Course overview
Why are some issues, such as gambling or domestic violence, defined as social problems which should be ‘fixed’, while others are not? Which actors are involved in turning social issues into problems and what interests might they serve? How does the definition of a problem shape the kinds of responses or policy interventions offered? This course responds to these questions by exploring the ways in which social problems are socially created. Students learn how social problems relate to different worldviews and theoretical perspectives and develop their capacity to analyse the social-economic processes surrounding the construction of issues as problems and attempts by policymakers to address them.
- Defining & Responding to Social Problems
- Making Social Problems
- Investigating Social Problems
Course learning outcomes
- Demonstrate comprehension of sociological theories relating to social problems.
- Develop an informed understanding of social problems, using high quality evidence and sociological perspectives.
- Analyse a social phenomenon using an objectivist approach to social problems.
- Examine a social phenomenon using a constructionist approach to social problems.
Degree list
The following degrees include this course