Social Problems
Masai women attending a meeting
Course Description:
Students of this course will gain understanding of the causes of social problems and develop practical skills to help address them. Social problems that will be covered in the course include poverty, racial and gender inequalities, international conflict (especially in regards to Western nations and the Muslim world), environmental degradation, ineffective education, addiction, and crime.
Course Objectives:
- To analyze theoretical explanations of the causes of the social problems covered in the course.
- To apply and experience consensus building methods (that are part of the “participatory” paradigm) which help mobilize communities to address the social problems that are of most concern to them.
- To begin to address as a class the top priority for social change that the class together determines.
“If you want to know reality, you must try to change it” (Volken et al, 1982)
Teaching Philosophy:
An effective educational experience requires dialogue among students, with the instructor catalyzing and facilitating discussion. This teaching method 1) draws out the wide range perspectives in the class and furthers understanding of the subject and 2) builds relationships among class members based on mutual understanding. Honest dialogue will maximize our educational experience.
Discussion Topics:
Participatory Development and Social Change
Course Schedule & Reading List:
| Week 1 | August 20-24 | Introduction and participatory activities for social change (film)
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| Week 2 | August 27-31 | Continue participatory activities
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| Week 3 | September 4-7 | Conclude participatory activities and discussion
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| Week 4 | September 10-14 | Globalization and the international dependency system (film)
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| Week 5 | September 17–21 | Building an “Alliance of Civilizations” - An analysis of the Western-Muslim divide
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| Week 6 | September 24-28 | Racial inequality (film)
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| Week 7 | October 1-5 | Racial inequality
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| Week 8 | October 8-10 | Gender inequality (film)
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| Week 9 | October 15-19 | Gender inequality |
| Week 10 | October 22-26 | Environmental degradation |
| Week 11 | October 29- November 2 | Addiction (film and guest speaker) |
| Week 12 | November 5-9 | Addiction |
| Week 13 | November 12-16 | Crime (guest speakers) |
| Week 14 | November 19-21 | Crime |
| Week 15 | November 26-30 | Education (guest speakers) |
| Week 16 | December 3-7 | Education |
Final Exam and Paper Preparations
| 211.001 | 12/11 | T/TH | 10:00 – 12:00 |
| 211.002 | 12/12 | M/W | 5:30 – 7:30 |
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Library of quotes on/by:
- Gender and Development
- Race and Ethnicity
- Education
- Auguste Comte
- Emile Durkheim
- Max Weber
- Jean-Paul Sartre
- Post-Modernism
- Research Methods
- Social Theory
- Dependency Theory
- Karl Marx and Marxism
- Market Economics
- Socialism--Anarchism
- Participatory Community Development
- Negotiation / Facilitation/Mediation
- Architecture and Planning
- Comparative Development
- Constructing Social Theory
- Student Journals
- Environmental Protection
- Technology Transfer
Volunteer for a Community
Non-profit Organizations that Need Volunteers
Instructor's contact information:
Yossef Ben-Meir
Department of Sociology, Room 1057
University of New Mexico
MSC05 3080
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
email: soc101@unm.edu
Tel. (505) 277-0470 / Fax. (505) 277-8805
