Annual editions : sociology / edited by Kurl Finsterbuch

UNIT 1. Culture Part A. Special Cultural Issues 1. American Dreamers, Lisa Miller, Newsweek, July 30, 2007 A major cultural issue today is the place of Muslim Americans in America. They have been good citizens relative to other groups and think strongly of themselves as American. Now their situation is changing. Americans are becoming more suspicious of them and, according to a government study, radicalism is growing among Muslims in the West. Part B. American Culture and Cultural Change 2. The Atrophy of Social Life, D. Stanley Eitzen, Society, September/October 2004 Social interaction "is the basic building block of intimate relationships, small groups, formal organizations, communities, and societies. Therefore, Stanley Eitzen is concerned about numerous social trends which he reports "that hinder or even eliminate social interaction, and that indicate a growing isolation as individuals become increasingly separated from their neighbors, their co-workers, and even their family members." 3. Understanding American Worldview, J. LaVelle Ingram, Life in the USA, 2007 J. LaVelle Ingram created this article to explain to immigrants the peculiar worldview of the country they are adopting. It is contrasted with other worldviews and explains some important cultural differences between societies. Part C. Value Issues 4. Diversity within Unity: A New Approach to Immigrants and Minorities, The Communitarian Reader: Beyond the Essentials, Rowan & Littlefield, 2004 This statement signed by many communitarians seeks to assuage the increasing fear of impacts of immigration. It favors diversity of cultures within unity on shared core values. 5. The Dubious Value of Value-Neutrality, Stephen Balch, The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 16, 2006 Stephen Balch questions whether we should be value-neutral. Since all education serves many purposes besides imparting information, it can not be and should not be value-neutral. Universities should be open to all points of view, promote critical thinking, and favor views that are best supported by data and logical arguments. UNIT 2. Socialization and Social Control Part A. Influences on Personality and Behavior 6. The Laws of Chemistry, Helen Fisher, Psychology Today, May/June 2007 Can you explain why you love someone? Helen Fisher can. She says that "people generally fall in love with those of the same socioeconomic and ethnic background, of roughly the same age, with the same degree of intelligence and level of education, and with a similar sense of humor and grade of attractiveness," but that leaves millions of candidates. The key is the way your brain is wired through childhood experiences. 7. Altered Ego, Joann Ellison Rodgers, Psychology Today, November/December 2006 The good news is that you can change your personality. The bad news is that it takes hard work. The scientific news is that personality is not permanently set in childhood. 8. The New Sex Scorecard, Hara Estroff Marano, Psychology Today, July/August 2003 As everyone knows men and women are different. Recent research has greatly increased our understanding of these differences and Hara Estroff Marano reviews these differences including mental, sexual, health, emotional, and psychological. Part B. Crime, Law Enforcement, and Social Control 9. Fighting Crime, John J. Donohue, Milken Institute Review, First Quarter, 2005 It is amazing what conclusions we would come to about crime and punishment if we used economic logic as John Donohue shows in this article. We would stop building prisons, abolish the death penalty, expand the police force, adopt sensible gun controls, and legalize drugs among other things. 10. Reforming Juvenile Justice, Barry Krisberg, The American Prospect, September 2005 Barry Krisberg briefly reviews the history of the treatment of juveniles in the criminal justice system. When the children's court was created in 1899 it separated juveniles from adults and emphasized treatment rather than punishment. However, in the 1980s and1990s fear of a "crime bomb" lead to a tough on crime panic that reversed the treatment emphasis in juvenile justice. Recently the reform approach is making a comeback. 11. The Aggregate Burden of Crime, David A. Anderson, Journal of Law and Economics, October 1999 David Anderson makes a valiant effort to compute the annual costs of major types of crime and the net annual total costs of all crime which he claims exceeds $1 trillion or over $4000 per capita. Fraud and cheating on taxes costs Americans over 20 times the costs of theft, burglary, and robbery. UNIT 3. Groups and Roles in Transition Part A. Marriage and the Family 12. Can Marriage Be Saved?, Frank Furstenberg, Dissent, Summer 2005 Frank Furstenberg assures his readers that the institution of marriage is not on the rocks. There are family issues to be concerned about, especially the welfare of children, but the focus should be on resources. The often cited unhealthy marriage and family trends occur only among the most socially disadvantaged. 