AMST 2070

Social Problems in the United States

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2019-2020.

"Social Problems in the U.S." introduces the causes, consequences, and possible solutions of major issues facing U.S. society today. Students learn how social problems are defined and contested in the public sphere, and how various perspectives reflect underlying debates about social norms and values. Through readings, lectures, in-class discussion, and writing assignments, students explore a range of social problems in depth, such as: childhood poverty, racial segregation and discrimination, crime, civil and human rights abuses, job insecurity, family instability, discrimination by sexual identity, unequal pay for women's work, and gender imbalances in family life. Students study the historical and social roots of these various issues, bringing into focus how individual experiences and choices are embedded within a broader social structure.

When Offered Fall.

• Explain when, how, and why claims about social issues form in the public sphere.
• Evaluate claims about social problems with evidence, and identify assumptions and biases that could threaten the validity of those claims.
• Recognize how policies, institutions, values, and ideas impact how issues are formed, understood, and addressed in societies.
• Assess how dynamics of class, race, gender, and other socially constructed hierarchies contribute to social issues.

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