Chapter 1: Sociological Approach to Social Problems
Read pages 1-9 before answering this question:
What is the difference between an objective definition of social problems and a subjective definition? Why would a concern about bias and values be part of the issue about subjective vs objective definitions? How does social power influence this notion of bias and objectivity?
Read all the way to page 19 before answering this set:
What is the difference between norm violations and social conditions as types of social problems? Which is a person blame and which a systems blame approach? Why doe the authors of this book believe the focus should be on social conditions (system blame) rather than norm violations (person blame)? Do you agree with them? Why or why not?
Applications:The box on Social Welfare States and the one on Social Policy are a good introduction to what we will talk about in class – how social structure and policy can be made to help or hinder the ordinary mass of people in a society.
- What is the basic difference between US capitalism and social welfare state capitalism? What do people gain from the welfare state type that we don’t have?
- What does Fisher mean when he says America’s level of inequality is by design? How does social policy influence that design? What would be your basic answer to that set of questions he asks in the third column of the box (don’t answer every one, just think about the list and answer in a sentence or two)