Social Problems

Joel Best, author of the best-selling Damned Lies and Statistics, and new coauthor Brian Monahan offer a fresh approach to the social problems course. Rather than overloading students with details and data, the book focuses on how and why particular conditions come to be constructed as social problems. Each chapter explores a different stage of the construction process, ending with a rich case study that applies the concepts to a contemporary issue. In this way, the authors equip students with the tools needed to analyze any social problem they encounter in the media.

New to this edition:

• Short, boxed features in every chapter tackle current issues such as the controversy over Drag Queen Story Hour, pharmaceutical pollution, and the concussion crisis in youth sports.
• All-new end-of-chapter case studies apply the topic of the chapter to hot-button issues like abortion policy after Dobbs v. Jackson and the rise of cancel cultures.
• A thoroughly updated Chapter 5 on the media includes a new discussion of news values and how these criteria have changed due to the shift to digital delivery. A new end-of-chapter case explores The Blame Game, or how the media not only distribute claims but can also become the target of claims.