Co-Instructors: Stephen Meyers and Tad Skotnicki
Instructor Email: sjmeyers@ucsd.edu; tskotnic@ucsd.edu
Prerequisites: None

Course Description: Everyday explanations about poverty, substance abuse, crime, and health have deep roots in social thought. And a variety of ìsolutionsî are offered for these problems during dinnertime conversations, in television news, and the political rhetoric often heard in election years. Through this course students will learn to think critically about a variety of social problems in our society and recognize both the social analysis and moral arguments underlying these issues. In examining the debates surrounding issues such as poverty, alcohol and drugs, crime, race and ethnicity, and our aging population and health care, students will learn to examine these issues in the context of the relevant personal, local and global dimensions. In addition, students will learn to dissect discourses drawn from newspaper articles and other popular sources along the lines of major sociological perspectives (structural functionalist, conflict, symbolic interaction) and ethical (utilitarian, natural law, contract) paradigms and be encouraged to form their own opinions and critiques.

Course Objectives: By the end of the course students will:

• Learn to develop a critical thinking approach to social problems
• Understand the personal, local and global dimensions of social problems
• Develop an understanding of the sociological perspectives related to dissecting social issues
• Develop an understanding of the ethical arguments underlying policies offered as solutions to social problems
• Recognize the social, moral, and empirical assumptions found in everyday media and be able to mount counterarguments from other perspectives
• Learn to utilize basic sociological research skills to gather the data necessary in developing a sound position on social problems

Expectations:

All students will be expected to engage in productive dialogue to aid the class in dissecting the various perspectives inherent in a variety of social problems. In doing so, it is essential that students respect the variety of attitudes and opinions presented in class, using arguments backed by firm, scientific data to engage in lively and fruitful debates. To reach these ends, class preparation and participation are essential. In addition, students will also have to work closely with their instructor-assigned research group.

Course Outline:

Week One:

Introductions.

What is Sociology? Why study Sociology? Social Problems? Social Justice/Ethics?

Social Problems - The "Big Picture" view.

Thinking about Social Problems. The Sociological Perspective.

Sociological & Social Justice Theoretical Perspectives.

Week Two:

Case Studies.

Health Care Distribution. Poverty Alleviation. Race and Discrimination. Drug Use.

Week Three:

Interviews. Field Visits. Student Projects.