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California's Social Problems
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California's Social Problems

Second Edition
Edited by:

Other Titles in:
American Studies | Social Problems

October 2001 | 400 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

California. The mere mention of the name conjures up thoughts and images as diverse as the state itself. With the geographic size, population, and economy to be a thriving country, California is unique. But are its social problems unique or do they represent issues shared, today and in the future, with the other forty nine states and the global community? The editors and authors of California's Social Problems shed light on these questions and others in their fascinating analyses of a variety of social situations, policies, and trends in the Golden State.

This highly readable book is organized into four sections, each focusing on major challenges to California's communities, to its residents' sexuality and health, to its institutions, and to population growth and the resultant environmental impacts. Each section has a comprehensive introduction that sets the stage and summarizes the chapters to come. The chapter essays are consistently organized to provide a thorough overview of the social problems, along with a historical perspective for each. Incisive chapters on topics such as homelessness, the gay and lesbian movement for equal rights, race and ethnic relations, family problems, welfare reform, and natural disasters will not only inform students in California's colleges and universities, but will be of interest to others near and far.

If, as some feel, a great many fads, trends, and problems originate in California, to later surface in other parts of the U.S., then this book will be of great use in helping readers to think critically about social phenomena in California that will likely have national and even global importance in coming years.

Earl Babbie
Foreword
 
Acknowledgments
 
Prologue
 
Part I - Challenges to California Communities
Ronald W. Fagan
Chapter 1 - Homlessness
Homelessness in the United States and California

 
Alternative Explanations for Homelessness in California

 
Future Prospects for Homelessness in California

 
Solutions to the Problem of Homelessness

 
Conclusion

 
Anne Hendershott
Chapter 2 - Juvenile Delinquency and Urban Gangs
California's Historical Roots of Juvenile Crime and Justice

 
California's Urban Youth Gangs: Social Problem or Moral Panic?

 
Theories on the Causes of California Gang Delinquency

 
Ethnicity and Juvenile Crime in California

 
Increased Minority Confinement Rates in California and the Nation

 
Solutions to the Problem of Juvenile Delinquency and Gangs

 
Phylis Cancilla Martinelli
Chapter 3 - Race and Ethnic Relations
The History of Race Relations in California

 
Race Relations in California Today

 
Race Relations in California as Compared to Those in the United States

 
California's Problem in Global Context

 
Alternative Explanations for Race Relations in California

 
Future Prospects for Race Relations in California

 
Solutions to the Problem of Race Relations

 
 
Part II - Challenges to Sexuality and Health
Peter M. Nardi
Chapter 4 - Resisting Heterosexism and Homophobia: The Gay and Lesbian Movement for Equal Rights
A History of Lesbian and Gay Oppression and Resistance

 
Lesbian and Gay Oppression and Resistance in California Today

 
Lesbian and Gay Oppression and Resistance in California as Compared With the United States

 
Lesbian and Gay Issues in a Global Context

 
Alternative Explanations for Lesbian and Gay Oppression and Resistance in California

 
Future Prospects for Lesbian and Gay Oppression and Resistance in California

 
Solutions to the Problem of Lesbian and Gay Oppression and Resistance

 
Kevin D. Kelley
Chapter 5 - HIV/AIDS
The Basic Science

 
History of HIV/AIDS in California

 
Course of HIV Infection in California

 
The Problem of HIV/AIDS in California Today

 
Comparison of California's Situation to the United States

 
California's Problem in a Global Context

 
Alternative Explanations for the Spread of HIV and AIDS

 
Future Prospects: AIDS Projections in California

 
Possible Solutions to AIDS in California

 
 
Part III - Challenges to California Institutions
Robin Wolf, Robin Franck, and James Glynn
Chapter 6 - Problems of Families
The History of Family Trends in California

 
Family Trends in California Today

 
Family Trends in California as Compared to the United States

 
Alternative Explanations for Family Trends

 
The Family in Global Context

 
Future Prospects

 
Suggestions for the Future

 
Robert Enoch Buck
Chapter 7 - Inequality and Poverty
How Unequal Is It?

 
Social Classes and Inequality

 
The Causes of Poverty

 
Conclusions

 
Robert Enoch Buck
Chapter 8 - Poverty and Welfare Reform
The Welfare State

 
The Outcomes of Welfare Reform

 
Outcomes for Program Participants

 
Continuing Problems and Policy Issues

 
Conclusions

 
James L. Wood and Lorena T. Valenzuela
Chapter 9 - The Continuing Crisis in Higher Education: Threats to California's Master Plan
The Problem in California Today

 
Distance Learning as a Strategic Plan

 
Related Strategic Plans

 
Origin of the Plans: California and the United States

 
California's Problem in Global Context

 
Alternative Explanations for the Problem

 
Future Prospects: What To Do?

 
Solutions and Suggestions: Strategies for Distressed Campuses

 
Summary and Conclustions

 
 
Part IV - Challenges to Growth and the Environment
James A. Glynn and Charles F. Hohm
Chapter 10 - Population Growth and Environmental Degradation
History of Population Growth and Enviornmental Degradation

 
The Problem in California Today

 
California's Population Compared to the United States

 
California's Problem in Global Context

 
Alternate Explanations for the Problem

 
Future Prospects

 
Solutions to the Problems

 
Adalberto Aguirre, Jr.
Chapter 11 - Propositions 187 and 227: A Nativist Response to Mexicans
History of the Problem in California

 
Nativism in California and the United States

 
Mexican Immigrants and Nativism

 
California's Immigrant Population

 
Immigrants and Work

 
Segmentation of Mexican Immigrant Workers

 
The Nativistic Context

 
Concluding Remarks

 
Harvey E. Rich and Loretta I. Winters
Chapter 12 - Disasters
Defining Disaster

 
History of Disaster Research

 
The California Experience

 
California Disasters Compared to the United States

 
California, the Developed World, and the Developing World

 
Sociological Perspectives for Examining Disaster

 
Natural Disasters in California Today

 
Planning

 
Communication

 
The Media

 
Emergent Roles and Groups

 
Disasters and the Future

 
Coping With Disasters

 
Conclusion

 
James A. Glynn
Epilogue: Deregulating Energy in California
The History of the Problem

 
The Problem in California Today

 
California's Problem Compared With the United States

 
California's Problem in Global Context

 
Alternative Explanations for the Problem

 
Future Prospects

 
Solutions/Suggestions

 
 
Glossary and Index
 
About the Editors
 
About the Contributors

Charles F. Hohm

James A Glynn

James A. Glynn is Professor of Sociology for the State Center Community College District. He has taught sociology for more than 30 years, and he currently holds classes at the Madera Center in California's great Central Valley. A contributing author to the first edition of California's Social Problems (1997), he also collaborated with Charles F. Hohm and Elbert W. Stewart in writing Global Social Problems (1996). Previously, he and Stewart produced four editions of Introduction to Sociology (1971, 1975, 1979, and 1984), a text that was translated into Spanish and Portuguese editions. In 1990, he worked with Professor Hohm and others in... More About Author

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ISBN: 9780761987130
$129.00