Introduction to Social Problems (9th Edition)

For undergraduate survey courses in social problems.

 

Features an applied approach that looks at the interplay between research and policy in finding solutions, along with a built-in student study guide.

 

Sullivan’s Introduction to Social Problems explores the nature and extent of social problems, documents the advances and setbacks that we have made as a society, and analyzes what works and what doesn't work regarding solutions to today's problems. The author, an applied sociologist, shows how scientific research is used to address and correct some of the most difficult and controversial problems confronting the United States and the world today.

Thomas J. Sullivan is Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Social Work at Northern Michigan University , specializing in social psychology, research methods, applied sociology, and medical sociology. He earned his undergraduate degree in sociology from San Francisco State University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California at Santa Barbara . He is the author of Sociology: Concepts and Applications in a Diverse World, 8th ed. (Allyn and Bacon, 2009), Methods of Social Research ( Wadsworth , 2001), and Applied Sociology: Research and Critical Thinking (Allyn & Bacon, 1992); he is the co-author of Applied Social Research: Tool for the Human Services, 8th ed. (Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning, 2011). He has published articles in Social Science and Medicine and Humboldt Journal of Social Relations. His applied research has focused on evaluation research of social service delivery in elementary schools and of teen pregnancy prevention and intervention services. He has served in various elected and appointed positions for the American Sociological Association, the Society for Applied Sociology, and the Midwest Sociological Society.