This reader was developed to be used in several courses taught in sociology; it can be used in an introductory social problems course as well as a theory or special topics course. It can also be used in an introduction to sociology course where social problems are stressed as well as in a global issues course.

The readings have been selected from numerous, well-respected sociology journals and they have been edited to make them more user friendly for the undergraduate student. Numerous articles from SAGE social science journals are included.