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Social Problems, 14th edition

Published by Pearson (June 13, 2018) © 2018

  • D Stanley Eitzen Colorado State University
  • Kelly Eitzen Smith University of Arizona
  • Maxine Baca Zinn Michigan State University

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For courses in Social Problems.

Examine social problems via a coherent sociological framework

Social Problems examines social structure and the underlying features of the social world in order to help students understand the problems of society. Employing a consistently sociological approach, authors D. Stanley Eitzen, Maxine Baca Zinn and Kelly Eitzen Smith explain how social problems are interrelated, and highlight society's role in their creation and perpetuation.

The 14th Edition has been updated with coverage of major events of the last several years in order to help students achieve a balanced understanding of contemporary social problems.

Hallmark features of this title

  • Voices features provide the personal views of those affected by a social problem.
  • A Closer Look features elaborate on specific topics in detail.
  • Social Problems in Global Perspective features illustrate how other societies deal with particular social problems.
  • Social Policy features look at policy issues and highlight social policies that work to alleviate particular social problems.
  • Looking Toward the Future features examine trends concerning the social problems under consideration at the beginning of a new millennium.
  • Speaking to Students features address issues especially pertinent to college students.

New and updated features of this title

  • NEW: The 14th Edition has been updated to reflect major events of the last several years, as well as a number of significant recent trends. New and updated content centers on the following topics, among others:
    • Expanded discussion of the concentration of corporate wealth
    • Campus incidents of racism
    • Transgender and intersex issues
    • Marijuana legalization: lessons from Colorado
    • The growing gap between the rich and poor

Highlights of the DIGITAL UPDATE for Revel (available for Spring 2021 classes)

Instructors, contact your sales rep to ensure you have the most recent version of the course.

  • UPDATED: Data-rich interactive maps, figures, and tables with Social Explorer technology let students interact with real data to explore key concepts. For the Digital Update, all have been updated with the latest available data.
  • UPDATED: Current Event Bulletins bring currency into your classroom with author-written articles that connect key concepts with real-life current events. New articles include “Deepfakes and Dark Money,” “June 2020 Protests” and “COVID-19 and Race.”
  • NEW: Revised material throughout the text reflects the latest events and trends. Highlights include:
    • the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements to address sexual harassment
    • the rising use of e-cigarettes and the FDA's investigations into e-cigarette-related deaths
    • the future of the Affordable Care Act

Features of Revel for the 14th Edition; published 2017

  • The Pearson Originals docuseries is a series of high-quality social impact videos that exemplify and humanize key sociological concepts. These videos help students connect with stories on a personal level, view people with greater empathy and contextualize core concepts.

PART I: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS

  1. The Sociological Approach to Social Problems
  2. Wealth and Power. The Bias of the System

PART II: PROBLEMS OF PEOPLE, LOCATION, AND THE ENVIRONMENT

  1. World Population and Global Inequality
  2. Demographic Changes in the United States. The Browning and Graying of Society
  3. Problems of Place. Urban, Suburban, and Rural
  4. Threats to the Environment

PART III: PROBLEMS OF INEQUALITY

  1. Poverty
  2. Racial and Ethnic Inequality
  3. Gender Inequality
  4. Disability and Ableism

PART IV: SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND INDIVIDUAL DEVIANCE

  1. Crime and Justice
  2. Drugs

PART V: INSTITUTIONAL PROBLEMS

  1. The Economy and Work
  2. Families
  3. Education
  4. The Health Care System
  5. National Security in the Twenty-First Century

PART VI: SOLUTIONS

  1. Progressive Plan to Solve Social Problems

About our authors

Stanley Eitzen (Ph.D. University of Kansas) is professor emeritus in sociology from Colorado State University, where previously he was the John N. Stern Distinguished Professor. Among his books are Social Problems (with Maxine Baca Zinn and Kelly Eitzen Smith) and Diversity in Families (with Maxine Baca Zinn and Barbara Wells), both of which received McGuffey Awards from the Text and Academic Authors Association for excellence and longevity over multiple editions. He is also the author and co-author of 4 Solutions to Social Problems volumes with Allyn & Bacon; Paths to Homelessness: Extreme Poverty and the Urban Housing Crisis (with Doug A. Timmer and Kathryn Talley); Sociology of North American Sport (with George H. Sage); and Fair and Foul: Rethinking the Myths and Paradoxes of Sport. He has served as the president of the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport and as editor of The Social Science Journal.

Maxine Baca Zinn (Ph.D. University of Oregon) is Professor Emeritus in sociology at Michigan State University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Oregon. Her main research interests are racial inequality, gender and family life. She is the author and co-author of many other books, including Diversity in Families (with D. Stanley Eitzen and Barbara Wells), Social Problems (with D. Stanley Eitzen and Kelly Eitzen Smith), Women of Color in U.S. Society, Gender Through the Prism of Difference and Globalization: The Transformation of Social Worlds. In 2000, she received the ASA Jessie Bernard Career Award.

Kelly Eitzen Smith received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Arizona. She is currently the director of the Center for Applied Sociology and a lecturer at the University of Arizona. At the Center for Applied Sociology, she has conducted research in the areas of day labor, homelessness, poverty, urban housing and neighborhood development. Her sociological interests include gender, family, sexuality, stratification and social problems. She is also the co-author of Experiencing Poverty (with D. Stanley Eitzen) and Social Problems (with D. Stanley Eitzen and Maxine Baca Zinn).

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