OFFICE: SUMMERLIN 122h

OFFICE HOURS: M 5:30-6,8:50-9:40pm, MW 1-2pm and @ WC D169 TR 4-4:30, W 5:15-6pm

PHONE: 651-4849 EMAIL: bob_manis@ccsn.nevada.edu WEBSITE: www.nevada.edu/~manis

COURSE DESCRIPTION: An examination of selected social problems, their causes and proposed solutions:
 

TEXTS:

LAUER, SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE (abbrev. SPQ) 7th ed

MANIS, CHALLENGE TO SOCIETY (abbrev, MAN)

Students will also be asked to read the LA Times, NY Times, SF Chronicle or another major daily paper.
 

SCHEDULE:

week of:

SEP 6 INTRODUCTI0N, DEFINING SOCIAL PROBLEMS -- Careers in Social service MAN ch 1

SEP 13 STUDYING SOCIAL PROBLEMS -- SPQ ch1, 2.

PART ONE -- DEVIANCE

SEP 20 CRIME AND DELINQUENCY -- Causes and Cures. SPQ 5,

SEP 27 VIOLENCE -- Myths and realities SPQ 6

OCT 4 ALCOHOL AND DRUGS --SPQ 4, MAN ch 5,

OCT 11 SEXUAL DEVIANCE --Pornography, Prostitution, Abuse -- SPQ 4,11 MAN p.27-32 EXAM I
 

PART TWO -- INEQUALITY

OCT 18 POVERTY -- Blaming the system, blaming the victim SPQ 7, MAN ch 6 PAPER DUE!!!

OCT 25 RACE INEQUALITY. Racism, discrimination --SPQ 10, MAN ch 8

NOV 1 GENDER INEQUALITY/FAMILY--SPQ 9 & 14, MAN ch 7,10
 

PART THREE --SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

NOV 8 GOVERNMENT --, Who owns the politicians? MAN ch 3

NOV 15 ECONOMY -- Who wrote the rules? SPQ 12, MAN ch 11

NOV 23 HEALTH CARE Case study: Alternative Medicine SPQ 15, MAN ch9 --REVISED PAPER DUE!!!
 

--GRANT PR0POSAL OUTLINE DUE !!!--

NOV 30 MEDIA Who owns the media? MAN ch12

DEC 6 ENVIRONMENT -- SPQ 17 EXAM II

DEC 13 FINAL PROJECT (GRANT PROPOSAL) DUE!!!
 

COURSE OBJECTIVES: The student will demonstrate a knowledge of:

1. how social problems have been identified, perceived and resolved.

2. the "Sociological Imagination" tradition of C. Wright Mills

3. the tools necessary to critically examine society

4. the differences between system blame and person blame approaches to societal problems

5. dominant theoretical paradigms, i.e. Functionalist, Conflict, Interactionist

6. how political and economic institutions contribute to social problems

7. how issues of class, race and gender influence the defintions and solutins of social problems

8. social science research methods, data interpretation, and the various ethical issues related to the research process.

9. behavior necessary to becoming an effective citizen in contemporary society

10. the operations of a selected agency addressing social problems

11. how to research and write a grant proposal
 

ASSIGNMENTS:

Reading assignments should be completed before class on the date assigned. Written assignments must be typed double-spaced, and turned in by the beginning of class. Late papers and make-ups will not be permitted except under extreme circumstances. Students will be asked to clip, xerox or print out analytical articles from a major newsdaily or its website, relating to the topic being discussed and bring it to class, with a brief critical analysis paragraph. We will discuss these articles weekly. These articles will be turned in at the end of the semester. An actual grant proposal (5-10 pgs) will be written for a social service agency that you have visited. Proposals will be written by groups after visiting several sites and selecting one to visit. Students will also participate in a class project (a survey) including field research and analysis.
 

CRITICAL THINKING: This is a critical thinking course. The article abstracts will be a single paragraph answering one or more of the following questions about the topic: [1] causes and consequences, [2] similar and/or dissimilar situations, and [3] who benefits from the situation. There will be one 2-3 page critical thinking paper based on one of your articles, due the last week of class.
 

GROUP WORK: This class is heavily oriented towards participation. Because not all students are equally vocal, and because not all will want to share with the entire class, small groups will be frequently used in discussions. Groups will also be used in writing the grant proposal. Class members will be asked to rate each other at the end of the term.