Social Problems Syllabus for 2025-2026
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As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

Tutoring for Success applies to any student whose overall performance in the course falls below 75%. The instructor will create the task in the Student Engagement Portal (Watermark) to direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty- or SI-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. The tutoring service assigned, the due date for when the tutoring must be completed, and the amount of tutoring required are at the discretion of the instructor. Additionally, the task will alert the student’s success team. Students who do not fulfill the assigned tutoring task may be subject to program- and course-specific penalties that could result in a grade reduction and/or in not being allowed to progress in the course until the tutoring requirement has been satisfied.

Administrative Drop Policy

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a course must complete all steps indicated on the Academic Withdrawal Request form by the course withdrawal deadline.

NOTE: Students who are attending Texas institutions of higher education, for the first time fall 2007 and later, may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career. This withdrawal limitation does not include dual credit or developmental classes (Senate Bill 1231 Rule 4.10.) For more information on Drop and Withdrawal Policies, please visit the Registrar's Office Web site.

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Course

SOCI-1306-003 Social Problems

Prerequisites

Course Description

Application of sociological principles and theoretical perspectives to major social problems in contemporary society such as inequality, crime and violence, substance abuse, environmental issues, deviance or family problems.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact:

Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me

You can also contact the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Students are required to read two popular non-fiction, research-based texts over the course of Soci 1306:

            Desmond, Matthew. 2016. Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. NY: Broadway Books.

            Reeves, Richard V. 2022. Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What

                        to Do about it. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.

Both books present deep dives on social problems that are related to the broader problems that we will cover in class. Because of the 8-week course calendar, the assigned readings will not always align with the week’s lecture topics. The books, however, will introduce students to scholars with different styles and analytical approaches and provide students with the opportunity to apply what they learned in class to research on hotly contested social problems.

Supplies

Students can purchase the required course readings at the Amarillo College bookstore. Relatively inexpensive used copies can be found on Amazon or other online retailers. Reach out to the instructor ASAP if you are unable to afford copies or are unable to secure copies before the first reading quiz. 

Student Performance

Course Objectives

• Survey the field of sociology as it applies to the study of social problems, including topics such as poverty, the American education system, and economic gender inequality, as well as other contested issues.
• Expose students to a variety of competing sociological perspectives on social problems, improving their critical thinking skills and developing their sociological imaginations.
• Demonstrate how sociologists use theory to explain the causes, persistence, and possible solutions to social problems.
• Demonstrate how sociologists use data to develop and improve theories about social problems.
• Familiarize students with basic social scientific research methods through peer-reviewed research case studies.
• Provide students with rudimentary skills for analyzing evidence and arguments about social problems.
• Improve (or reinforce) students’ academic reading skills through engagement with scholarship and public writing on social problems.
• Provide student with opportunities to develop their communication skills through brief, low-stakes intellectual conversations with a research-educator.

Assignments and Exams

Reading Quizzes. Once a week (usually Thursdays), I will assign a short reading quiz on the week’s assigned readings. These quizzes 1) serve as an accountability structure to help students keep pace with the material, 2) provide practice with exam-like questions, and serve as launching points for discussion. Quizzes are low-stakes and will not focus on highly specific details like dates or names. Instead, they will address key themes, examples from the texts, and occasional applications of course concepts. The quiz will consist of five multiple choice questions and one short answer question. For the latter, students can usually choose between two prompts. Reading quizzes are worth 10 points each, and I will drop the lowest scoring quiz (including zeroes). If students receive credit for all assigned reading quizzes, I will increase their final grade by 2 percentage points.

Midterm and Final Exams. Students will complete both a midterm and a final exam during the 8-week term. Please check the course schedule (below) to ensure you are available on exam dates. If you anticipate a scheduling conflict, notify the instructor in advance to arrange an alternative time. In cases of illness or emergency, contact the instructor as soon as reasonable to request a reschedule. The instructor reserves the right to deny a makeup exam if a student has made little or no effort to engage in the course; in practice, students who keep up with reading quizzes, assignments, and participate in class activities are more likely to be granted an exception.

Exams will consist of approximately two-thirds multiple-choice and one-third short-answer questions. For the short-answer section, students will choose from multiple prompts (e.g., respond to two out of four).

In-class Responses. Soc 1306 offers many unscheduled writing opportunities for students to reflect on the material, engage with peers, and receive feedback from the instructor. Typically, students are asked to write no more than a paragraph. In-class writing assignments and data activities receive credit if completed with reasonable effort. Students can miss two writing activities with no penalty to their grade. If students complete and receive credit for all writing activities, I will raise their final grade by 2 percentage points. If students complete all but one writing activity, I will raise their final grade by 1 percentage point.  

