SOC 240 Contemporary Social Problems

3 Credit(s) CS DPDS

This course provides an overview of the study of social problems and social trends in contemporary American society and globally. Among the most pressing social problems this class examines include: poverty and economic struggles, continuing race and gender inequality, problems in higher education, the criminal justice system, and war and terrorism. The course will focus on how American society is structured, paying attention to the role of social institutions and values that shape social, economic, and political policies, which, in turn, profoundly shape social problems and social relations. The course also will examine how perceptions of social problems are influenced by disparities in the level of diversity and power, leading to variations in how social problems affect individuals, groups, and/or organizations, and differences in how society responds to the social problems. Three lecture hours per week.