| Popis: |
Several new social problems texts appeared on the market this year, seemingly more than have appeared in recent years. Perhaps this situation signifies increasing nationwide enrollments in such courses, or perhaps the revision cycle for five of the texts simply coincided. All appear to be readable, sociologically sound, mostly devoid of "sociologese" (Spencer 1989), and-consistent with Pease's (1988) observation of social problems texts-all seven summarize a dozen or so common problems and inform students about each subject. This review centers on the profession's two main concerns with respect to textbooks, namely: 1) text content topics covered, topic treatment, theoretical orientation, and the like-and 2) how the text represents sociology as a discipline-how is the field presented? Are theoretical positions and research findings conveyed adequately to student audiences? I begin by examining the content of the texts, including substantive coverage, pedagogical features, and distinguishing features. Next, I compare the texts' treatment of the topic of poverty, since most instructors cover this topic. Last I examine how the texts represent the sociology discipline. |