13. The Opt-Out Myth, E. J. Graff, Columbia Journalism Review, March/April 2007 E. J. Graff explains why the media reports that upper class women are opting out of the labor market to raise children in substantial numbers are myths. The proportion of women, even mothers, in the labor force is increasing, not decreasing. The consequences and policy implications of the truth are immense. 14. Peer Marriage, Pepper Schwartz, The Communitarian Reader: Beyond the Essentials, Rowman & Littlefield, 2004 Pepper Schwartz celebrates the widespread diffusion of peer marriages in which spouses regard each other as full social equals, both have careers, share family decision making, and more equally share child rearing responsibilities. He argues that peer marriages generally result in stronger families and greater satisfaction. Part B. Gender and Gender Roles 15.All Happy Families, Julian Sanchez, Reason, August 2005 Julian Sanchez advocates adoptions by gay couples of children in the foster care system. Regardless of public attitudes toward gay families Sanchez show that the children will be better off in gay families than in foster care. <new> 16. (Rethinking) Gender, Debra Rosenberg, Newsweek, May 21, 2007 Debra Rosenberg opens the window on people who are born one gender but feel that they are the other gender. Some use surgery and/or hormones to bring their bodies into compliance with their identity. Their stories are riveting and their lives raise questions about what gender really is. Part C. City and Community 17. The World Goes to Town, John Grimond, May 5, 2007 The world has become more urban than rural this year. This demographic fact has a social payoff because urban development has been historically synonymous with human development and today are centers of culture, finance, and progress. 18. The Strange Allure of the Slums, The Economist, May 5, 2007 People generally migrate from rural to urban areas because they seek opportunities of the city. They also prefer urban squalor to rural hopelessness. 19. Why Aren't U.S. Cities Burning?, Michael B. Katz, Dissent, Summer 2007 Sociologists should be surprised that American cities are peaceful. Most of the conditions th at produced nearly 150 riots in 1967 have continued and some like racial segregation have worsened. Michael Katz tries to solve this paradox. UNIT 4. Stratification and Social Inequalities Part A. Income Inequalities 20. Goodbye, Horatio Alger, Jeff Madrick, The Nation, February 5, 2007 One of the prized characteristics of America has been the opportunity to go from rags to riches. Unfortunately, moving up economically is now impossible for most Americans. Income mobility has declined dramatically in the last three decades in America and now several European countries have more income mobility than the United States. 21. The Geography of Poverty, Dalton Conley, Boston Review, March/April 2007 Dalton Conley explains how the poverty picture has changed radically. Welfare was originally designed for widows with children. Over time it served mainly stay at home single mothers with children. The welfare reform forced these single mothers into the labor force. Meanwhile researchers have debated the causes of poverty. One cause is economic segregation which is difficult to correct. Part B. Welfare and Welfare Reform 22. Welfare Redux, Christopher Jencks, Joe Swingle, and Scott Winship, The American Prospect, March 2006 The authors argue that the 1996 welfare reform has been a huge success, but tougher requirements in the 2002 revision will create new hardships for many disadvantaged persons. Part C. Racial and Ethnic Issues and Inequalities 23. Virtual Equality, Virtual Segregation, Norman Kelley, Society, July/August 2006 Norman Kelley presents a negative picture of the situation of blacks in America today. Schools are as segregated now as before the Supreme Court's desegregation decision. The Civil Rights Act has allowed significant progress for the black middle and upper classes, but the black lower class is "locked into Third World-like poverty" and divorced from the black middle class. Black leadership and black politics is failing them. 24. Why We Hate, Margo Monteith and Jeffrey Winters, Psychology Today, May/June 2002 The authors demonstrate the prevalence of prejudice and hatred in America and explain this in terms of social identity theory. Whenever people are divided into groups, negative attitudes develop toward the out-group. 