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Contemporary Social Problems Lecture Notes
University of Maryland
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Contemporary Social Problems
- 8/28/19 Notes Fall 2019 UMD
- Social Problems
- Elements of Social Structure & Culture
- Institutions
- Social Groups
- Elements of Culture
- Theories/Theoretical Perspectives
- 8/30/19
- 3 Theoretical Perspectives
- 9/4/19
- Health
- Alcohol and Other Drugs
- Alcohol
- 9/16/2019-9/18/2019
- Chapter 4- Crime and Social Control
- Sources of Crime Statistics
- Functionalities
- Index Crimes
- Chapter 4- Crime and Social Control
- 9/23/2019
- 9/30/19
- Ch. 6 Economic Inequality, Wealth, Poverty
- Globally
- Work
- Education
- 10/23/2019
- 10/30/2019
- Gender Inequality
- Population Growth and Aging
- 11/20/19
- Environmental Problems
- 11/22/2019
- 11/25/2019
- War and Terrorism
8/28/
Social Problems
❖ Considered harmful that needs remedy. Many people consider this issue harmful. One person can not decide on a social problem. ❖ A social condition that many people consider harmful and in need of remedy. (A hurricane, though a problem that many people consider harmful, it does not have a social remedy so it does not have a social problem.)
Elements of Social Structure & Culture
Institutions
❖ The established pattern of social relationships. ➢ The Education System ➢ The Healthcare System ➢ The Religious System ➢ The Military System ➢ The Technological System ➢ The Political System ➢ The Media System ➢ The Economic System ➢ The Family System ❖ Sociology began to be studied in the late 19th century due to the rapid changes of institutions by the end of the century.
Social Groups
❖ Roles we play in our social groups. ➢ Right, expectations, rules to follow ❖ Social Status ➢ Ascribed Status vs Achievement we Make to Get Statuses
Elements of Culture
❖ Beliefs = Assumptions of what is right ❖ Values = Social agreements about right/wrong ❖ Norms = ❖ Symbols=
Theories/Theoretical Perspectives
❖ Structural Functionalist
9/4/
Health
Global health ❖ Developed countries (high income normally) (live about 80 years) ❖ Less developed countries (middle income) (live about 66-74 years) ❖ Least developed country (low income) (live about 60 years)
Leading Causes of Death ❖ Infectious Disease, Parasitic Diseases (Less common in more developed countries) ➢ Good sanitation + vaccination helps lower these issues ❖ Malnutrition (11% of the World, Obese people can be malnourished/) ❖ Non-communicable/Lifestyle diseases (More common in more developed countries) ➢ Often Caused by things we choose, drugs/alcohol, less exercise/movement, better access to sugary drinks/items, processed foods ➢ Heart diseases ➢ Cancer ➢ Respiratory Diseases ➢ Stroke ➢ Cancer ➢ Diabetes ❖ Infant Child Mortality ❖ Maternal Mortality ➢ Half a million die, 10 million suffer from lasting consequences/disabilities. 100 per 1000 vs. 7 per 1000 ❖ Globalization & Health ➢ Economy, trade, financial world, tourism ■ Societies are interconnected ❖ Medical Tourism ➢ Elective surgery, transplants, dental careers
9/9/
Problems in US healthcare ❖ Highest cost ❖ Low access to care ❖ Patient safety ❖ Efficiency ❖ Equity Web of Healthcare Systems
❖ ⅔ Private US ❖ ⅓ Government ➢ Medicare ➢ Medicaid ➢ Military ➢ Child Healthcare (CHIP) ❖ 9% not insured ➢ 4500 deaths from being not insured Mental Healthcare ● DeInstitutionalized Obamacare/Affordable Care Act ● Mandates everyone gets health insurance ● Pre-existing conditions are not an issue anymore, you can’t lose it b/c of it ● Youth (under 26) covered by their parents' insurance. ● Covers mental health care
Alcohol and Other Drugs
❖ Legal Drugs ➢ Alcohol ➢ Nicotine ➢ Caffeine ➢ (marijuana) Did I use last ● Last 24 hours ● 30 days ● Year ● Over a lifetime
Alcohol
❖ Abuse = use in socially unacceptable ways ❖ Addiction physical or psychological dependence. ❖ Alcohol binge drink = 4-5 units.
