1.1.1 Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter, you will be able to:

1. Explain a current social issue using the five characteristics of a social problem.
2. Describe the process by which social problems are created.
3. Explain why the interdependent nature of social problems requires both individual agency and collective action to create social justice.

1.1.2 Chapter Overview

With gratitude to my friends and colleagues at the Open Oregon Educational Resources Project. Writing this textbook and class has been a master class in learning, teaching, writing, and working for social justice. Your generosity with your time and talents enriches all of us.
—Kim Puttman

Figure 1.1. This 4.40-minute video promotes the Social Problems class at Oregon Coast Community College. Although your class and college are different, the issues raised about recovering from the Echo Mountain Fire apply to many of the social problems we will examine in this class.

Our human lives are full of both joy and sorrow. We struggle with passing a class, standing up to a bully, staying healthy, losing a job, ending a marriage or saying goodbye to a dying friend. We also savor the joys of life. We celebrate the new job, getting an excellent grade, the connection of family and friends, and the beauty of the glorious sunset over the beach. These deeply personal experiences are also connected to a wider world of family, community, country, and planet.

This chapter opens with a video about the Echo Mountain Fire in Figure 1.1. In September 2020, a wildfire roared through the town of Otis, Oregon, and the surrounding forest. The fire devastated this tiny town on the edge of the wild Pacific Ocean. Many families evacuated with just the pajamas they were sleeping in. Other families were able to save a box or two, maybe their pets, but nothing else. Over the next few days, horses and cows were moved outside the fire range and then moved again as the fire spread. Residents of Otis and Lincoln City were caught waiting—waiting for news, waiting for safety, waiting for food, and waiting for the fire to be contained.

The Echo Mountain fire was a disaster. Approximately 2,500 acres of forests and wildlands were destroyed, with over 1,241 structures burned. Over 300 families lost their homes, and countless others suffered damage from smoke inhalation for weeks after the fire. All of us who lived through the fire, including me, whether we lost our homes or not, now understand how our lives can change in a moment.

I encourage you to learn more about the Echo Mountain Fire (Figure 1.1). As you watch this short 4-minute video, please consider how recovery from this fire becomes a rich ground for understanding social problems. This deep understanding can set the stage for learning about social problems in our world. We’ll learn more about the Echo Mountain Fire in Chapter 14.

1.1.3 Focusing Questions

In this book, we explore social problems, complex social issues that must be solved collectively. To lay a foundation for this work, Chapter 1 focuses on answering three core questions:

1. What is a social problem?
2. How are social problems created and resolved?
3. Why does the interdependent nature of social problems require both individual agency and collective action to support social justice?

We answer these questions section by section. In Defining A Social Problem, we examine the characteristics of a social problem. In Constructing a Social Problem, we define, apply, and critique the social problem process, a model sociologists use to understand social problems more precisely. In Social Problems and Social Justice, we explore the transformative possibilities of taking action, whether individually or with others. Then, at the end of the chapter, you’ll have the chance to check your understanding.

Let’s dive in!

1.1.4 Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Overview and Learning Objectives

Open Content, Original

“Chapter Overview” by Kimberly Puttman is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

All Rights Reserved Content

Figure 1.1. “Soc 206 Promo Video” by Oregon Coast Community College is licensed under the Standard YouTube License.