Many serious social problems threaten the United States and the world. By studying these problems, students will gain the tools and the insight that will enable them to analyze problems and solutions on their own. Intended to be a training manual for the study of social problems, this book explores the nature and extent of social problems, documents the advances and setbacks that we as a society have made, and analyzes what works and what doesn't regarding solutions to today's problems. Students will study this constantly changing field by applying social science research to the solutions of some of the most difficult, agonizing, and controversial problems confronting the United States and the world today.