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Social problems: Who makes them?

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Anti-social behaviour, homelessness, drugs, mental illness: all problems in today's society. But what makes a problem social? This free course, Social problems: Who makes them?, will help you to discover how these issues are identified, defined, given meaning and acted upon. You will also look at the conflicts within social science in this area.

Syllabus

  • Introduction
  • Learning outcomes
  • 1 The social construction of social problems
  • 1 The social construction of social problems
  • 1.1 What is ‘social’ about a social problem?
  • 1.2 From private trouble to public issue: the emergence of negative equity
  • 1.3 Social problems and social policy
  • 1.4 Summary
  • 2 ‘What everybody knows’
  • 2 ‘What everybody knows’
  • 2.1 Common sense and social problems
  • 2.2 Summary
  • 3 Tracing the deposits
  • 3 Tracing the deposits
  • 3.1 Competing explanations of social problems
  • 3.2 Poverty as natural/inevitable
  • 3.3 Poverty as the result of poor people
  • 3.4 Poverty as the effect of economic or political causes
  • 3.5 Social science approaches
  • 3.6 Summary
  • 4 Mapping the field: competing constructions
  • 4 Mapping the field: competing constructions
  • 4.1 Natural/social
  • 4.2 Levels of explanation
  • 4.3 Summary
  • 5 Scepticism and social construction
  • 5 Scepticism and social construction
  • 5.1 Common sense revisited
  • 5.2 From social construction to social constructionism
  • 5.3 Summary
  • 6 The question of ideology: social interests and social constructions
  • 6 The question of ideology: social interests and social constructions
  • 6.1 Legitimating the powerful
  • 6.2 Contesting ideologies
  • 6.3 Summary
  • 7 Norms, truth and power: discourses of social problems
  • 7 Norms, truth and power: discourses of social problems
  • 7.1 Ideologies and discourses
  • 7.2 The institutionalisation of discourses
  • 7.3 Summary
  • 8 Conclusion: the view from social constructionism
  • 8 Conclusion: the view from social constructionism
  • Further reading
  • Take the next step
  • References
  • Acknowledgements

Reviews

5.0 rating, based on 1 Class Central review

4 rating at OpenLearn based on 13 ratings

Start your review of Social problems: Who makes them?

  • Lei
    I would rate this course very highly. Social Problems: Who Makes Them? provided very good learning and helped me better understand how social problems are defined, framed, and influenced by different groups in society. The course content was clear, well-structured, and easy to follow, even when discussing complex ideas. I especially appreciated how it encouraged critical thinking and reflection on real-world social issues. Completing the activities helped reinforce the concepts, and earning a certificate at the end felt rewarding and motivating. Overall, this course was engaging, informative, and absolutely worth the time for anyone interested in social issues and sociology.
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