1 Social Problems course paper topics Note: This list is not exhaustive. You are welcome to choose a topic that is not listed. Animals Animal abuse / cruelty, laws Animal rights Factory farming Aging Ageism / age discrimination “Graying” of the population Social Security Bullying / cyberbulling, hazing Capitalism / corporations Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) decision, implications Connection to political realm Corporate greed Ideal vs. real (monopolistic) Perpetuation of poverty Tax evasion, loopholes Wealthfare Cities / communities / neighborhoods City planning (implications for poor, racial minorities) Contemporary racial segregation Efforts to integrate Patterns Gentrification Neighborhood segregation by race Blockbusting Eminent domain Federal Housing Association (FHA) Racial steering Redlining Restricted covenants “White flight” Urban economics Disability Ableism Legal changes / rights Economy Corporate ties to politicians Education Charter schools Community tax base linked to educational resources Educational inequality (by race, gender, etc.) Fraternity / sorority culture Higher education Costs Unequal outcomes by group (difficult finding employment, unequal pay, etc.) 2 Private vs. Public education Tracking Environment Disaster relief, racial inequality Example: Response to Hurricane Katrina Environmental racism Global warming, climate change Genetically modified organisms (GMO) Pollution, destruction Protection, destruction Sustainability Family Adoption and race Divorce Same-sex parent adoption Stratification Violence Gender Affirmative action Comparable worth Divorce Educational inequality Informal (hidden) curriculum Equality / women’s rights Feminist movement HeforShe NOW organization Genital cutting / mutilation Income/wealth disparities Institutional sexism Legal reforms, public policy changes, consequences 1963 Equal Pay Act Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act 1972 Educational Amendment Act Media representations, consequences Politics Barriers to women’s participation Status of women in politics Pornography Abuses in the industry Child pornography Misogyny/sexism in pornography Racism in pornography Sexual expression vs. harm Prostitution Abuses, forced service Legalization 3 Rape culture Reproductive rights access to birth control, abortion services, etc. Pro-choice vs. pro-life (issues and critiques of both) Sex / human trafficking Sexual harassment Sports Lack of funding Title IX (1972), implications, current conditions Underrepresentation in media Violence (emotional, physical, sexual) Government Censorship, surveillance Democracy vs. plutocracy vs. oligarchy Health Epidemics Healthcare, universal healthcare Health conditions by sub-g ...

1. 1
Social Problems course paper topics
Note: This list is not exhaustive. You are
welcome to choose a topicthat is not listed.
Animals
Animal abuse / cruelty, laws
Animal rights
Factory farming
Aging
Ageism / age discrimination
“Graying”of the population
Social Security
Bullying / cyberbulling, hazing
Capitalism / corporations
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
(2010) decision, implications
Connection to political realm
Corporate greed
Idealvs. real (monopolistic)
Perpetuation of poverty
Tax evasion, loopholes
Wealthfare
Cities / communities / neighborhoods

2. City planning (implications for poor, racial
minorities)
Contemporary racial segregation
Efforts to integrate
Patterns
Gentrification
Neighborhood segregation by race
Blockbusting
Eminent domain
Federal Housing Association (FHA)
Racial steering
Redlining
Restricted covenants
“White flight”
Urban economics
Disability
Ableism
Legal changes / rights
Economy
Corporate ties to politicians
Education
Charter schools
Community tax base linked to educational
resources
Educational inequality (by race, gender, etc.)
Fraternity / sorority culture
Higher education
Costs

3. Unequal outcomes by group (difficult finding
employment, unequal pay, etc.)
2
Private vs. Public education
Tracking
Environment
Disaster relief, racial inequality
Example: Response to Hurricane Katrina
Environmental racism
Global warming, climate change
Genetically modified organisms (GMO)
Pollution, destruction
Protection, destruction
Sustainability
Family
Adoption and race
Divorce
Same-sex parent adoption
Stratification
Violence
Gender
Affirmative action
Comparable worth
Divorce
Educational inequality

