Sociology of Social Problems 2100-SPP-L-D1SSPR
No.: 1
Title: Introduction (I)
Key topics: social problem, objectivism, subjectivism, social construction,
Literature: Chapter 1. The Social Problems Process [in] Best J. (2021). Social problems (Fourth). W.W. Norton & Company.
Additional literature: Wikipedia contributors. (2023, July 14). Social issue. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 13:51, July 14, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Social_issue&oldid=1165325260; Kulik, R. M. (2023. Social issue. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-issue
No.: 2
Title: Introduction (II)
Key topics: claim, claimsmakers, troubling condition, natural history
Literature: Chapter 1. The Social Problems Process [in] Best J. (2021). Social problems (Fourth). W.W. Norton & Company.
Additional literature: Malcolm Spector , John I. Kitsuse, Social Problems: A Re-Formulation, Social Problems, Volume 21, Issue 2, Autumn 1973, Pages 145–159, https://doi.org/10.2307/799536
No.: 3
Title: Claims (I)
Key topics: ground, warrant, conclusion, naming
Literature: Chapter 2. Claims [in] Best J. (2021). Social problems (Fourth). W.W. Norton & Company.
Additional literature: Nicholas Vargas and others, Race and Ideology in a Pandemic: White Privilege and Patterns of Risk Perception during COVID-19, Social Problems, Volume 70, Issue 1, February 2023, Pages 219–237, https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spab037
No.: 4
Title: Claims (II)
Key topics: audience, types of issues, social problems marketplace
Literature: Chapter 2. Claims [in] Best J. (2021). Social problems (Fourth). W.W. Norton & Company.
Additional literature: McCright, A. M., & Dunlap, R. E. (2000). Challenging global warming as a social problem: An analysis of the Conservative Movement’s Counter-Claims. Social Problems, 47(4), 499–522. https://doi.org/10.2307/3097132
No.: 5
Title: Claimsmakers: activists
Key topics: social movements, countermovments, framing, types of frames, resources, constituents
Literature: Chapter 3. Activists as Claimsmakers [in] Best J. (2021). Social problems (Fourth). W.W. Norton & Company.
Additional literature: Smelser, N. J. , Killian, . Lewis M. and Turner, . Ralph H. (2023). Social movement. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-movement
No.: 6
Title: Claimsmakers: experts
Key topics: medicalization, knowledge, science
Literature: Chapter 4. Experts as Claimsmakers [in] Best J. (2021). Social problems (Fourth). W.W. Norton & Company.
Additional literature: Alketa Peci, Camilo Ignacio González & Mauricio I. Dussauge-Laguna (2023) Presidential policy narratives and the (mis)use of scientific expertise: Covid-19 policy responses in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, Policy Studies, 44:1, 68-89, DOI: 10.1080/01442872.2022.2044021
No.: 7
Title: Test-1/The Media
Key topics: bias, primary claim, secondary claim, arena, audience segmentation, package
Literature: Chapter 5. The Media and Claims [in] Best J. (2021). Social problems (Fourth). W.W. Norton & Company.
Additional literature:
Alina Pavlova & Pauwke Berkers (2022) “Mental Health” as Defined by Twitter: Frames, Emotions, Stigma, Health Communication, 37:5, 637-647, DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2020.1862396
No.: 8
Title: Public opinion/Discussion on final essays
Key topics: public opinion, contemporary legend, joke cycle, policymaking, causal story
Literature: Chapter 6. Public Reaction [in] Best J. (2021). Social problems (Fourth). W.W. Norton & Company.; Chapter 7. Policymaking [in] Best J. (2021). Social problems (Fourth). W.W. Norton & Company.
Additional literature: Davison, W. Phillips (2023). Public opinion. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/public-opinion
No.: 9
Title: Social Problems Work (I)
Key topics: social problems workers
Literature: Chapter 9. Social Problems Work [in] Best J. (2021). Social problems (Fourth). W.W. Norton & Company.
Additional literature: Claire Laurier Decoteau , Paige L Sweet, Vaccine Hesitancy and the Accumulation of Distrust, Social Problems, 2023;, spad006, https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spad006
No.: 10
Title: Social Problems Work (II)
Key topics: street level bureaucracy
Literature: Chapter 10. Social Problems Work [in] Best J. (2021). Social problems (Fourth). W.W. Norton & Company.
Additional literature: Brodkin, E.Z. (2012), Reflections on Street-Level Bureaucracy: Past, Present, and Future. Public Admin Rev, 72: 940-949. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2012.02657.x
No.: 11
Title: Policy Outcomes
Key topics: social condition, social issue, evaluation research
Literature: Chapter 11. Policy Outcomes [in] Best J. (2021). Social problems (Fourth). W.W. Norton & Company.
Additional literature: J Scott Carter and others, Veiled Threats: Color-Blind Frames and Group Threat in Affirmative Action Discourse, Social Problems, Volume 66, Issue 4, November 2019, Pages 503–518, https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spy020
No.: 12
Title: Theoretical takes on social problems (I)/Discussion on final essays
Key topics:
Literature: Jamrozik, A., & Nocella, L. (1998). Introduction: Theoretical Perspectives on Social Problems. In The Sociology of Social Problems: Theoretical Perspectives and Methods of Intervention (pp. 1-16). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511819629.002
No.: 13
Title: Theoretical takes on social problems (II)
Key topics:
Literature: Jamrozik, A., & Nocella, L. (1998). Introduction: Theoretical Perspectives on Social Problems. In The Sociology of Social Problems: Theoretical Perspectives and Methods of Intervention (pp. 1-16). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511819629.002
No.: 14
Title: Submission of final essays
No.: 15
Title: Test-2
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
The student knows and understands at an advanced level the ways in which social and political institutions operate in specific areas of social and public policy, with particular emphasis on: education, public health, social assistance, housing, labor market, social security, family policy, migration and integration policy (K_W05)
The student knows and understands at an advanced level selected theories conceptualizing the relationship between the elements of the political process, characteristic of political science and administration - especially for the sub-discipline of social policy and public policy (K_W06)
The student knows and understands the normative and ethical conditions of scientific and practical activity in the field of social policy and public policy (K_W08)
The student is able to precisely identify the economic, social, economic and cultural determinants of specific social phenomena and apply approaches and theories in the interpretation of detailed relationships between phenomena (K_U03)
The student is able to prepare and present a written and oral presentation presenting a selected social problem, including a complex and unusual one, as well as propose solutions and justify them (K_U06)
The student is ready to plan and organize his work in the structures of larger teams - especially research teams carrying out complex research and implementation tasks - operating in an international and intercultural context, and to critically assess and take responsibility for the effects of this work, including for the social environment (K_K02)
The student is ready to critically evaluate the available information, including recognizing disinformation, propaganda and hate speech in the public debate (K_K03)
Assessment criteria
Students are required to pass two tests. The final grade will be based on the mark from the final essay. Students may have two absences. Each subsequent absence must be counted before the teacher. The total number of absences allowed is 4.
Practical placement
Do not apply.
Bibliography
The literature is provided in the detail description of the class.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: