Thinking About Social Problems: An Introduction to Constructionist Perspectives (Social Problems and Social Issues) - Softcover

Loseke, Donileen R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0202306844 ISBN 13: 9780202306841

Publisher: Aldine Transaction, 2003

Synopsis

The new second edition of this distinctive and widely adopted textbook brings into the classroom an overview of how images of social problems can shape not only public policy and social services, but also the ways in which we make sense of ourselves and others. It introduces two primary changes. First, some attention is devoted to the "new social movements" that emphasize social change through identity transformation rather than through structural change. Second, the text now also looks more closely at the importance of emotions in constructing public consciousness of social problems.

When the first edition was published, Teaching Sociology noted, "Loseke does a superb job explaining the relationship between sociology and social problems in a text that is very well research and engaging, yet with tremendous attention to detail and accuracy... [W]ould provide a solid base for any social problems class." Contemporary Sociology wrote that the book is "engagingly well written in a personal, unpretentious style, and well informed by the author's knowledge of the professional literature."

About this title

Review

"Readers will find this book engagingly well written in a personal, unpretentious style, and well informed by the author's knowledge of the professional literature."

--Lawrence T. Nichols, Contemporary Sociology

"Readers will find this book engagingly well written in a personal, unpretentious style, and well informed by the author's knowledge of the professional literature."

--Lawrence T. Nichols, Contemporary Sociology

-Readers will find this book engagingly well written in a personal, unpretentious style, and well informed by the author's knowledge of the professional literature.-

--Lawrence T. Nichols, Contemporary Sociology

Synopsis

Like the first edition of this distinctive and widely adopted textbook, the new second edition brings into the classroom an overview of how images of social problems can shape not only public policy and social services, but also the ways in which we make sense of ourselves and others. It introduces two primary changes from the first edition. First, this edition devotes some attention to the "new social movements" that emphasize social change through identity transformation rather than through structural change. Second, it also looks more closely at the importance of emotions in constructing public consciousness of social problems. Although Thinking About Social Problems can be used as a stand-alone short text and a corrective on received notions of studying the objective indicators of one problem a week, Donileen Loseke and Joel Best have provided an accompanying reader, Social Problems: Constructionist Readings, which can be used by those who wish to teach the course with reference to empirical examples of social problems examined from constructionist perspectives. Finally, an instructor's manual on a CD-ROM will be available for instructors who adopt the new edition.

About this edition

• Publisher: Aldine Transaction
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0202306844
• ISBN 13: 9780202306841
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 236