Social Problems, Social Issues, Social Science

Sociology has tackled some of the most formidable problems that confront contemporary society: inequality, homelessness, violence, gender, and many more. Sociologists assert that hypotheses can be formulated and tested against empirical evidence, that faulty viewpoints can be uncovered and discarded, and that plausible theory can be distinguished from mere ideology. This collection was written over a span of forty-four years and is presented in the belief that sociology is a science.In Social Problems, Social Issues, Social Science, James D. Wright presents his research on some of the social issues that have most vexed America: homelessness, addiction, divorce, minimum wage, and gun control, among others. Starting with essays first published in the flagship journal Society, Wright offers readers a foundational look at specific social problems and the methods sociologists have used to study them. He then provides an up-to-date re-examination of each issue, analysing the changes that have occurred over time and how sociologists have responded to it.This book is both a retrospective on the field and on one scholar's life and work. Using his own experience in researching and writing about America's most trenchant social issues, Wright describes the evolution of the methods and theory used by social scientists to understand and, ultimately, to confront America's most troublesome social problems.

Contents Preface: Nor Commit a Social Science . . . Acknowledgements 1 Public Opinion and the War in Vietnam Introduction Life, Time, and the Fortunes of War In Retrospect 2 America's Homeless Introduction The Worthy and Unworthy Homeless In Retrospect Address Unknown: Homelessness inContemporary America In Retrospect Science, Passion and Polemics In Retrospect 3 The Minimum Wage Introduction Minimum Wage, Maximum Hokum In Retrospect 4 Popular Science and Social Science Introduction Popular Science, Social Science, Metaphor, and Deception In Retrospect 5 Guns in America Introduction Ten Essential Observations on Guns in America Kids, Guns and Killing Fields In Retrospect 6 Handsome Guys Don't Commit Crimes Introduction Never Pick a Fight with an Ugly Person, They've Got Nothing to Lose In Retrospect 7 America's Divorce Problem Introduction America's Divorce Problem In Retrospect Marriage Matters: A Report to Our Respondents 8 Small Towns in Mass Society Introduction Small Towns, Mass Society, and the 21st Century In Retrospect 9 Sober Up, Take a Shower, Get a Job Introduction Sobering Up on the Streets How Can We Stay Sober In Retrospect 10 Food, Glorious Food Introduction Food Deserts: What is the Problem, What is the Solution? In Retrospect 11 Social Science in Review Introduction Daniel Yankelovich, New Rules: Searching for Self Fulfillment in a World Turned Upside Down In Retrospect Seymour M. Lipset and William Schneider, The Confidence Gap In Retrospect Wayne LaPierre, Guns, Crime, and Freedom In Retrospect John Shelton Reed, Dixie Bohemia: A French Quarter Circle in the 1920s In Retrospect Index