25. The Smog of Race War in LA, Roberto Lovato, The Nation, April 2, 2007 Gang warfare is a major problem in some American cities, especially in L.A. Roberto Lavato attacks the widespread theory that Latinos are trying to ethnically cleanse blacks out of certain areas in L.A. Inaccurate perceptions and horrendous actions by government and various parties become part of this story. Part D. Sex Inequalities and Issues 26. Great Expectations, Judith M. Havemann, The Wilson Quarterly, Summer 2007 Women have taken tremendous strides toward equality in the corporate world and now hold half of all management and professional jobs and their leadership style is superior to men's. They rarely, however, hold top management positions. Why? Several explanations are discussed. 27. Too Many Women in College?, Phyllis Rosser, Ms., Fall 2005 Women outnumber men in college and are on a par in graduate school, so some are talking about affirmative action for males. This idea is undercut by continuing society-wide inequalities favoring men. Closer examination reveals that gender differences are negligible except in the lower class and remedial actions should be focused there. 28. Human Rights, Sex Trafficking, and Prostitution, Alice Leuchtag, The Humanist, January/February 2003 One of the evil plagues haunting the world today is sex slavery and it is getting worse. It is the product of extreme poverty and considerable profits. The exploitation involved is horrendous. Human rights groups are trying to stop the practice. Alice Leuchtag covers many aspects of this issue. UNIT 5. Social Institutions: Issues, Crises, and Changes Part A. The Political Sphere: Power, Politics, and Administration 29. Who Rules America?, G. William Domhoff, Who Rules America?, McGraw-Hill, 2006 G. William Domhoff is the leading proponent of the power elite view of American politics, which is explained in this article as it applies to political influence in America today. 30. The Great American Pork Barrel, Ken Silverstein, Harper's Magazine, July 2005 The public good and the public trough are raided by thousands of special interests. Ken Silverstein explains how the process works. It corrupts the American political system though it is hard to prove that any of it is illegal. 31. Foresight for Government, David M. Walker, The Futurist, March/April 2007 Today's governments must govern in terms of long-term challenges. They must prepare for the future. David Walker, the comptroller general of the United States, is responsible for making the Government Accountability Office an anticipatory agency and discusses some of the greatest future challenges that our government must face. Part B. The Economic Sphere: Changing Consumption, Workplaces, Workforce 32. Building a More Humane Economy, Robert D. Atkinson, The Futurist, May/June 2006 The major question that Robert Atkinson explores is how can a productive economy also be a humane economy? He discusses how technologies can better serve us, how workplaces can be more humane, how more time can be devoted to the non-work life, family, and community. 33. The Future of Outsourcing, Pete Engardio, BusinessWeek, January 30, 2006 Much of American manufacturing has relocated abroad in the past several decades. Now more and more service jobs are being outsourced abroad. Pete Engardio argues that outsourcing is benefiting American business, the American economy, and even the American worker. 34. Born to Buy, James Woolman, Dollars & Sense, September/October 2004 This article focuses on consumption. It explains how consumption and the materialistic values that under grid it have some negative effects on us without increasing our happiness. Part C. The Social Sphere: Education, Health, and Religion 35. Can the Center Find a Solution That Will Hold?, Chester E. Finn, Jr., Education Next, Winter 2006 American high schools are failing and Washington is not going to fix them. Chester Finn, Jr. describes six major problems and proposes six solutions. 36. Medical Guesswork, John Carey, BusinessWeek, May 29, 2006 John Carey reports that most doctors' medical decisions are based on very little empirical evidence. His report features medical crusader Dr. David Eddy who is championing evidence based medicine. 