4. Informal (hidden) curriculum
Equality / women’s rights
Feminist movement
HeforShe
NOW organization
Genital cutting / mutilation
Income/wealth disparities
Institutional sexism
Legal reforms, public policy changes,
consequences
1963 Equal Pay Act
Title VII of the 1964 CivilRights Act
1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act
1972 Educational Amendment Act
Media representations, consequences
Politics
Barriers to women’s participation
Status of women in politics
Pornography
Abuses in the industry
Child pornography
Misogyny/sexism in pornography
Racism in pornography
Sexual expression vs. harm
Prostitution
Abuses, forced service
Legalization
3

5. Rape culture
Reproductive rights
access to birth control, abortion services, etc.
Pro-choice vs. pro-life (issues and critiques of
both)
Sex / human trafficking
Sexual harassment
Sports
Lack of funding
Title IX (1972), implications, current
conditions
Underrepresentation in media
Violence (emotional, physical, sexual)
Government
Censorship, surveillance
Democracy vs. plutocracy vs. oligarchy
Health
Epidemics
Healthcare, universal healthcare
Health conditions by sub-group (gender, race, etc.)
Unequal access by gender, income/wealth, race, etc.
Medicare, Medicaid
Neighborhoods and health
Obesity epidemic vs. Health at every size
movement
Suicide, assisted suicide (euthanasia)
Homelessness
Social conditions

6. Human rights
Immigration
Border control
Dream Act
Policies, laws
Undocumented workers, corporate profit
Income/Wealth inequality
Comparable worth
Historical accumulation of wealth during slavery
and beyond
implications today
Inequality by race, gender
Minimum wage
Movements to raise
Role in poverty
Occupy movement
Redlining
Tax breaks / Tax reform
The 1%
Unequal pay for specific groups
Justice system
Ban the Box movement
Discrimination in job hiring against
people formerly convicted for felony
Biases in the system (specific areas)
4

7. Capital punishment / death penalty
DNA testing, exoneration
Racial inequality
Crime
Gender
Disproportionately male offenders
Types of crime by gender
Women’s increase in crime
Media representation of crime
Representations across race
Race
Racial profiling
Street crimes and race
Specific types of crime (street, moral-
order, white-collar, corporate, organized, political)
Costs
Punishments (or lack thereof)
Representation by race
Drugs
Abuse and treatment
Alcohol vs. marijuana (human and economic costs,
laws)
Differential prosecution by race (crack vs.
cocaine)
Marijuana legalization (medical, recreational)
Recreational use
Social construction of drug use, implications for
law

8. War on Drugs
Felony disenfranchisement (laws that prohibit voting
for people with felony convictions)
Jury reform
Juvenile justice
Laws
Biased formation of laws
Biased enforcement of laws
Consequences of specific legal changes
Hate crimes
Proposed legal changes and associateddebates
Social construction of laws / changes
Unequal application by race
Mandatory sentencing (e.g., 3-strikes laws)
Police
Abuse/corruption
Black Lives Matter movement
Police brutality / militarized police
Racial profiling
Prison industrial complex / mass incarceration
Cradle to prison pipeline
Prisons for profit
Racial implications
Rehabilitation vs. restitution
Media

9. 5
Biases
Body image
Portrayals of specific groups, implications
Racism in media
Military
National security
Sexual violence/abuses
Socialization
Minimum wage
Occupations / work
Affirmative action (gender, race)
Discriminatory practices (gender, race)
Firing
Hiring
Job autonomy
Job levels
Pay scales
Promotion, advancement
Recruitment
Glass ceiling
Health and safety (practices, regulations)
Job market
Occupational segregation by gender, race
Outsourcing jobs
Unions

