Global Problems, Global Solutions: Prospects for a Better World

Global Problems, Global Solutions: Prospects for a Better World approaches social problems from a global perspective with an emphasis on using one’s sociological imagination. Perfect for instructors who involve students in research, this text connects problems borne by individuals to regional, global and historical forces, and stresses the importance of evidence in forming opinions and policies addressing social issues. The Second Edition explores three broad themes--nourishing human capital, restoring civility, and sustaining natural and manufactured environments--as it examines the causes and consequences of a range of problems related to economic inequality, discrimination and persecution, war and violence, food production, population flows, health and longevity, the environment, and other issues that we encounter in our lives. The book concludes with a chapter on politics and government, underscoring the need for good governance at all levels–and cooperation among many layers of government–to build a better world.

 

JoAnn Chirico, emerita, received her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Pittsburgh.

While originally a doctoral candidate in education, she found that sociology provided the theoretical

tools to analyze the problems she investigated―the coincidence of the global rise of

both progressive and fundamentalist movements in education, religion, and other dimensions of

social life. Intrigued by Emile Durkheim’s pronouncement that individual differentiation would

proceed to such an extent that all we ultimately would have in common was our humanity, she

began her study of globalization―the integration of humanity into a social order.

Most of her career was at the Beaver campus of Pennsylvania State University, where she

emphasized the importance of research and evidence, the global perspective, and civic engagement

in her classes. She has presented workshops on internationalizing the curriculum and

engaging students in service learning at conferences over the years.

Her previous publications for SAGE include Sociological Research Exercises for the Global Age,

a lab manual of mini research exercises for introductory sociology courses, and Globalization:

Prospects and Problems.