Violent Crime, Exists in America?
10.3 How Do Sociologists Seek to Understand Crime and Punishment?
10.4 Why is Mass Incarceration Controversial?
10.5 What are the Consequences of Mass Incarceration?
Conclusion
The Big Questions Revisited 10

11. Schools and the Educational System
by Caroline Persell and Jeff Manza with Dirk Witteveen and Lester Andrist
The Big Questions
11.1 Do Schools Provide All Children an Equal Chance to Succeed?
11.2 What Are the Administrative Challenges Facing Schools Today?
11.3 How Do Educational Outcomes in the United States Compare with Other Countries?
11.4 Is Higher Education in Crisis?
Conclusion
The Big Questions Revisited 11

12. Health and Medicine
by Jeff Manza, Ruth Horowitz, and Jennifer Jennings with Mary Rockas
The Big Questions
12.1 Who Gets Sick, and Why?
12.2 Why Is Healthcare in America More Expensive and Less Effective Than in Other Countries?
12.3 Why Is It So Difficult to Achieve Successful Healthcare Reform?
12.4 How Could the Healthcare System Be Fixed?
Conclusion
The Big Questions Revisited 12

13. Drug and Alcohol Abuse
by Troy Duster and Jeff Manza with Lester Andrist
The Big Questions
13.1 Why Is Drug and Alcohol Abuse a Social Problem?
13.2 Who Abuses Alcohol, and What Are the Consequences?
13.3 What Are the Major Types of Drugs and the Consequences of their Use?
13.4 Why Is Some Drug Use Criminalized, and Can a War on Drugs Succeed
Conclusion: Are There Alternatives to the War on Drugs?
The Big Questions Revisited 13

14. Environmental Challenges
by Colin Jerolmack with Maria Soto
The Big Questions
14.1 What Are the Consequences of Climate Change?
14.2 How Else Is Human Activity Harming the Environment?
14.3 What Is the Link Between the Environment and Social Inequality?
14.4 Why Is There So Much Resistance to Action on the Environment?
14.5 How Can We Create More Sustainable Societies?
Conclusion
The Big Questions Revisited: Chapter 14

15. American Democracy in Crisis
by Jeff Manza
The Big Questions
15.1 What Are the Basic Features of Democratic Political Institutions?
15.2 What Is the Relationship Between a Capitalist Economic System and Political Democracy?
15.3 How "Democratic" Are Democratic Elections in the United States?
15.4 Why Is Political Polarization Bad for American Democracy?
Conclusion
The Big Questions Revisited 15

16. Global Terrorism and Militarism
by Jeff Goodwin and Jeff Manza
The Big Questions
16.1 What Is Terrorism?
16.2 What Is the History of Terrorism?
16.3 How Do Social Scientists Understand the Causes of Terrorism?
16.4 What Has Been the American Response to Global Terrorism, and What Are Its Consequences?
16.5 Can the War on Terror Ever End?
Conclusion: Should We Rethink Terrorism and Military Policies?
The Big Questions Revisited 16

17. Globalization and Immigration
by Guillermina Jasso, Vivek Chibber, and Jeff Manza
The Big Questions
17.1 Why Do So Many People Move to Other Countries?
17.2 Do Immigrants Benefit, or Harm, the Societies They Move To?
17.3 What Is Globalization?
17.4 What Are the Benefits and Drawbacks of Globalization?
Conclusion
The Big Questions Revisited 17

About our authors

Written collaboratively by members of the NYU Sociology Department, including Jeff Manza, Patrick Sharkey, Richard Arum, Vivek Chibber, Troy Duster, Paula England, Kathleen Gerson, Jeff Goodwin, Lynne Haney, Ruth Horowitz, Guillermina Jasso, Jennifer L. Jennings, Colin Jerolmack, Eric Klinenberg, Ann Morning, Caroline H. Persell, Florencia Torche and Lawrence L. Wu.

Need help? Get in touch

Revel

Inspire engagement through active learning. Revel® integrates interactives and assessments into a compelling digital narrative. By applying concepts as they read, students immerse themselves in learning, deepening their understanding. This mobile, user-friendly platform empowers students to learn and study on the go, anytime, anywhere, on any device.

Pearson+

All in one place. Pearson+ offers instant access to eTextbooks, videos and study tools in one intuitive interface. Students choose how they learn best with enhanced search, audio and flashcards. The Pearson+ app lets them read where life takes them, no wi-fi needed. Students can access Pearson+ through a subscription or their MyLab or Mastering course.

Video
Play
Privacy and cookies
By watching, you agree Pearson can share your viewership data for marketing and analytics for one year, revocable by deleting your cookies.

Video transcript (PDF | 33KB) 

Help students learn, wherever life takes them

Your students deserve more than just a digital textbook. Revel® combines content, media, and assessment to create an engaging, immersive experience that lets them learn on the go — anytime, anywhere, on any device.

Digital Learning NOW

Extend your professional development and meet your students where they are with free weekly Digital Learning NOW webinars. Attend live, watch on-demand, or listen at your leisure to expand your teaching strategies. Earn digital professional development badges for attending a live session.

Explore webinars