10. Organizations
Hate group
Politics
Connection to capitalism/ corporations
Rhetoric regarding specific groups, implications
Voting restrictions, implications for racial
minorities
Population
Growth/control
Shift in racial composition and racial relations
Poverty
Children in poverty
Feminization of poverty
Geographic concentrations of poverty
Hunger
Minimum wageand poverty
Race and poverty
Welfare
Current system (TANF), outcomes, shortcomings
Myths vs. reality
Race
Affirmative action
Contemporary racism vs. historical racism
Colorism
6

11. Institutional racism
Racial discrimination
In specific settings (e.g., workplaces,
schools)
Social construction of race, historical changes,
implications
White privilege
Religion
Discrimination against religious groups
Discrimination within religious groups
Religiouswarfare
Sexuality
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender rights /
legal protections
Slavery
Child labor
Modern day slavery (U.S. or global)
Sex trafficking
Sweatshops
Technology
Censorship, surveillance
Chemical warfare
Cloning
Genetic engineering
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
Energy
Alternative sources
Renewable and non-renewable sources
Stem cell research
Unemployment
Violence

12. Domestic / intimate partner
Gang violence
Gun control / rights / violence / mass
shootings
Terrorism
Violence against specific groups (racial-ethnic,
religious, LGBT, women, men, etc.)
War
Conscription / drafting by social class and race,
implications
Chemical warfare
Media coverage
Political rhetoric
Wealth
Corporate wealth / greed
Wealth inequality (by race, gender)
Literature Resources for Students
Note: Links that span multiple rows must be copied and pasted
into your browser rather than
clicked. Log into VPN or use a campus computer in order to
ensure access to these resources.
General

13. Brooks Library http://www.lib.cwu.edu
Research strategies
http://libguides.lib.cwu.edu/ResearchStrategies
Sources (Databases)
General
Google Scholar http://www.lib.cwu.edu/Google-Scholar
http://libguides.lib.cwu.edu/GScholar
OneSearch http://libguides.lib.cwu.edu/onesearch
Databases by Title http://www.lib.cwu.edu/DatabasesByTitle
Databases by Subject
http://www.lib.cwu.edu/DatabasesBySubject
Electronic Journals
http://searchlib.cwu.edu/primo_library/libweb/action/dlSear
ch.do?&institution=CWU&vid=CWU&azSearch=true&fn=
almaAzSearch&query=facet_atoz,exact,A
WorldCat
http://firstsearch.oclc.org.ezp.lib.cwu.edu/WebZ/FSPrefs?en
tityjsdetect=:javascript=true:screensize=large:sessionid=fsa
pp6-44459-ieseo83m-6fjeea:entitypagenum=1:0
Topical
Sociology http://libguides.lib.cwu.edu/sociology
Africana and Black Studies

14. http://libguides.lib.cwu.edu/africanaandblackstudies
American Indian Studies
http://libguides.lib.cwu.edu/AmericanIndianStudies
Asia Pacific Studies
http://libguides.lib.cwu.edu/asiapacificstudies
Latino and Latin American Studies
http://libguides.lib.cwu.edu/latinamericanstudies
Law and Justice http://libguides.lib.cwu.edu/LAJ
Digital Citizenship
Plagiarism
http://libguides.lib.cwu.edu/content.php?pid=644922
Other tools
LibX
http://libx.org/editions/downloadlibx2.php?edition=B9B46
2A9
Mendeley https://www.mendeley.com
Zotero http://libguides.lib.cwu.edu/zotero
1
Social Problems
Course paper guidelines
An important component of learning about the sociological
perspective, and social problems

15. specifically, is the ability to apply your understanding to topics
beyond course materials. The
course paper provides this opportunity for additional
exploration and application. For the course
paper (submitted at the end of the quarter), you will choose one
social problem of interest and
integrate scholarly publications into a formal discussion about
various aspects of the issue from a
sociological perspective (i.e., a structural analysis).
The social problem that you choose can be—and usually will
be—contested (i.e., it will be
considered a social problem by some groups of people but not
others, and/or perspectives for
why the issue is a social problem or how it should be addressed
will vary). Choose a topic that
you personally find interesting and about which you would like
to learn more.
Additionally, be careful to be specific about the scope of your
chosen topic. For example, “racial
inequality” is too large in scope, but a specific focus on
“contemporary discrimination in
workplaces by race” is manageable. Make sure that you have
sufficiently narrowed your topic so
that your literature search and discussion is directed.
Course paper components
Your paper should thoroughly address each of the following
sections.
1. Describe the topic that you have chosen to discuss as a social
problem.

