Social Problems Theory Division Newsletter SPRING 2012 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR In this issue of Social Problems Theory News you will find several items pertaining to division affairs and the upcoming annual meetings. The 2012 meetings will be held in Denver, CO from August 16-18. The theme of the meetings is “The Art of Activism.” You can find more information about this theme, hotel and registration information, and a host of other opportunities for fun and learning in Denver on the SSSP site (http://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/m/494/m/459). As always, there will be a number of fascinating sessions sponsored by the theory division. See pages 5-8 of this newsletter for more details on the wonderful scholarship you will find in our sponsored/co-sponsored sessions. Please join us for the division reception. Last year we participated in a joint reception (co-sponsored with several divisions) that was well-attended and well-received, and I am excited to share that we will be part of a similar reception at the 2012 meetings (to be held on Thursday, Aug 16, 6:30-7:30pm). The division business meeting will be held on Thursday, Aug 16 at 12:30PM (in the Impe­rial Ballroom). This is a great opportunity to learn more about the division and become more involved. The meeting is open to all division members (including graduate students). I hope to see you there! The SSSP awards banquet will be held on Friday, Aug 17, from 8-10pm in the Pyramid Peak Ballroom (arrive early, as there will be a reception prior to the banquet to honor Michele Koontz, for 20 years of service to SSSP, and past SSSP presidents). Theory Division Chair, 2010-2012 Brian Monahan Department of Sociology Iowa State University Ames, IA 515-294-8379 bmonahan@iastate.edu IN THIS ISSUE New Division Chair.......................................................p2 Meeting Mentor Program ............................................p2 Awards and Accolades..................................................p3 2012 Social Problems Theory Division Sessions......p4 2012 Co-Sponsored Sessions at the Meetings...........p5-8 NEW DIVISION CHAIR I am thrilled to announce that John Barnshaw has been elected to serve as the next Chair of the Social Problems Theory Division. John, who is currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Sociology at the University of South Florida, brings a passion for social problems theory and a wealth of wonderful ideas to the position. Please congratulate John and share your suggestions for the future of the division when you see him at the meetings (or by e-mail at: barnshaw@usf.edu). Congratulations, John! Thank you to those who expressed a willingness to serve as candidates and those who participated in the voting. INTERESTED IN BEING A MENTOR? The Meeting Mentor Program seeks experienced mentors who can spend a few min­utes at the annual meetings speaking with a student or newcomer, making them feel welcome, and offering suggestions to help newer members get the most out of their conference experience. In recent years there has been a high level of interest in this program from students and new members seeking mentors, but a considerably lower response from members volunteering to serve in this role. If you are interested in serving as a Meeting Mentor for future meetings, please take a few minutes to com­plete the online application form (http://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/pageId/1092) If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer K. Wesely at jwesely@unf.edu. The application deadline is June 30, 2012. SSSP also offers the Professional Mentor Program (http://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/pageId/1092), which is designed to help junior members with career development. This program requires a long-term commitment of 3 months, 6 months, or one year. Please consider lending your expertise and experience to these worthwhile programs! AWARDS AND ACCOLADES The theory division sponsors two annual awards: the outstanding scholarship award and the graduate student paper award. This year the scholarship award committee was assembled to recognize a recent book with contributions in social prob­lems theory. American Memories: Atrocities and the Law (Russell Sage Foundation, 2011), by Joachim Savelsberg and Ryan King, has been selected as the recipient of the Theory Division’s 2012 Outstanding Book Award. Here is a brief a statement from the committee on the merits of this fine work: The 2012 SSSP Theory Section Outstanding Book Award Committee is pleased to announce that American Memories: Atrocities and the Law (Russell Sage Foundation, 2011) by Joachim Savelsberg (University of Min­nesota) and Ryan King (State University of New York at Albany) is the winner of this year award. The commit­tee believes that this book makes a profound contribution to Social Problems Theory by providing a deep and comprehensive analysis of how difficult pasts are recalled institutionally. Unlike many who examine collective memory as located in the hearts and minds of citizens, Savelsberg and King remind us of the important role of institutions – law and the courts - in recalling atrocities. In the aftermath of atrocities, how a state responds has an enduring effect and provides an ethical framework for whether and in what form citizens remember moral