Social Problems
Meggan Jordan, MA megganj@ufl.edu
PhD Candidate
Department Of Sociology
University of Florida
Office Location: Turlington #3309
Office Hours: Tuesday 2:45-4:00
Thursday 12:30-1:30
I am available any time before/after
class if appt is made in advance over
email
Course: SYG 2010
Section #: 3370
Semester: Spring 2011
Room: PSY 0151
Day: Tues/Thur
Time: 1:55-2:45 (Tues) / 1:55-3:50 (Thur)
Period: 7 (Tues) / 7-8 (Thur)
Course Description:
This course is a study in social problems that exist in modern capitalist societies. Social problems will
be examined through a filter of race, class, nation, gender, and disability. In the first part of the course, we will
focus on the analysis of ideas, understanding how problems are constructed, and the sociological approach to
problems. Then we will conduct an analysis of everyday life; where we explore why problems do not get solved
and why social problems like homelessness and labor exploitation persist. The last third of the course we will
strategize about what changes we can make changes in our local community to lessen social problems.
Course Goals:
This class will do several things to enhance your understanding of the social world.
1. To understand how invisible social structures shape the dynamics of our personal lives
2. We will ask the question “when do personal troubles become larger social problems, and when do
problems become issues that only ‘others’ experience?”
3. We will discuss how the idea of the “social problem” has changed over time and space, why some
problems receive media exposure and others do not, and how some problems are not really
“problems” at all.
4. We will critique efforts to achieve social justice, particularly in the areas of education, homelessness,
poverty, drugs, and disability.
5. We will explore how the sociological concepts of difference, dominance, oppression, and power
affect people’s lives.
6. We will learn about social institutions and social policies that create, solve, or exacerbate social
problems.
Course websites: Bookmark these links!
E-learning in Sakai: https://lss.at.ufl.edu/ - this will be used only for grades and (possibly) the final exam.
We are all new to this system, so please be patient.
Course Blog: http://www.ufsocialproblems.wordpress.com – this course blog will serve as a reference guide,
bulletin board, or discussion forum. Look to this site to download updated assignments and the syllabus. I
will make postings about websites you can visit that flesh out the articles we read every day. These website
readings are not required, but they will likely give you more knowledge for writing the paper and/or your
reading notes. We may also bring up the website material in class discussions. If you have a Wordpress
account, you can SUBSCRIBE to the blog to get automatic updates by email whenever I make a new post.
Webmail: https://webmail.ufl.edu/- I will send out updates regarding class emergencies or cancellations via
your UF webmail account
1
Hierarchy of Knowledge Application in this Course
In this class we will walk down several of the following paths to acquiring knowledge:
1) Effective Citizenship in the form of a class community action.
2) Critical thinking by sifting through the claims made by institutions, “the experts,” or researchers.
3) Writing and synthesizing what you have learned in this course, through an essay exam & a journal.
4) Analyzing controversies surrounding social problems, through debates in class.
5) Exploring assumptions about your everyday world, through class films & activities.
Higher
Order
Critical Thinking (objective and subjective), through a variety of approaches in which students
investigate arguments, engage in research, gather data, perform qualitative and quantitative
analysis, and assess conclusions.
Effective Citizenship, ability to identify issues; evaluate and respect various opinions and
values; and articulate one’s own perspective.
Writing (formal and informal), on which the instructor comments, used to explore substantial
problems in the subject area and report the results of critical and creative thinking.
Oral Expression in the classroom through discussion, group and individual reports, and other
activities that provide students opportunities to share creative work, describe research, or explore
important issues.
Analysis of Controversies concerning the subject matter of the course in which students
investigate concepts and hypotheses open to question.
Exploration of Assumptions underlying beliefs and concepts relevant to course content and of
processes for examining those assumptions, so that students understand and establish control
over those ideas they bring to their study of subject matter.
Understanding Origins, Bases and Consequences of Intellectual Bias through which
students will understand the particular perspective on the world employed in the academic
discipline of the course.
Consideration of Human Diversity appropriate to the subject matter of the course.
Lower
Order
Memorization of Pre-determined Definitions, and perhaps thinking of a way that the
definition is realized in your own life.