16. a. Why is the topic regarded as a social problem?
b. When did the issue become regarded as a social problem,
historically?
c. Address the objective and subjective nature of the social
problem.
i. Concerning the objective reality
1. What are the human and economic costs of the social
problem?
2. Who suffers, and how (materially, financially, physically,
emotionally, mentally)?
ii. Concerning the subjective reality
1. Whose standards are used to define the social problem (i.e.,
which
groups are exercising power to define the problem)?
2. Whose voice and concerns may be silenced in the
conversation?
3. What points / evidence are used to justify the framing of the
issue
as a social problem?
a. What is the stated source of the social problem (e.g.,
specific individuals / groups, institutions, practices, etc.)?
b. Are any specific strategies used to try to convince others of
the perspective?
4. Discuss any disagreements that exist concerning whether the
issue
is indeed a social problem.

17. 2
a. Specify any groups / institutional leaders who claim that
the issue is not a social problem, and discuss their
arguments and evidence.
5. Discuss any debate about how the problem should be
addressed /
solved.
a. Specify any groups / institutional leaders who claim that
the social problem needs to be addressed in a different way,
and discuss their proposed strategies / plans for action.
2. Discuss whether the social problem tends to be discussed
using a person-blame or
system-blame approach, especially in representations by
political, media, or
organizational groups.
3. Discuss the structural roots of the problem.
a. Which social institutions / forces, or powerful groups /
organizations that are
connected to specific social institutions, have shaped the
creation or perpetuation
of the social problem?
b. How has each influencing institution / social force / group /
organization shaped
the creation or perpetuation of the social problem?

18. i. Examples: policies, popular or political rhetoric / persuasion,
laws,
practices, etc.
4. Discuss any structural solutions that have been raised as
possibilities for reducing or
eliminating the social problem.
a. Who has suggested the structural solutions?
b. Do these solutions seem feasible / viable? Why or why not?
c. Are these solutions currently being enacted?
i. Why or why not?
ii. What barriers exist that prevent effectively enacting any
structural
solutions?
iii. Are non-structural strategies being suggested (e.g., those
that blame/target
individuals)?
Course paper requirements
Your paper should meet each of the following requirements for
sources and formatting.
1. Formal discussion of the topic
a. Title page, including your name, instructor’s name, course
name
b. Introduction and conclusion paragraphs
c. Proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation
d. Logical organization of the information / discussion
e. Transitions between paragraphs / ideas

19. 2. Criteria
a. 6 academic references, minimum (no limit)
i. Academic / scholarly sources only
3
ii. You may include popular news articles or organizational
websites if they
are used as supplements that illustrate a particular point you
make
1. These do not count toward the required number of academic
references, but are welcome additions
iii. Proper citations for quotes and paraphrases
b. ASA style (or consistent use of another style)
c. Works cited page
i. List all academic and other sources cited in your paper
ii. Properly format the references according to your selected
style
d. Typed
e. 6 double-spaced pages (or 3 single-spaced pages), minimum
i. Write the amount needed to thoroughly address the topic (i.e.,
may exceed
the minimum)
f. 1 inch margins in the document
g. Times New Roman font, 12-point
h. Page numbers

20. i. Stapled
Before submitting your final paper
Double-check that you have fulfilled all of the components
listed in each of the above sections:
1. Course paper components
2. Course paper requirements
Failure to meet any of the listed requirements in either section
will result in a deduction of points
from your final score.
All papers are checked for plagiarism. Detection of plagiarism
will result in failing the
assignment and being referred to the appropriate academic
authorities.