transgressions. Savelsberg and King demonstrate that such responses are critical in teaching us how to deal with large-scale systemic violence. Through the commemoration of atrocity, perhaps future attacks will be avoided. One can only hope. Committee members: Gary Alan Fine, Chair (Northwestern University) Kathy Charmaz (Sonoma State University) Scott Harris (St. Louis University) The winner of the graduate student paper award has yet to be determined. This committee received many wonderful submissions, and deliberations are ongoing at the time of this newsletter’s publication. The winner will be notified when the committee makes a decision, and the online version of this newslet­ter will be updated to announce the winning paper and author(s). Pending budgetary approval, the author of the winning paper will receive a 2012 mem­bership in SSSP, paid registration for the 2012 annual meetings, a complimen­tary ticket to the SSSP awards banquet, and a cash stipend. Winners of both the student paper award and the outstanding book award will be recognized at the SSSP banquet, which will be held from 8:00-10:00PM on Friday, August 17 in the Pyramid Peak Room. 2012 SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION SESSIONS New Directions and Challenges in Social Constructionist Inquiry (Session 1) Thursday, August 16, 8:30 - 10:10 AM, Room: Mt. Columbia Organizer & Presider: Brian Monahan, Iowa State University “An Overriding Concern: Child Sexual Abuse and Institutional Scandals,” Joel Best, University of Delaware “Constructing Difference with Similarity: The Rearticulation of Core Elements on Cable News,” Lynn Letukas, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse “From Problem to Social Problem: The Case of Veterans’ Healthcare,” Mollie Rubin, University of Pennsylvania “Prophets in the Wilderness: What Happens When Claimsmaking Activities Fail,” John Barnshaw, University of South Florida “The Intersections Between Moral Panics and Amoral Scares in Modern Sociological Discourse,” Phil Kavanaugh, Shepherd University and R.J. Maratea, New Mexico State University Linking Popular Culture and Social Problems Theory: Implications for Teaching and Scholarship (Session 139) Saturday, August 18, 4:30 - 6:10 PM, Room: Mt. Oxford Organizer & Presider: R.J. Maratea, New Mexico State University “C. Wright Mills and the Sociology of Design,” A. Javier Trevino, Wheaton College “Looking to Advocate Groups for Social Problem Solutions,” Sara Towe Horsfall, Texas Wesleyan University “Selling Concern and Cohesion: TV News and the Construction of the Violent Crime Problem,” Brian Monahan, Iowa State University and R.J. Maratea, New Mexico State University “Big Guns, Huge Debate, But is there a Social Problem?: The Fabrication, Growth, and Maturity of a Single Gun Control Statistic,” Eric Best, University of Delaware 2012 SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION CO-SPONSORED SESSIONS Knowledge, Power, and the Politics of Reality (Session 10) Thursday, August 16, 10:30 AM - 12:10 PM, Room: Mt. Columbia Co-sponsored with Institutional Ethnography Organizer & Presider: Jared Del Rosso, Boston College “Picturing Addiction: Celebrity, Visual Images, and Social Problem Construction,” Rebecca Tiger, Middlebury College “Negotiating Biotechnology and Geoengineering: The Work of International NGOs in the Textually-Mediated Arena of Policy Making,” Lauren E. Eastwood, State University of New York, College at Plattsburgh“ “Making the New Worker: Subcontracted Work in Health Care in Turkey,” Taylan C.Acar, University of Wisconsin-Madison “Assessing the Institutionalized Experience of Becoming Canadian,” Jeff Myers, University of Toronto “Restrictionist Discourse by the Numbers: The Framing of the Demographic Impacts of Immigration,” Deenesh Sohoni and Lauren McAullife, College of William and Mary Socio-Political Dimensions of Criminal Law from Legislation to Law Enforcement I (Session 34) Thursday, August 16, 2:30 - 4:10 PM, Room: Longs Peak Co-sponsored with Crime and Juvenile Delinquency & Law and Society Organizer: Gray Cavender, Arizona State University Presider: Nancy Jurik, Arizona State University “Struggling to Help: Delinquent Girls and the Denver Juvenile Court in the Early 20th Century,” PaulColomy, University of Denver “The Changes in Polish Criminal Policy and Penitentiaries,” Lucjan Mis, Jagiellonian University “The Evidence Enigma: Correctional Boot Camps and Other Failures in Research-Based Policymaking,” Tiffany Bergin, University of Cambridge (UK) “Towards a New Intersection of Human Rights and Risk Management for Prison­ers’ Right to Life in France?” Gaetan Cliquennois, FNRS-CRIDEP-UCL and Brice Champetier, FNRS-CIRTES-UCL 2012 SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION CO-SPONSORED SESSIONS Socio-Political Dimensions of Criminal Law from Legislation to Law Enforcement II (Session 42) Thursday, August 16, 4:30 - 6:10 PM, Room: Longs Peak Co-sponsored with Crime and Juvenile Delinquency & Law and Society Organizer & Presider: Gray Cavender, Arizona State University “The Cop as Protagonist: The Evolution and Development of Policing and Social Control in Popular Literature,” Roger I. Roots, Fair Procedure Initiative “Sanction in Context: The Role of Gender and the Family,” Jessica JBWyse, Population Studies Center, University of Michigan “Racial and Ethnic Threats in Pretrial Release Processing,” Quentin Cameron