Drug Use in US
Current Users (past 30 days) 50% alcohol 27% tobacco 9% illegal drugs
● Workplaces and Insurance ■ Legal Action against Drug Companies ■ Prevention ● Illegal Drugs ● Campaign for Prevention/War on Drugs ◆ Criminalized Possession ◆ Fed prisons with minorities ◆ Cut Supply ◆ Adverse effects on the countries creating the drugs ■ Health Issues ● Decriminalizing Use and Possession ● Rehab ● Education Programs/Community Programs
9/16/2019-9/18/
Chapter 4- Crime and Social Control
❖ All societies have crime, laws, police, courts, prisons. ➢ Men are more likely to commit crimes ➢ Crime rates vary greatly through time ➢ Change going down in the US since the 70s ➢ Violent crimes = least common type ■ Organized crime ■ Drug crimes ■ White-collar “financial” crime ■ Theft ■ Transnational Crimes ● Trade Illegal Good ● Human Trafficking/Slavery ◆ An estimated 27 million people trafficked each year. 87% of them women and girls. ● Financial Fraud
Sources of Crime Statistics
❖ Uniform Crime Reports ➢ Police + Sheriffs give the information to FBI ➢ Most information is Violent Crimes and Theft Crime ■ Petty thefts, sexual violence, etc, not reported often
❖ Victimization Surveys ❖ Self Report Offender Survey
Functionalities
❖ Sense of community ➢ Us vs. Them (Criminals) ❖ Strain Theory ➢ Same objective, limited means, cause stress ➢ Has the Means Has No Means
Goal Conformist Innovator/Criminals
Not Goal Oriented Ritualists Retreat ➢ Also an option on rebellion ❖ Subcultural Theory ➢ A theory that doesn’t subscribe to all of the values of society. ➢ Learn from peers and family to learn different rules ❖ Conflict Perspective ➢ Groups with Power define crimes ➢ Increase in Inequality = Increase in Crime ➢ Law enforcement applied differently ❖ Symbolic Interactionists ➢ Family, Peers - Their views, practice - our criminal activity ■ Differential association ● Learned
Index Crimes
❖ Violent Crimes ➢ Murder (Willful Killing) ■ Manslaughter (Accidental Killing) ➢ Murder Rates /100k population ➢ US Murder Trend Increase ➢ Perpetrators and Victims often similar groups (men do it more, people in the same racial groups do it most to each other) ❖ Assault ➢ Bodily harm without murder ➢ Trend going down ❖ Rape ➢ Victim and Perpetrator usually know each other ➢ Most cases not reported to the police ➢ Case not always taken by the police ➢ Perpetrators view it as not assault
■ African Americans, Hispanics profiled ■ Social Class: Low-income ■ Regions: The south ❖ Cost of Crime ➢ Loss of life ➢ $ ➢ Psychological cost ❖ Recidivism Rates High in America ➢ Capital Punishment & Life Inprisonment (3 Strike) ➢ 5 million + on probation/parole ➢ No other country in the world has as many prisoners in the US. The US has 20% of the world’s prisoners, even though we are 4% of the world population. ❖ Gun Control ➢ 80% of Americans don’t own guns ➢ 1 Gun for each person in this country ➢ 50% of gun owners own only one gun. ➢ Average of 8 guns per multiple gun owner. ➢ 10% of gun owners own semi-automatic guns.
