Portland Community College Sylvania Campus 12000
Soc206 Social Problems: In Search of Community

Class: TR 9:30am-11pm in SS102
Instructor: Jan Abu Shakrah, Ph.D.
Email: jabushak {at} pcc(.)edu
Phone: 503-977-4077
Office Hours: I am usually available on MWF from 7am to noon.
Office: SS215/C18
Website: http://spot.pcc.edu/~jabushak

Course Description
In this course, students will apply the sociological frame of reference to the study of social problems, their identification, analysis of causes, and possible solutions. This particular course will focus on problems related to the loss of community and the decline in civic engagement.

Learning Outcomes
Students successfully completing this course will:

• Apply the sociological perspective in analyzing and responding to social problems through social action and policy.
• Locate themselves in the process of social change, organizations, and social movements shaping and responding to social problems.
• Participate as active citizens in their societies and communities, demonstrating respect for diversity, critical thinking, and collaboration.

Themes, Concepts and Issues

This course will explore:

• Social problem definitions and identification
• The difference between social problems and personal troubles and the interaction between them
• Culture, social organization, norms, deviance, and social control mechanisms considered in relation to social problems
• Sociological theories and perspectives on social problems
• Social change and social movements, related to social problems
• Types of social problems: problems arising from value and norm conflicts, from social structure, from social change, and from social policy
• Analysis of particular social problems related to the loss of community and the decline in civic engagement
• Solution strategies, including human services, treatment and therapeutic communities, charity, social policy, the legal system, voluntarism and community action, community building, education and prevention, scientific research, and social movements

Students can expect to acquire or develop the following skills:

• Apply a sociological approach and perspectives to a variety of social patterns and processes, specifically related to social problems
• Hone critical thinking skills regarding the analysis of social problems
• Observe and identify social problems, their definitions, and responses to them
• Integrate course work with current events and trends through examination of popular and news media, community based research, and volunteerism or social action
• Write and communicate orally in a clear, organized and effective manner
• Use varied and effective research resources, techniques, and strategies
• Develop and refine group process skills
• Develop ability to listen to and empathize with diverse perspectives and experiences
• Develop and practice active citizenship skills in accordance with principles of democratic and inclusive process, social justice, and ecological sustainability
• Apply a sociological perspective to the development of policies and actions to alleviate and solve social problems
• Identify and locate agencies and resources that respond to social problems

Texts
Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media, Politicians, and Activists. University of California Press (2001)
Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Simon & Schuster (2000) Paper or hardback
The Careless Society: Community and its Counterfeits. Basic Books (1995)
Ordinary Resurrections: Children in the Years of Hope. Perennial (2002)

Assignments
Short Papers & Team Tasks
1. Problem definition, research & interpretation
2. The problem & community
3. Response to TCS
4. Response to OR

Option 1: Service learning/report, 12 hours of service or social action, 3-4 page report
Option 2: Research project: 6-8 page paper

Guide for Service Learning Assignment and Final Report

Requirements:
Documented 12 hours of service or social action
3-4 page final report and reflection on your experience

Total Points: 300 possible points

1. Service Learning opportunities (minimum: 12 hours of service):
Please refer to the service learning handout and the Service Learning website at PCC: http://spot.pcc.edu/slp/, as well as opportunities featured on the website for Hands On Portland. Besides these placements, you could do your service learning option in a school, community center, or social service agency in your own neighborhood. You could also offer service to your neighbors in need, or you might find an opportunity to work over a couple weekends in an environmental project, a homeless shelter, or some other community activity. The main requirement is that your service be related to a social problem, and that you are able to document or confirm your service. You will use your service learning experience as the basis for some of your papers in this class. You need to complete a form, signed by the person who supervised you or can confirm your work.

2. Documentation of 12 hours service/social action: (Due Final Week of Class) Summarize your work experience in a table form, indicating dates, number of hours, and short description of what you did (e.g., helped with homework, coached basketball, tutored). If you turned in a Service Learning form, you do not need to get another signature, but list your placement and immediate supervisor or person who can verify your work, with a phone number.

3. Report and Reflection: (Due at Final Meeting) Your final report should include the following:

• One paragraph describing your work within the organization.
• One paragraph describing the mission of the organization you worked with.
• One page or so describing events, encounters, or other highlights of your experience (progress with one person you tutored, an event that brought people together or brought out the best in certain people, a conflict or crisis you handled, a moving interaction, etc.)
• Two pages reflecting on what you learned from this experience: about the people you worked with, about the work of the organization, and/or about the social problems or issues addressed by the organization and specifically by your role in that organization. Do you feel that the organization (or your role) was effective? Would you change anything about the organization or your role if you had it to do over again? What else besides the work of this organization would be necessary?