Required Texts:
The Wire – Season 4. You may buy this from the seller of your choice (Half, Amazon, iTunes, Best Buy). If
you wish to avoid SPOILERS from Seasons 1-3, I suggest you sign up for another section of the course. If
you prefer not to watch shows with violence, profanity, and a dark message, I suggest you sign up for another
course.
There is NO textbook for this course! All readings are available for free on the UF library’s e-reserve system
called ARES (see instructions on page 3)
Recommended Texts:
There is a course pack. You are not required to buy the course pack, but I strongly encourage you to do so
since many of the articles in it will be shorter.
The course pack is available at Orange & Blue Bookstore. Address: 309 NW 13th Street. Gainesville, FL,
32601. Phone: (352) 375-2707
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Instructions for accessing the free readings on ARES:
If you are accessing off campus:
1. Go to the UF library’s website http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/
2. Click on the green button that says “Off Campus Access”
3. Enter your gator link account & password. You should see a note that says you are successfully
logged in to the library’s proxy server.
4. Click on “Smathers libraries” (library west)
5. From the library’s homepage, click on “course reserves”
6. This will take you to the e-reserve site, ARES. If you are new to ARES, create a new account. If you
are not new, enter your ARES ID and password.
7. Once in ARES, under “student tools” click “search classes”
8. Search by department (sociology) or search by my last name (JORDAN)
9. You will see our course name and section (3370), click “add class”
10. Click on “main menu” and then click on the class you just added. This should take you to the
readings, of which most are in adobe PDF format. Sometimes they link to a website.
11. A final note: always be sure that you use the “proxy log-in” function, or you will not be able to view
the files!
Possible Points & Grading Scale:
Sociological Voice Journal
25
Quizzes
35
Attendance
75
Day of Action
65
Instructor Eval/Self Eval (10)
DOA Attendance (5)
DOA Assignments (50)
Final Exam
50
Total
250
93 – 100
90 – 92
87 – 89
83 – 86
80 – 82
77 – 79
73 – 76
70 – 72
67 – 69
63 – 66
60 – 62
59 and below
a
ab+
b
bc+
c
cd+
d
df (e)
232 – 250
224 – 231
217 – 223
207 – 216
200 – 206
192 – 199
182 – 191
174 – 181
167 – 173
157 – 166
149 – 156
148 and below
a
ab+
b
bc+
c
cd+
d
df (e)
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
____________________________________________________
Sociological Voice Journal (10%)
This is a free-response journal designed to develop your sociological voice. I will check on your journal
progress throughout the semester. Ideally, this assignment should enhance your ability to write
sociologically—a necessary skill for the final exam. In fact, some journal assignments can be used in the short
answers for the final exam. Please refer to the document “Sociological Voice Journal” on the course blog for
exercises that you can try out in this assignment. Ideally you should have about 4-6 journal entries at the end
of the semester.
Reading quizzes (14%)
We will have reading quizzes each week throughout the semester. These quizzes are designed to help you
grasp concepts we encounter in readings. All quizzes are open note, and will consist of a multiple choice
question and/or a short answer response. You will take the quizzes on Sakai. The quiz question will be
available after the class (Tuesday at 3:00), and will close on when Thursday’s class begins (Thursday at 1:55).
Hence, you may need to read earlier to give yourself time to take the quiz (which shouldn’t take you more
than 20 minutes). I will drop ONE (lowest) quiz grade.
Remember:
 Each reading will have a corresponding quiz question that you will answer on Sakai
 Each quiz will be worth 2-3 points
 Quizzes will be due PRIOR to the class time in which we discuss the reading
 You will have 36 hours to take each quiz
 I will drop your lowest quiz grade.
3
Attendance (30%)
Are you planning on coming to class? Are you planning on staying the ENTIRE class period? If the answer is
“no” to both, you cannot pass this course. My logic for this is based on respect: if I have to be in class every
day, I expect the same of you! Attendance will be taken randomly throughout the semester. Sometimes I may
pass around a sign-in sheet, other times I may ask you to participate in an indefinite number of unannounced
in-class activities. These activities will consist of group-work or individual work. Activities will be used as
time to think beyond the lectures/readings that are given. Attendance or in-class activities can take place on any
day of the week (Tues/Thurs), any time throughout the 17-week semester. So, please: do not ask “will you be
taking attendance today?” Unless you want to put me in a cranky mood. If you are worried about missing
class, see the note on page 5.
