Message from the Chair CONTRIBUTE TO FUTURE NEWSLETTERS Social Problems Theory News Greetings, I begin my first newsletter as chair by extending thanks to those whose efforts have been instrumental in the continued success of the theory division. First and foremost, a hearty “Thank You!” to Lara Foley, our past division chair, for her wonderful work in advancing the mission and goals of the division. Thanks Lara! Next, many thanks to the division members who have kindly agreed to serve on the division’s sponsored awards committees for 2011. Details about each of these awards and calls for submissions can be found in this letter. Finally, thanks to those who helped to make the 2010 meeting in Atlanta so successful! The division sponsored a number of wonderful sessions filled with interesting research and scholarly debate. Of course, any discussion of past meetings inevitably serves as a reminder that it is already time to begin thinking about next year’s meeting (truly a vicious cycle!). The 2011 meeting will be held in Chicago from August 12-14. The theme of the meeting is “Service Sociology.” In this issue of Social Problems Theory News you will find several items pertaining to next year’s meeting. The listing of the 2011 divisional and co-sponsored paper sessions can be found on pages 2-3. Please remember to submit your abstracts via the SSSP on-line submission portal by midnight on January 31. This issue also includes the initial call for papers for the 2011 Student Paper Competition and for the Outstanding Article Award. Remember to nominate your students or deserving colleagues! Self-nominations are also encouraged. Brian Monahan November 2010 I think the newsletter can be a wonderful tool for highlighting the insights and accomplishments of our members and for generating enthusiasm as we approach our annual meeting. With this in mind, I request your assistance in identifying suitable content for future newsletters. Submissions of all kinds are welcome! From comments and calls for papers, to brief analyses and critiques related to Social Problems Theory. Let us know your reactions to this newsletter, the events at the annual meetings, or inform us of your new work so we can help spread the word. Brian Monahan bmonahan@iastate.edu Inside this issue: Message From the Chair 1 Please Contribute to the Newsletter 1 2011 Paper Sessions 2-3 2011 Student Competition Call for Papers 4 2011 Outstanding Article Call for Papers 4 Call for Chapter Proposals, Agenda For Justice-2012 5 Announcement of New Book Series 6 Theory Division Chair 2010-2012 Brian Monahan Department of Sociology Iowa State University Ames, IA 50011 515-294-8379 bmonahan@iastate.edu Society for the Study of Social Problems Fall 2010    Thematic Session Making Social Constructionism Relevant for a Public Audience Organizer: Nancy Berns NANCY.BERNS@DRAKE.EDU 2011 Social Problems Theory Division Sessions Thematic Session New Directions in Social Problems Theorizing Organizers: Lynn Letukas LLETUKAS@UDEL.EDU & John Barnshaw BARNSHAW@USF.EDU Over the past four decades, the social constructionist paradigm has become well entrenched in social problems theorizing. While the constructionist approach has provided profound insights into how we understand the origins, development, and outcomes of social problems, this progress has not been without controversies or critique. This session welcomes papers that build upon prior constructionist research while offering new directions in social problems theorizing by linking the approach to other theoretical work, refining the approach in light of changing media, or offering policy implications related to social problems theorizing. Page # Social Problems Theory News Papers in the Round Session Social Problems Theory in Scholarship and in Service Organizer: Sara Towe Horsfall SHORSFALL@TXWES.EDU Thematic Session Discovering Trans-Local Organization: Beyond Micro and Macro Organizer: Peter Grahame PRG11@PSU.EDU Co-sponsored with Institutional Ethnography Division Page # Fall 2010 Student Paper Award – Deadline: 4/1/11 The Social Problems Theory Division invites submissions for its annual Student Paper Award Competition. To be eligible, papers must be authored by students, have relevance to social problems theory, and cannot have been accepted for publication. Single– or co-authored papers are eligible. Papers co-authored with faculty are not eligible. Self-nominations are welcome. Please limit manuscripts to 10,000 words (not including references). Subject to budgetary approval, we anticipate that the winner will receive a cash prize, membership dues, meeting registration fees, and a banquet ticket for the 2011 annual meeting. The winner will also be invited to present her or his paper at the 2011 SSSP meetings. Please send submissions as e-mail attachments to the Student Paper Competition Committee Chair, R.J. Maratea (New Mexico State University), rjm@nmsu.edu 2011 Student Paper Award — Call For Papers 2011 Outstanding Article Award — Call for Papers Outstanding Article Award – Deadline 3/1/11 The Social Problems Theory Division announces its 2011 Outstanding Article Award.   