@article{Niemonen_2010, place={Washington DC: American Sociological Association.}, title={Social Problems: Sociology 150}, url={https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/social-problems-sociology-150}, abstractNote={On the surface, identifying and describing social problems appears relatively easy. All of us are aware of problems such as crime, delinquency, unemployment, poverty, sexism, racism, inequitable health care, pollution, alcohol and drug abuse, and AIDS; and most of us will agree that they require some form of public attention. However, these conditions do not in and of themselves constitute social problems. Defining social problems is problematic; and, the conditions themselves are imprecise and ambiguous. For example, what is it that makes crime a social problem? Is it the absolute number of crimes committed over a given time period? Is it the type of crimes that are committed? Is it an increase in the rate of some crimes? Is it because social policies are inefficient or don’t seem to work? Is it because some people are afraid they will be victimized? The position of this course is that whether some condition is considered a social problem or not is dependent on the values and assumptions of those examining it. Given conflicts over values and assumptions, conflicts over what is and what is not a social problem will occur as well. A social problem cannot be said to exist until it is defined as such by a large number of people. -- One of the major objectives of this course, then, is to demonstrate why we cannot take social problems for granted. The idea that social problems are conditions that exist by themselves will be abandoned in favor of a conception of them as claims-making activities. Individuals, who find some condition repugnant such as state-sanctioned gambling, will attempt to call attention to it. They will assert the need to eradicate, ameliorate, or otherwise change it. }, journal={TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology}, author={Niemonen, Jack}, year={2010}, month={Apr.} }