Social Problems: Continuity and Change

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Social Problems: Continuity and Change by Steve Barkan is a realistic but motivating look at the many issues that are facing our society today. As this book’s subtitle, Continuity and Change, implies, social problems are persistent, but they have also improved in the past and can be improved in the present and future, provided that our nation has the wisdom and will to address them. It is easy for students to read a social problems textbook and come away feeling frustrated by the enormity of the many social problems facing us today. Social Problems: Continuity and Change certainly does not minimize the persistence of social problems, but neither does it overlook the possibilities for change offered by social research and by the activities of everyday citizens working to make a difference. Readers of Steve Barkan’s book will find many examples of how social problems have been improved and of strategies that hold great potential for solving them today and in the future. You will find several pedagogical features help to convey the “continuity and change” theme of this text and the service sociology vision in which it is grounded: Each chapter begins with a “Social Problems in the News” story related to the social problem discussed in that chapter. These stories provide an interesting starting point for the chapter’s discussion and show its relevance for real-life issues. Three types of boxes in each chapter provide examples of how social problems have been changed and can be changed.

Material Type: Textbook

Author: Steven Barkan

Global Aging: Demography, Social Policy, and Human Rights: Reading list and Resources for Instructors

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This document contains course goals and objectives, a brief discussion of student assessment options, and a detailed list of readings and resources for a 16-week semester course. The course can be used to address two Academy of Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) competencies: Social Aspects of Aging, Research and Critical Thinking. Versions of this course have been taught to both undergraduate and graduate students in gerontology, public health, global studies, and social work. The conceptual framework used to select and organize course materials is the United Nations Principles for Older Persons. The first half of the course lays the foundation to understand population aging basics and relies heavily on sections of the Population Reference Bureau's, Population Handbook, as well as United Nations reports. The second half of the course focuses on the UN Principles for Older Persons, with readings related to each principle: Independence, Participation, Care, Dignity, and Self-Fulfillment. Two other UN frameworks introduced in the course are: WHO Active Aging Framework and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. A main message of the course is that the meaning of "older adulthood" is a product of society. It can and does change over time. Societies can choose to develop programs and policies that affirm the older adulthood stage of life or can stigmatize or ignore the life stage. Each approach has implications for all members of society.

Material Type: Syllabus

Author: Mercedes Bern-Klug