The goal of this award is to encourage and recognize scholarship in the area of social problems theory.  Eligible articles must have been published within three years of the meeting (2008-2011 for this year’s award).  Single or multiple-authored articles will be accepted.  Authors are encouraged to nominate their own work.  Nominees must be members of SSSP.   Please send full publication information along with a copy of the article (electronic submissions are preferred) to the Chair of the Outstanding Article Award Committee, Donileen Loseke (University of South Florida), dloseke@usf.edu. Department of Sociology, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620.   Page # Social Problems Theory News AGENDA FOR JUSTICE—2012 Call for Chapter Proposals In 2004 and 2008, the SSSP and the Justice 21 Committee published the first two volumes of the Agenda for Social Justice. Those reports contained chapters on a variety of social problems, among them poverty, educational inequality, unemployment, environmental health risks, global economic change, capital punishment, post-Katrina disaster response, gender inequality in the criminal justice system, the vulnerability of ESL students in public schools, surveillance technologies, civil unions, domestic violence. We are now beginning our work on the third publication--Agenda for Social Justice-2012. This publication is designed to inform the public-at-large about the nation’s most pressing social problems and to propose a public policy response to those problems. This project affirms the commitment of SSSP to social justice, and enables the members of the association to speak on public issues with the sponsorship of the corporate body. This report will be an “agenda for social justice,” in that it will contain recommendations for action by elected officials, policy makers, and the public at large. The report will be distributed as widely as possible to policy makers, those in progressive media, and academics. The quadrennial report will be a product of the most valid and reliable knowledge we have about social problems and it will be a joint effort of the members and Divisions of SSSP. We invite you to consider preparing a chapter for the 2012 publication. We ask you, individually or with colleagues, to consider submitting a brief proposal (1-2 pp) identifying a social problem of concern to members of SSSP, and respond to the questions: What do we know? How do we know it? What is to be done? As the coordinating committee for Justice 21, we invite members to prepare a draft statement for a proposed contribution to the 2012 publication, tentatively to be produced and distributed by the Edwin Mellen Press (http://www.mellenpress.com/). For the 2012 edition, confirmed contributors include the following well-known sociologists: Frances Fox Piven, Alejandro Portes, and Amatai Etzioni. Please submit a copy of your 1-2 page proposals to each of the members of the committee by March 1, 2011, and contact us if you have questions or would like additional information. Final manuscripts will be due near the end of 2011, and will appear in print prior to the 2012 SSSP annual meetings in August 2012. Glenn Muschert (chair), Miami University, muschegw@muohio.edu Kathleen Ferraro, Northern Arizona University, kathleen.ferraro@nau.edu Brian Klocke, SUNY Plattsburgh, bkloc001@plattsburgh.edu JoAnn Miller, Purdue University, jlmiller@purdue.edu Robert Perrucci, Purdue University, perruccir@purdue.edu Jon Shefner, University of Tennessee, jshefner@utk.edu An expanded discussion of Justice 21 can be found in the May 2001 issue of Social Problems (“Inventing Social Justice”). To see the 2004 and 2008 publications, see the SSSP website at the following address: http://sssp1.org/index.cfm/m/323 Page # Fall 2010 Thematic Session Serving Families Through New Social Theory Organizer: EBONIE L. CUNNINGHAM-STRINGER EBONIE.CUNNINGHAM@WILKES.EDU Co-sponsored with Family Division 2011 Social Problems Theory Division Co-Sponsored Sessions Thematic Session Sanctions and Punishment Organizer: Richard Leo RLEO@USFCA.EDU Co-sponsored with Law and Society Division Co-sponsored Session with Law and Society