Social Problems: Community, Policy and Social Action

Praise for Anna Leon-Guerrero′s Social Problems:

"The book promises to be a very stimulating and empowering book for students on social problems...The strengths of this book are that students are not left with a menu of problems and all the depression and frustration that can carry. Just what we need to stimulate students into thought and action as opposed to memorization and regurgitation at test time."

                                                                                                         -Dr. Julia Glover Hall, Drexel University


"I really like the community based approach. It offers students examples they can actually get their minds around better than some of the more large scale or abstract discussions; and shows them practical applications that many are likely to see in their own careers… I think it offers a fresh perspective…, includes direct references to data resources not offered by other texts."

                                                                                          -Heather Feldhaus-Smith, Bloomsburg University


Terrorism. Poverty. Unemployment. AIDS. Crime. Drug abuse. Do any or all of these social problems exist in your community? What exactly is a social problem, and what policies and activities have been implemented to try and resolve them?

Anna Leon-Guerrero has written an accessible and insightful text which encourages students to play an active part in their own communities. By encouraging critical thinking and Internet research, students will come to recognize that social problems don′t just exist "somewhere else," but that they exist on their own campuses and in their own neighborhoods and communities.

• Each social problem is viewed through the Functionalist, Conflict, Interactionist, and Feminist perspectives to give students a full understanding of each issue
• "Voices in the Community" sections provide testimony from individuals that express personal experiences of social problems both as victims and help-givers
• Themes of race, class, and gender are integrated throughout the book to provide a multicultural perspective on social problems
• "Putting It Together" exercises within chapters encourage students to do further analysis in their own communities, on their own campuses, or on the Web
• "Taking a World View" boxes in chapters provide a comparative perspective on related social problems in other countries
• "Visual Essays" have been developed for each chapter to highlight a particular social problem or solution. In some essays, real families and individuals facing the problems under study in the chapter are introduced.

• Companion Student Study Site: http://www.pineforge.com/leonguerrerostudy offers unique learning tools such as electronic flash cards, interactive quizzes, Web site resources, a community policy guide and projects, along with service learning activities to encourage student awareness of effective community responses to social problems

Social Problems is a timely text that ties into recent discussions within the discipline on the commitment to "public sociology." This book takes students out of the classroom, away from their texts, and into their communities. It will serve as a vital and invaluable text for students in Social Problems courses in sociology or social work.

Visit our Web site at www.pineforge.com

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).