5 Day of Action Papers
These short assignments are designed to lay the groundwork for the final day of action assignment. Some will
be individual work, some will be group work. More detailed instructions can be found on the “Day of Action
Assignment Sheet” located on the course blog. Because collaboration is key for the success of the Day of
Action, you will share you work with the class. Post these assignments in the comments of the course blog –
hard copies are not necessary.
Remember:
 Turn appropriate assignment in on the day it is due on the syllabus
 Instructions are given to you on the first day of class, but as each deadline approaches I will discuss it in more
detail.
 The maximum possible points for each assignment is 10 points. I will take points off if I detect laziness or lack of
ability to follow instructions!
 Post assignment on course blog – share your work & save paper!
Class Project: Day of Action (26%)
Every generation changes the world. Yet every generation’s ideas for social change have been discounted or
discredited. This final project – which is really an on-going “project” in the rich history of student protest – is
designed as a sanctuary away from the restrictive, silencing aspects of an education that ignores your own
visions for a just society.
The focus of this assignment is on change and the central question for this assignment is “what immediate
actions can I take to effect personal and social change, either locally or nationwide?” As a class, we will come
to a consensus on an issue and organize a “day of action.” The rising costs of higher education have been the
subject of concern in past classes, but you are not limited to this topic. Other ideas may include:




Block tuition
Homelessness in Gainesville
Cuts in Bright Futures
Environmental concerns in the Gainesville area (superfund sites, ect)
We will use class time for the event to plan for this day of action, which will occur on Thursday, April 14.
However, you will plan for it throughout the semester on your own time. Occasionally we will use class time
as strategy sessions for our day of action.
EVERYONE will participate in some form, whether researching the topic, presenting historical facts,
offering reasonable solutions, delivering a list of demands, choosing activities/tactics, creating videos, making
flyers and petitions, writing letters to the editor, contacting the media, or motivating the class on the
importance of the issue.
Day of Action Assignments – 50 points
Grade yourself on your participation – 5 points
Instructor Assessment of your activity – 5 points
Present on Day of Action – 5 points
Total: 65 points
4
1 take-home short answer/essay exam (20%)
This is a take-home short answer/essay exam. The purpose of this is exam is to engage higher-order thinking
and synthesize abstract concepts--NOT to repeat memorized definitions back to me and quote directly from
the lecture notes. You will answer 5 short answer questions, asking you to think sociologically, citing
readings/films and/or outside sources. I will release the questions on e-learning. You will have a week to
complete the questions. You will upload your exam to Sakai by 12:00 PM Thursday, April 28, but I encourage
you to turn in the exam earlier so that you can have a longer holiday break! 
UNIVERSITY POLICIES
____________________________________________________
Incomplete Grade Policy for CLAS
"I" grades should be assigned only after the instructor and the student have explicitly arranged,
before the final exam for the course, to have the student complete exams or other required course work after
the semester is over. The "I" arrangement should be used only when the student is doing passing work ("D"
or better) in the course at the time of the arrangement.
Late Assignments and Missed classes
I am aware that you will sometimes miss
Dean of Students Office:
class. If you’re having a rough semester (chronic
illness, chronic funerals, chronic alien abductions),
If you have an ongoing problem or a concern, I will ask
contact me before it gets worse. Then we’ll talk. But
you to go to the Dean of Students office to speak with a
in the end, since we now live an average of 75
counselor there. I also might ask for a dated
years, life usually doesn’t throw the worst of its
prescription, doctor’s note, air fare receipt, funeral
crap (i.e. multiple catastrophes) at us during a 17program, or automotive service receipt.
week period.
Excused absences include: illness, serious
“Students that experience a family or personal
family emergencies, special curricular
emergency (death in the family, unplanned
requirements (e.g: field trips, professional
hospitalization, etc.) may contact the Dean of Students
conferences), military obligation, severe weather
Office and request notification letters be sent to their
conditions, religious holidays and participation in
professors. Letters will be sent if the situation will result
social university activities such as music
in the student being absent for three or more days.
performances, student government obligations,
Students are required to provide faculty members with
athletic competition or debate. Absences from
appropriate documentation to support their absence
class for court-imposed legal obligations (e.g., jury
unless, due to the nature of the issue, the information is
duty or subpoena) are excused.
provided to and verified by the Dean of Students
Unexcused absences include, but are not
Office.”
limited to: family vacations, sleeping in, tutoring
for another class, appointments with academic
The Dean of Students Office
advisors, events for your frat/sorority, or reality
202 Peabody Hall
TV show appearances.