Panhandle Social Problem Investigation (Common Assessment). In this course, students will complete a short analytical paper (~ 700 words) examining the existence, causes, and consequences of a social problem affecting residents of Amarillo or the broader Panhandle region. The goal of this assignment is to practice sociological explanation by developing a clear, evidence-based argument about how and why a particular social problem emerges, persists, and impacts communities.

Students will select a specific social problem (e.g., opioid use, housing instability, social isolation, access to healthcare, etc.) and develop a focused argument explaining its underlying causes and consequences. Rather than simply describing the issue, students should aim to explain the social, economic, institutional, or cultural mechanisms that produce and sustain it.

To support their argument, students must draw on course materials and incorporate empirical evidence, including at least one form of primary or original data where possible (e.g., local statistics, government reports, observational insights, or other credible data sources relevant to the Panhandle). Students should demonstrate that they understand the nature of the problem and can apply sociological concepts to interpret it.

Students may use any standard citation style (APA, MLA, ASA, etc.), provided it is applied consistently.

Finally, students should briefly extend their analysis by explaining how the social processes they identify in the Panhandle case may apply to other regions or similar communities. The goal is not exhaustive comparison, but to demonstrate sociological reasoning—showing how explanations can travel across contexts.

A more detailed assignment prompt, grading criteria, and examples will be provided early in the semester.

Use of AI Tools. Students may use AI-based tools (such as ChatGPT or similar platforms) to support their research and writing process, but not to replace it. Acceptable uses include brainstorming, organizing ideas, refining arguments, improving clarity and structure, and identifying relevant themes or sources.

AI tools may not be used to generate original arguments, produce or fabricate evidence, summarize readings in place of completing them, or write substantial portions of the paper.

To ensure transparency, students are required to maintain an AI log documenting how these tools were used. This log must be included as an appendix and should list prompts along with brief notes describing how the output was used (e.g., refining a thesis, revising a paragraph, clarifying an idea). The log will not be graded for writing quality, but failure to include it—or evidence of inappropriate AI use—may result in a grade penalty.

The purpose of this policy is not to prohibit new tools, but to emphasize that students remain responsible for their ideas, arguments, and use of evidence.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

Above all else, students are expected to be respectful and engaged. The instructor will talk more about codes of conduct on the first day of class and throughout the course.

Grading Criteria

Grade breakdown

Panhandle Social Problem Paper                                                                                                   15%

In-Class Responses                                                                                                                        20%

Reading Quizzes                                                                                                                             25%

Midterm Exam                                                                                                                                 20%               

Final Exam                                                                                                                                      20%

Attendance

Students are expected to attend each lecture session (Monday - Thursday, except holidays). However, the instructor understands that students have busy lives and unplanned circumstances often come up. Therefore, the instructor encourages students to communicate when they are unable to attend or need to review or make up material.

Please note that Amarillo College instructors are required to track attendance. If you miss classes, you may be contacted by a success coach or receive a message from the college. This does not mean that your grade in my class will be adversely impacted. It is just a way for the college to check in to help ensure your success. Side note: The Amarillo College success coaches are great people who want to help you succeed!

Calendar

Additional Information

Here's my lengthier description of Sociology 1306, for students who want more info: 

Course Description

Homelessness. Drug addiction. Mass shootings. Government corruption. Workplace discrimination. These are examples of social problems, which are conditions or patterns of behavior that:

1. conflict with a desired quality of life,
2. are caused, facilitated, or prolonged by factors operating at multiple levels of social life,
3. involve intergroup conflict, and
4. require collective action to resolve.

Social problems, in other words, are societal conditions that most people regard as harmful. They are shaped by both individual behavior and larger social forces, often politicized and contested, and resolvable only through collective effort.

Consider homeless encampments. Many view living in such conditions as undesirable (though some may reserve judgment toward those who call them home). Encampments emerge from both individual circumstances and broader political and economic forces. They are also contested, as policymakers, activists, and citizens debate their causes and the most effective responses. Yet addressing homelessness requires shared understanding and a collective commitment of resources. In this way, homeless encampments meet all four conditions of a social problem. We will return to these conditions and apply them to multiple issues throughout the course.

Because this is a sociology course, we will examine social problems through a sociological lens. At the macro level, we will analyze how social forces shape, sustain, or resolve these problems. At the micro level, we will consider how they emerge through everyday interactions and meaning making. Competing sociological theories will help us understand how different perspectives lead to different diagnoses and proposed solutions. We will also explore how certain conditions come to be defined as “problems” in the first place, a deeply contested and consequential process.

In Soci 1306, we will focus on three broad topics that align with the instructor’s expertise: poverty in America, the American “educational crisis,” and the gender gap in pay. Throughout the course, we will critically assess whether each qualifies as a social problem and analyze who benefits or loses when such issues are labeled as one.