Contemporary Readings in Social Problems

Anna Leon-Guerrero is Professor of Sociology at Pacific Lutheran University in Washington. She received her PhD in sociology from the University of California-Los Angeles. She was the recipient of the university's Faculty Excellence Award and the K. T. Tang Award for Excellence. She is the author of and Social Problems: Community, Policy, and Social Action, 7th Edition, and co-author (with Chava Frankfort-Nachmias and Georgiann Davis) of Social Statistics for a Diverse Society, 10th Edition (both with Sage).

Preface SECTION I: THE SOCIOLOGY OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS 1. The Promise - C. Wright Mills 2. The Art of Savage Discovery: How to Blame the Victim - William Ryan 3. Where Do We Go From Here? - Martin Luther King, Jr. SECTION II: THE FRAGMENTATION OF SOCIAL LIFE 4. The Fragmentation of Social Life: Some Critical Societal Concerns for the New Millennium - D. Stanley Eitzen 5. Capitalism, Class, and the Matrix of Domination - Allan G. Johnson 6. Consumer Culture: An Interview With Juliet Schor - Douglas B. Holt SECTION III: THE GLOBAL FRAGMENTATION OF SOCIAL LIFE 7. Neoliberalism as Creative Destruction - David Harvey 8. Poverty and Inequality in the Global Economy - Michael D. Yates 9. The Making of International Migrants - Saskia Sassen SECTION IV: MEDIA 10. The New Media Giants: Changing Industry Structure - David Croteau and William Hoynes 11. Reviving Lolita? A Media Literacy Examination of Sexual Portrayals of Girls in Fashion Advertising - Debra Merskin 12. Tripping Up Big Media - Gail Beckerman V. WORK 13. America Transformed: Globalization, Inequality and Power - Gary Hytrek and Kristine Zentgraf 14. 21st Century Slaves - Andrew Cockburn 15. "Aqui estamos y no nos vamos!" Global Capital and Immigrant Rights - William Robinson VI. EDUCATION 16. Constructively Challenging Diverse Inner-City Youth's Beliefs About Educational and Career Barriers and Supports - Margo A. Jackson, et. al. 17. The Paradox of Poverty Narratives: Educators Struggling With Children Left Behind - Cynthia I. Gerstl-Pepin 18. Ideological Success, Educational Failure?: On the Politics of No Child Left Behind - Michael W. Apple VII. HEALTH CARE 19. Pills, Power, People: Sociological Understanding of the Pharmaceutical Industry - Joan Busfield 20. Tango Immigrants in New York City: The Value of Social Reciprocities - Anahi Viladrich VIII. POVERTY AND SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY 21. Welfare Reform in the United States: Gender, Race and Class Matter - Mimi Abramovitz 22. An Understanding of Poverty From Those Who Are Poor - Stephanie Baker Collins 23. Child Labor in Bangladesh: Are Children the Last Economic Resource of the Household? - Claire Salmon IX. CRIMINAL JUSTICE 24. Crime - Michael Tonry 25. Prison Health and the Health of the Public: Ties That Bind - Natasha H. Williams 26. The Global Impact of Gangs - John M. Hagedorn X. ENVIRONMENT 27. Nature's Trust: A Legal, Political, and Moral Frame for Global Warming - Mary Christina Wood 28. Katrina and Power in America - Peter Dreier 29. Integrating Environmental Justice and the Precautionary Principle in Research and Policy Making: The Case of Ambient Air Toxics Exposures and Health Risks Among Schoolchildren in Los Angeles - Rachel Morello-Frosch, Manuel Pastor Jr., and James Sadd XI. WAR AND VIOLENCE 30. Poverty, Inequality and Youth Violence - Ronald C. Kramer 31. Learning War/Learning Race: Fourth-Grade Students in the Aftermath of September 11th in New York City - Maria Kromidas 32. Combat Casualties and Race: What Can We Learn From the 2003-2004 Iraq Conflict - Brian Gifford