PO Box 114075
If you miss a quiz or attendance check for
Phone:
(352) 392-1261
any reason, I expect that when you miss class, you
Open
Monday
– Friday 8am - 5pm
do so for legitimate reasons (i.e. Swine Flu). I
don’t want to know all of the details of why you
are absent. If you miss class, I expect you to get
the lecture notes from someone else in class.
Accommodations for students with disabilities:
You have an instructor who greatly understands how a disability can impact your life at school.
Please let me know if I can help in any way. Any student requesting classroom accommodation must first
register with the dean of students office. The Dean of Students office will provide documentation to the
student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodation.
(reprinted from http://www.ir.ufl.edu/fac_handbook/syllabi.htm).
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Disability Resource Center
0020 Reid Hall
Gainesville, FL 32612
Phone: (352) 392-8565
Open Monday - Friday
8am - 5pm
http://www.dso.u_.edu/drc/
UF Reading & Writing Center
SW Broward Hall Teaching
Center
Gainesville, FL 32612
Phone: (352) 392-6420
Email: reading-writing@ufl.edu
Open Monday - Friday
9am - 5pm
Mental Health Center
Counseling and Wellness Center
3190 Radio Rd.
Phone: (352) 392-1575
Mon- Thur 8:00am - 7:00pm
Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm
https://www.counseling.ufl.edu/
cwc/
Classroom Environment & Participation
Attendance is not the same as participation. Attendance is “just showing up.” “Participation,” meanwhile,
means staying awake, making eye contact, taking notes, raising your hand, asking questions (in class or after
class), respectfully voicing your opinion, and illustrating your engagement with the readings. Three important
points about this course requirement:




Facebooking/texting in class demonstrates poor class participation, and disrespects my work as a teacher.
Laptops are not allowed during lecture days or film days, out of respect for fellow students
Please SILENCE cell phones
I take student complaints about classroom behavior very seriously. Leave stories about your sexual conquests, drug
escapades, and drinking binges in the frat house.
It is difficult to talk about controversial social issues without offending people. Our class topics
inevitably have a profound impact on our lives and are therefore likely to have a great deal of emotional
significance to each of us. Hence the only prerequisites for this course include maturity and respect. Come to
class with an open mind. You must “try on” ideas but you don’t have to buy them.
I encourage you to debate issues; however, in order to create a safe learning environment for all, I
expect such debates to take place in a calm, non-derogatory and reasonable manner. If at any point I should
feel that a student is being disrespectful to me or another student(s) I reserve the right to ask you to leave the
classroom.
Academic Honesty:
All students admitted to UF have signed an academic honesty statement committing them to be
honest in all academic work and failure to comply with this commitment will result in disciplinary action. Any
students caught cheating on a quiz or homework assignment will receiving a failing grade for the assignment,
or at the instructor’s discretion, a failing grade in the course. All incidents of possible cheating will be
reported to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs. I have caught MANY students so don’t try it!
Important Dates:
Last Day Of Drop/Add: Jan 11 @ 11:59 Pm
Withdrawal With No Fee: Jan 11
Fee Payments: Jan 14 By 3:30pm
Withdrawal, 25% Refund: Jan 28
Withdrawal With “W”: April 8
Classes End: April 20
Reading Days (No Classes): April 21-22
Final Exams: April 23, 25-29
Holidays: Jan 17 (MLK)
March 5-12 (Spring Break)
6
Date
Topic Question
Readings
Assignment Due
Part I: Thinking Sociologically about Social Problems
Thur, Jan 6
Tue, Jan 11
Thur, Jan 13
Tue, Jan 18
Thur, Jan 20
Tue, Jan 25
Thur, Jan 27
Tue, Feb 1
Thur, Feb 3
Tue, Feb 8
Thur, Feb 10
Week 1: Welcome!