Karpilow, Kenyon College “The Effect of Collateral Consequence Laws on State-Level Rates of Returns to Prison,” TracyWPSohoni, University of Maryland at College Park Making Social Problems Theory Accessible to Students and the General Public (Session 44) Thursday, August 17, 8:00 - 9:40 AM, Room: Maroon Peak Co-sponsored with Teaching Social Problems Organizers: John Barnshaw, University of South Florida Lynn Letukas, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Presider: John Barnshaw, University of South Florida “Disaggregating Social Problem Claims from Official Statistics,” Keith R. Johnson, Oakton Community College “Hull House is Dead! Long Live Hull House?” Steven P. Dandaneau and Harry F. Dahms, University of Tennessee, Knoxville “Political Cartoons as Pop Cultural Pedagogy: Using Editorial Cartoons as Ciphers for Decoding the Symbolic Universe of Social Problems,” Richard G. Ellefritz, Oklahoma State University “Social Constructionists and Their Audiences: How Social Movements, Students, and Ordinary People Deconstruct Images of Issues in Everyday Life,” Jennifer L. Dunn, Southern Illinois University Carbondale 2012 SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION CO-SPONSORED SESSIONS Scholarly Activism and Activist Scholarship on Law, Crime and Deviance (Session 109) Saturday, August 18, 10:30 AM - 12:10 PM, Room: Longs Peak Co-sponsored with Crime and Juvenile Drinking Organizer: Tim J. Berard, Kent State University Presider: JoAnn Miller, Purdue University “Activist Perspectives in Problem Solving Courts: The Case for Restorative Justice,” JoAnnMiller, Purdue University “Exploring Identity Formations among IncarceratedYouth through Emancipatory Education,” Sanna King, University of Hawaii at Manoa “What Is It Good For? Assessing the Value of Social Movement Theory to the Oc­cupy Wall Street Movement,” Richard Sullivan, Illinois State University “Why the Soiled Dove Sings- Clips and Commentary From a Scholar’s Documen­tary About Sex Worker Activism,” Molly Merryman, Kent State University Transforming Social Change into Social Policy (Session 118) Saturday, August 18, 12:30 - 2:10 PM, Room: Mt. Princeton Co-sponsored with Conflict, Social Action, and Change Organizer and Presider: John Barnshaw, University of South Florida “Policy and Social Change from Below: Does Our Relationship to Policy Impact Institutional Change?” Christina D.Weber, North Dakota State University “Soft Skills and African-American Males: A Social Constructionist Analysis of a Social Policy Problem,” Sara Chaganti, Brandeis University “The Means to an End: Policy Framing in Social Research, Health Care and Poverty,” M. Faye Hanson-Evans, University of Texas at Arlington “‘What Counts as Deviant Violence?’: Video Games, Minors and the Supreme Court,” Jeffrey ForestHilbert, University of South Florida “Mandating ‘Enhanced Interrogation’: State Violence, Legitimacy, and the Political Debate over Waterboarding,” Jared Del Rosso, Boston College 2012 SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION CO-SPONSORED SESSIONS Drug Policy Activism (Session 92) Saturday, August 18, 8:30 - 10:10 AM, Room: Mt. Harvard Co-sponsored with Drinking and Drugs Organizer & Presider: Dina Perrone, California State University-Long Beach Panelists: Miriam Boeri Kennesaw State University Jason M. Thomas Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Art Way Drug Policy Alliance Lisa Raville Harm Reduction Action Center Mason Tvert Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation Sean T. McAllister McAllister, Darnell & Associates: Cannabis Law Center Missi Wooldridge DanceSafe TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN DIVISION AFFAIRS We are always interested in identifying division members who are willing to participate in the administrative operation of the division and help to shape its future directions. There are a variety of ways to become more actively involved, including: Attend the division business meeting. This is a great way to have a direct voice in division affairs. The meeting provides an opportunity to suggest sessions for next year, volunteer to serve on an awards committee, or network with other scholars who share your interest in social problems theory. This year’s division meeting will be held on Thurs­day, August 16 from 12:30-2:00 in the Imperial Ballroom. Please join us to offer suggestions, become involved or simply observe the proceedings. Volunteer or nominate a colleague to serve on a committee or in an admin­istrative position. This can be done by attending the division business meeting or by sending me an e-mail with nominating information (bmonahan@iastate.edu). We have two annual award committees: one for graduate student papers and one for published journal articles/books. Propose and/or organize a session for future annual meetings. The 2013 meetings will be held in New York City. Session ideas often take shape at the annual meet­ings one year prior to the session, so contact me (bmonahan@iastate.edu) or John Barnshaw (incoming chair, Barnshaw@usf.edu) or visit with one of us in Denver to share your ideas for theory division sessions. Submit content for future newsletters. Share news of your accomplishments. Submit a call for papers. Provide brief analyses or critiques related to social problems theory. Any and all submissions are welcome! Send your ideas to John Barnshaw (barnshaw@usf.edu)