9/23/
❖ Family Problems ➢ People related through blood, marriage + cohabit (adoption included) ➢ Monogamy is allowed in any form, including serial monogamy. Polygamy is not legal. ➢ 40-50% end up divorce ➢ Blended families ➢ Single Headed households (mainly women) ➢ 50% spend most of their time with only one biological parent ➢ Functions that families perform ■ Economic support ■ Emotional support ■ Regular Sex ■ Procreation ■ Raise Kids ■ Physical Care ➢ Living arrangements ■ People living alone ■ Nuclear family (2 parents + kids) ■ 1 parent + kids ■ 3 generations ■ Cohabiting
■ Blended family ➢ Is this a problem? Some people say it is because Nuclear Families do the best at completing the functions families perform. ➢ Birth Control ■ People are having sex all the time ■ Women are getting educations and getting into careers ➢ Gender Roles ➢ Women are only negatively impacted by divorce with income. Men are negatively impacted in every other way. Women get happier, men get sadder. Welp. ■ Families Falling Apart? ■ Families are resilient. ➢ Old values (religion, conservatism) vs. New Values ➢ Arranged Marriage (Love after Marriage) vs. Love before Marriage ➢ Men’s Role in Family ■ Provide for Family ■ Inheritance ■ Main Decisions ■ Changing ideas ➢ Same Sex Couples ❖ Families ➢ Divorce - dysfunction ■ Stress ■ Abuse rates ● Abuse more likely to happen within the family then with random people on the streets. ➢ Conflict theory. ■ Inequality in wealth - inequality in families wealth and wellbeing ■ Gender Inequality- ● Division in labor ➢ Feminist theory ■ Unequal power ■ Earnings ■ Abuse ➢ Symbolic Interactionist Perspective ■ Children’s self-esteem suffers when not part of “standard” family ❖ Divorce ➢ Conflict with the changing functions ➢ Conflict with the economic independence of women ➢ Unequal distribution of labor at home ➢ Out of love ➢ Liberalized divorce ➢ Individualism ➢ Weak Social tie ➢ Increased life expectancy
❖ Is the US a meritocracy? ➢ Work hard and ability - equal opportunity ■ Succeed ➢ Poverty- Own fault ➢ Success- Own achievement ➢ 59% of Americans spend some time of their life in poverty ❖ Basic Economic Security ➢ Family of four- $60k ❖ Sociological Theories ➢ Functionalist ■ Economy ● Growth GDP- Growing ● Top 20% income is increasing ● Bottom 60% income not growing ● Percentage of children in poverty is growing (30%) ❖ Children ➢ Growing population of children in poverty ➢ May affect them in the future ➢ Just world hypothesis - you get what you deserve. ❖ Gender ➢ Women ➢ Make Less than men ➢ Single headed households often women ➢ Less likely to focus on careers, more focused on family ❖ Education ➢ Higher education means less poverty among youth ❖ Family Structure ➢ Single headed households make less ❖ Race ➢ Rate of poverty higher among minorities ❖ Labor Force Population ➢ Working Poor ❖ Living Situation ➢ Midwest/South are oftentimes poorer than the rest of the country ■ Rural Areas ❖ Consequences of Economic Inequality and Poverty ➢ Contradicts idea of equal opportunity ➢ Everyone can be affected ➢ Health ■ Poverty affects health ■ Income inequality makes health for those on the bottom worse. ● Health of racial minorities especially bad. ■ Doesn’t improve the health of those on the top ➢ Social Mobility
■ Going Down ➢ Adequate Housing ■ HOmelessness 60000 per night ● Children and families mainly ● Subprime Mortgage ➢ Legal Inequality ■ Poor people accept unfair bargains (plea bargains) ● 5% of cases don’t go to court, they accept bargains ● Justice system for those who can afford it ➢ Political Inequality ■ Lower income - less likely to participate ■ Old people most likely to vote. ■ Wealthy buy political influence. ■ Economic Inequality and Poverty cause COnflict ● Civil War, Rebellion ➢ Natural Disasters ■ Effects Poor communities more ➢ Education ■ Quality of education available to poor children,,m not as good ■ Children experiencing hardship don’t perform so well ❖ Strategies ➢ Globally ■ Human Development: Improving Sanitation, water, roads, education, improving people’s living standards. ■ Microcredit programs ➢ Public Assistance and Welfare Programs in US ■ 25% of households receive help from means tested programs. ● Ex: Food Assistance ■ $140 dollars a person per month ■ Supplemental Security Income age 65+ ■ Earned Income Tax ■ Temp. Assistance for Need Family ■ Housing assistance - rent assistance ■ Public Housing ■ Medicaid ■ Alternative Idea: Increase Min Wage