37. In Search of the Spiritual, Jerry Adler, Newsweek, August 29-September 5, 2005 Jerry Adler presents a full and rich report on spirituality and religion in America which covers both statistics and practices. UNIT 6. Social Change and the future Part A. Population Issues 38. Enough Already, Paul Ehrlich and Anne Ehrlich, New Scientist Magazine, September 30, 2006 Paul and Anne Ehrlich counter those who fear negative consequences from a stable or declining population. The worriers fail to notice the benefits of stable population and the population decline thesis is overblown. Developed countries with healthy economies are likely to grow through immigration. Stab le or declining population countries will have to change some of their retirement policies and make other adaptations, but adjustments need not be very severe. 39. Putting a Stop to Slave Labor, Bryan Welch, Utne Reader, March/April 2007 Immigration policy is a very divisive issue in the US today. Americans are aware that millions of immigrants are here illegally and many are outraged and think that they take jobs away from Americans. But many employers benefit from cheap workers. Bryan Welch explores the economic, political, and moral issues involved in this new type of slave labor. Part B. Environment and Safety 40. SOS: We Need a Plan B, Lester R. Brown, Population Press, Winter 2006 Lester Brown describes many of the ways that the ecology of the planet has seriously declined over the past half century and identifies trends that provide grim prospects for the future. He also provides a rescue plan. 41. The Science of Climate Change, Anna da Costa, The Ecologist, January 2007 Climate change may be the major long term trend affecting humanity. Anna da Costa explains what generates our climate, what is causing climate change, what are the expected impacts, and what can be done to prevent much of the predicted climate change and negative impacts. 42. Climate change, Coming Home, Sarah DeWeerdt, World Watch, May/June 2007 Sarah DeWeerdt reports the likely effects of global warming on humans which include "declining agricultural production and more hungry people, increased spread of infectious diseases, dangerous heat waves and floods." Part C. Technology for Better or for Worse 43. Who's Afraid of Human Enhancement?, Nick Gillespie et al, Reason Magazine, January 2006 A major cultural debate of this century is how society will deal with biotechnology. The potential for reducing diseases, disabilities, and abnormalities on the one hand and to enhance performance on the other hand is great. Eventually children can be "designed." This article debates "What should biotechnology be allowed to do?" 44. <comment> 41751 Biotech on the Farm, Clifton Anderson, The Futurist, September/October 2005 The fact that new technology can produce both good and bad outcomes is at the heart of the debate about genetic engineering. Clifton Anderson explains how it can help farmers feed future populations with better diets but also entails high risks. He recommends a Genetic Science Commission to guide the development of genetic research to maximize the benefits and minimize the harms. Part D. The New Crisis: Terrorism 45. Defeating Terrorism, Marvin J. Cetron, The Futurist, May/June 2007 One of the leading futurists, Marvin Cetron, directed the most extensive project forecasting the future of terrorism and reports its findings here. It is scarry! 46.Nightmare in Manhattan, Bruce Goldman, New Scientist Magazine, March 2006 America's biggest fear is nuclear terrorism. Bruce Goldman describes the impact on Manhattan of a terrorist nuclear bomb, and how we would cope with the epidemic of radiation sickness that will inevitably follow. Part E. Macro Changes for the World and the United States 47. Update on the State of the Future, Jerome C. Glenn and Theodore J. Gordon, The Futurist, January/February 2006 In this article two leading futurists provide a wide range of trends and predictions on the future. Their environmental predictions are particularly frightening but they do point to increasing awareness of the problems and support for measures that favor sustainability. 48. Does Globalization Help or Hurt the World's Poor? Pranab Bardhan, Scientific American, April 2006 Globalization is changing the world and is the great force of the 21st Century that all societies must deal with. Pranab Bardhan analyzes whether it hurts or helps the poor and shows that it does both. Then he suggests what should be done to make it more beneficial to the poor. 49. Understanding Our Moment in History, William Van Dusen Wishard, Vital Speeches of the Day, May 2005 The author is a specialist in trend analysis and his research convinces him that the world is transiting between two ages. The world as we know it is coming to an end because of globalization, information technologies, urbanization, the explosion of knowledge and technologies, the quickening pace of change, and a long-term spiritual and psychological reorientation.

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