First Day
 Read: the syllabus
Week 2: Introduction to Sociology
The Sociological Imagination
 Read: The Promise (Mills)
…continued
 Read: Sociology, or Imaginative Reflections from Empirically
Damaged Life (Dandaneau)
Week 3: The Sociological Perspective on Social Problems
Sociological Perspective on Social
 Read: The Sociological Approach To Social Problems (Eitzen)
Problems
…continued
 Read: Social Problems in the Postmodern Era (Simon)
Week 4: The Wire’s Perspective on Social Problems
How does The Wire View SPs?
 Watch: David Simon Interview Part I (Moyers)
What did I just watch?
 The Wire Season 4 Episode 1 (we will watch in class)
Week 5: How Institutions Use Magical Thinking
What are The Wire’s major themes?
 Watch: The Wire Season 4 Episode 2 (watch at home)
…continued
 Watch: The Wire Season 4 Episode 3
 Read: Magical Numbers (Best)
Week 6: the Meritocracy Myth
 Watch: The Wire Season 4 Episode 4
How much of one’s success is based  Read: The Luck Factor (McNamee & Miller)
on merit?
Practice Reading Quiz
Reading Quiz 1
Reading Quiz 2
Reading Quiz 3
DOA Paper #1
Reading Quiz 4
Reading Quiz 5
Part II: Constructing Social Problems & Moral Panics
Tue, Feb 15
Thur, Feb 17
Tue, Feb 22
Thur, Feb 24
Tue, Mar 1
Week 7: Introduction to Social Construction
 Watch: The Wire Season 4 Episode 5
How can we understand the life cycle  Read: Constructing a Social Problem (Griswold)
of social problems?
 Optional: Constructing the Need for “Low Fat” Food (Austin)
Week 8: Constructing Drugs
 Watch: The Wire Season 4 Episode 6
How do policies designed to solve
 Read: Constructing a War On Drugs (Reinarman)
one problem cause another?
 Read: Ronald Reagan’s Radio Address to the Nation on Federal
Drug Policy
Week 9: Constructing Disability
 Watch: The Wire Season 4 Episode 7
7
Journal Check
Reading Quiz 6
DOA Paper #2
Reading Quiz 7
DOA Paper #3
Thur, Mar 3
How does culture disable or enable
us?

Read: The Social Construction of Disability (Wendell)
Reading Quiz 8
Week 10: Spring Break
Tue, Mar 8
Thur, Mar 10
Have a safe & happy spring break!
Part III: Class & Power/Justice & Change
Tue, Mar 15
Thur, Mar 17
Tue, Mar 22
Thur, Mar 24
What social problems will we address
in our community?
Why do inner city schools resemble
prisons and elite colleges resemble
resorts?


Week 11: Social Change I
Watch: The Wire Season 4 Episode 8
No Readings - Day of action planning
Week 12: The Ideology of Education
 Watch: The Wire Season 4 Episode 9
 Read: Against School (Gato)
 Optional: Valedictorian Speech (Goldson)
Week 13: Power/Authority
 Watch: The Wire Season 4 Episode 10
 Read: Who Owns the Sun? (Zinn)
 Read: Invasion of the Home Snatchers (Taibbi)
 Watch: The Crisis in Credit (Youtube)
Week 14: More Game Metaphors
 Watch: The Wire Season 4 Episode 11
 Watch: The Wire Season 4 Episodes 12
 Read: Rigging the Game (Schwalbe)
 Optional: Who Rules America? (Domhoff)
Week 15: Social Change II
 Watch: The Wire Season 4 Episodes 13
 Meet outside! (to be announced)
Week 16: Review
 No Readings
Tue, Mar 29
Thur, Mar 31
What are the roots of inequality?
Tue, Apr 5
Thur, Apr 7
How is the game rigged?
Tue, Apr 12
Thur, Apr 14
Final thoughts on the Wire
Day of Action
Tue, Apr 19
Exam Review
Thur, Apr 21
No class – Reading Day

Thur, Apr 28
Final Exam

Final exam questions released on Sakai
Week 17: Final Exam
Upload final exam answers on Sakai by 12:00 PM
DOA Paper #4
Journal Check
Reading Quiz 9
Reading Quiz 10
Reading Quiz 11
Final Journal Check
DOA Paper #5
& Self Evaluation
Final Exam Due
The instructor is allowed to amend the schedule and syllabus at any time, but she will tell you if she does. Films may change, readings may change, guest lecturers may be
scheduled, or classes may be cancelled. Deadlines will always be extended, never moved up.
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