I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Social Problems

2. Course Prefix & Number:
SOCL 2411

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 3

Lab Hours: 0

4. Course Description:

In this course students will examine current social problems from a sociological perspective. Students will focus on how social problems come to be defined, the ramifications of these problems, and possible solutions. Who is poor and why? Why do some people engage in criminal activities while others do not? Is the "War on Drugs" working? The answers to these and other questions will be explored.

5. Placement Tests Required:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

7. Other Prerequisites

9. Co-requisite Courses:

II. Transfer and Articulation

1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:

2. Transfer - regional institutions with which this course has a written articulation agreement:

III. Course Purpose

1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course is required for the following program(s):

2. MN Transfer Curriculum (General Education) Courses - This course fulfills the following goal area(s) of the MN Transfer Curriculum:

• Goal 5 – History and the Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Goal 9 – Ethical and Civic Responsibility

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

• Employ methods and data that historians and social scientists use to investigate social problems - MnTC Goal 5
• Use and critique alternative explanatory theories - MnTC Goal 5
• Examine social institutions and processes across a range of historical periods and cultures - MnTC Goal 5
• Develop and communicate alternative explanations or solutions for contemporary social problems - MnTC Goal 5
• Understand and apply core concepts (politics, rights, obligations, justice, liberty) to specific issues - MnTC Goal 9
• Identify ways to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship - MnTC Goal 9
• Examine, articulate, and apply their own ethical views - MnTC Goal 9
• Analyze and reflect on the ethical dimensions of legal, social, and scientific issues - MnTC Goal 9
• Recognize the diversity of political motivations and interests of others - MnTC Goal 9

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

1. I. The Study of Social Problems
• Elements of a Social Problem
• Dominant Theoretical Perspectives
• Research Methods
2. Problems of Illness and Healthcare
• Global Context
• Structured Inequality and Healthcare
• The US Healthcare System
3. Drug and Alcohol Abuse
• Global Context
• Societal Consequences of Drug and Alcohol Use
• Illicit Drug Policy, War on Drugs
4. Crime and Deviance
• Global Context
• Sociological Theories on Crime and Deviance
• Societal Consequences of Crime
• Demographic Patterns of Crime
5. Family Problems
• Global Context
• Family Violence
• Divorce
• Teen and Unmarried Pregnancy and Birth
6. Inequality: Poverty and Wealth
• Global Context
• Sociological Theories on Poverty and Wealth
• Demographic Patterns of Poverty and Wealth
7. Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration
• The Social Construction of Race
• Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the US.
• White Privilege
• Prejudice and Discrimination
8. Gender Inequality
• The Social Construction of Gender
• Structured Gender Inequality in the US and Abroad
• Male Privilege
9. Sexual Orientation
• Origins of Sexual Orientation: Nurture and Nature
• Structured Inequality and Sexual Orientation
• Origins of Homophobia
• Prejudice and Discrimination
10. Population and the Environment
• World Population
• Consumerism
• Stabilizing World Population
• Environmental Issues

2. Laboratory/Studio Sessions