■ Welfare safety net ■ Regulations ● Product standings, minimum usage, workplace safety, environmental protections ➢ Industrialization, Postindustrilization ■ Manufacturing, service sector jobs (70-80%) ■ Machines, automatic ➢ Mcdonaldization of the Workplace ■ Efficiency ■ Decisions made at corporate hq ■ Control through technology ❖ Globalization ➢ Free Trade Agreements ➢ Trend to increase free trade ➢ Multinational companies ❖ Theories ➢ Functionalists ■ Dysfunctional: shortage of goods, cyclical recessions, unemployment. ➢ Conflict theory ■ Inequality ■ Political Power ~ Economic Power ❖ Problems of work and unemployment ➢ Symbolic interactionist ➢ Unemployment rate ■ Out of Work + looking for one ■ Underemployment ■ Long term underemployment ■ More people seek jobs than are opening ■ Automation ■ Jobs change, skills required ■ Outsourcing ■ Jobs - Contractors ■ Offshoring - Jobs leave to other countries ■ Recessions ❖ Effects ➢ Lower GDP ➢ Individuals : stressful, loss of income, move, less $for retirement, debt ➢ Communities: house values go down, social welfare increase ❖ Recent College Graduates ➢ College degree does not equal guarantee for a job ➢ Half have jobs that do not require a college degree ➢ Income is lower ➢ Less than ⅓ have benefits ➢ 2011 half lived with parents
❖ Forced Labor ➢ Threat of Violence ➢ Paid Badly ➢ Long Hours ➢ Mining, agriculture, manufacturing ➢ We buy products from these laborers ➢ Bonded labor- work off a loan ❖ Sweatshop Labor ➢ Unsafe working conditions, long hours, low pay ❖ Child labor ➢ 200 million child work, not in school, hazardous work, less pay, prostitution, child soldiers ❖ Health and Safety in U. ➢ 5000 / year killed on their job. ➢ Men, work with equipment ➢ Injuries from accidents ➢ Illness ■ Inhaling dust ■ Getting Sick from patients ■ Sometime’s the company’s fault ❖ Stress ➢ ⅓ stressed at work ■ Work, pay ➢ Toxic Workplaces ➢ Work-life conflict ■ 70% complain ■ Dual income couples ■ Looking after children and sick family members is a problem ➢ Alienation ■ Powerless ■ Job meaningless ■ Normlessness ❖ Labor Unions ➢ 10% of jobs ➢ Working conditions, benefits ■ Strategies ● Reduce unemployment (underemployment) ● Education, re-education, vocational schools, develop workforce ● Keeping jobs in the US ◆ Global regulations ➢ Work safety ➢ Environmental Regulation ➢ Minimum Wages ➢ No Sweatshops
10/23/
Problems in Education
❖ Globally ➢ Basic ed - universal ➢ Education increasing ➢ Gender difference decreasing ❖ United States Compared to Developed Countries ➢ $- US average ➢ Test Results - 30th place ❖ Structural Functionalist ➢ Social problems in other institutions will affect education ➢ Functions: ■ Instruction ● Social Norms ● Life Skills ● Basic Knowledge ● Core Subjects ● Vocational Skills ■ Sorting People ■ Higher Education ■ Vocation ■ Babysits Kids ❖ Conflict Theory ➢ Inequality ■ Parents SES - students results ● Socialize their kids ■ Self-fulfilling prophecy ■ Racial Segregation ➢ Who Succeeds ■ Grades ■ Years of Education ■ Prestige of School ■ Parents Income and Education ■ Public Schools - levels of funding ■ The role of Teachers/Teacher’s Education and Training
10/30/
❖ Immigrants in the US ➢ Historically prejudice and discrimination against recent immigration ➢ 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act ➢ 1943 Chinese can become citizens ➢ 1920 Quota System by Race ➢ 1960 no more racial quota ➢ Priority to immigrants with ties to US citizens ➢ Guest Worker Programs ■ Tied to employer ➢ Illegal Immigration ■ Overstay visa ■ Crossing the border ■ In the workforce - check before hire ● Raids - to catch those not authorized to work ■ DREAM Act ● Children of undocumented immigrants ➢ Myths ■ 1. Unemployment Increase, Wages Decrease ■ 2. Welfare ■ 3. They don’t want to learn English ■ 4. Have children for legal status ■ 5. Criminals. Actually less likely to be criminals. ❖ Sociological THeories ➢ Racial discrimination - Civil Rights 1965 ■ US image ➢ Asians on average have higher education, mak9ing their salary higher, but compared to people of the same education, whites still make more ❖ Conflict Perspective ➢ Competing over income, education, political power, racial categories ➢ Source Resources increases keep wages down blame those who don’t do well. ❖ Symbolic Interactionists ➢ Stereotypes - exaggerated generalization ➢ Prejudice - (negative) attitude towards members of a group ➢ Discrimination - Act in a way that favors one group over another ➢ Forms of racism ■ Blatant and Direct Racism ■ Aversive Racism - keep your distant ■ Color blind racism - pretense/ pretending, seeing race is what’s racist
Contemporary Social Problems Lecture Notes
University: University of Maryland
