Teaching Social Problems Division Newsletter Society for the Study of Social Problems Summer 2009 I hope that everyone’s academic year went well. Hard to believe that it is almost time to gather again to be refreshed, challenged, and to learn from each other! And to think that we’ll be meeting in one of the most beautiful cities in the US if not the world – San Francisco. I’m enclosing lots of information about the meeting for your information and perusal. Our division has seven intriguing sessions planned for the San Francisco meeting. Check out pages 3-5 of this newsletter for information on all the sessions and page 2 for the Theme for the Annual Meeting. Join us for the multi-division reception on August 7th from 6:30-7:30 PM. This is a laid-back time to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, and discover what many of the other SSSP divisions are doing. So be sure to drop by – our division has contributed to it, so come enjoy the wonderful refreshments! See you there, Kathe Lowney Division Chair Table of Contents P. 2 SSSP Meeting Call Pp.3-5 TSP 2009 Sessions and Division Meeting P. 6 Come Celebrate with Us P. 7 Volunteers Needed RACE, ETHNICITY, AND THE CONTINUING PROBLEM OF THE COLOR LINE by SSSP President Steven E. Barker In 1903 W. E. B. DuBois famously wrote, “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.” More than one hundred years have passed since his prophetic statement, yet the color line remains a major problem of the twenty-first century. Racial and ethnic inequality permeates American society and expresses itself through the many social problems studied by SSSP members. To mention just a few familiar examples, people of color are more likely to live in poverty, to receive poor health care, to live in areas with air and water pollution problems, and to be arrested and imprisoned. Racial and ethnic prejudice and stereotyping also remain widespread even if they are less extreme than in decades past. In the 2006 General Social Survey, almost half of non-Latino whites agreed that “most blacks just don’t have the motivation or will power to pull themselves out of poverty,” and one-fifth of whites opposed a close relative marrying an Asian American. Almost 60 percent of respondents in a 2007 Gallup Poll thought that immigrants to the United States are worsening the crime problem. And almost one-fourth of respondents in a 2006 Gallup Poll said they would not want to have a Muslim as a neighbor, while 39 percent admitted being prejudiced against Muslims. Other Gallup evidence shows that people of color are less satisfied than non-Latino whites with their lives and more likely to perceive that racial and ethnic discrimination exists in education, the workplace, and other areas. About fifty years ago the civil rights movement put racial segregation on the national agenda, and that movement and later efforts succeeded in weakening the color line. Yet racial and ethnic inequality persists while most of the nation turns a blind eye by forgetting about it, by pretending it simply does not exist, or by blaming people of color for the inequality they suffer. The theme of the 2009 annual meeting, “Race, Ethnicity, and the Continuing Problem of the Color Line,” will afford SSSP members the opportunity to discuss the place of race and ethnicity in the United States and to rededicate ourselves to addressing racial and ethnic issues in our professional work, political and social activism, and daily lives. Papers are invited that address the following questions: (1) What are the sources of racial and ethnic inequality in contemporary society? (2) How, why, and with what consequences do racial and ethnic prejudice and discrimination manifest themselves in social institutions and in everyday life? (3) What are the racial and ethnic dimensions and impact of the social problems studied by SSSP members? (4) Perhaps most important, what social programs and policies and political strategies, ranging from conventional political activity to protest tactics, offer the most hope for reducing racial and ethnic inequality? The 2009 annual meeting in San Francisco will be an occasion both to celebrate the racial and ethnic diversity of our society and to reflect soberly on the color line that remains and the work that still needs to be done. Teaching Social Problems Sessions Session 7: Teaching About Human Rights Date: Friday, August 7 Time: 08:30 AM - 10:10 AM Room: SCH-Fournou's Oven Organizer & Presider: Otis B. Grant, Indiana University South Bend Papers: “‘And Roma Were Victims, too.’ The Roma Genocide and Holocaust Education in Romania,” Michelle Kelso, University of Michigan “Multiculturalism as a New Ideology: The Race and Ethnic Representation in Japan’s Junior High Schools’ English Language Textbooks between 1980s to the Present,” Mieko Yamada, Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne “Mystifications in the Construction, Appropriation, and Teaching of Human Rights,” Stephen Adair, Central Connecticut State University “Using the Right to Health as a Framework for Fostering Integrative Learning: Lessons from Teaching Issues in Health and Illness,” Alex Otieno, Arcadia University Session 11: Reflections on the First Year of Teaching: Lessons Learned Date: Friday, August 7 Time: 10:30 AM - 12:10 PM Room: SCH-California Gold Organizer, Presider & Discussant: Kris Macomber, North Carolina State University Panelists: Rachael Neal, Coe College Christopher R. Freed, University of South Alabama Kendra J. Jason, North Carolina State University Session 21: Current Challenges in Teaching about Inequality Along the Color Line and Beyond Date: Friday, August 7 Time: 12:30 PM - 02:10 PM Room: SCH-Russian Hill Organizer & Presider: Amanda Gengler, Barton College Papers: “Teaching about Inequality: Challenges, Strategies, and Visions,” Shobha Hamal Gurung, Southern Utah University “Rude Awakenings: Student Resistance and Receptivity in the Critical Classroom,” Amanda Gengler, Barton College Session 21, continued “Invisible and Forgotten?: Teaching About Inequalities Afflicting Native Americans,” Orsolya Kolozsvari-Wright and Saori Yasumoto, Georgia State University “Extra Terrestrials and Generic Social Processes: A Class Activity on the Reproduction of Inequality,” Kylie Parrotta and Sarah E. Rusche, North Carolina State University “Teaching Intersectionality in the Social Inequality Classroom,” Christina Weber, North Dakota State University TEACHING SOCIAL PROBLEMS DIVISION MEETING! Come one, come all! Date: Friday, August 7 Time: 4:30 PM – 6:10 PM Room: SCH-Stanford West Session 62: Experiential Learning, Service Learning, and Community Internships Date: Saturday, August 8 Time: 12:30 PM - 02:10 PM Room: UC-Dining Room Organizer: Vicky M. MacLean, Middle Tennessee State University Presider: Theo Majka, University of Dayton Papers: “Goal Oriented Pedagogy for Integrating Experiential Learning Practices into the Curriculum,” Paulina Ruf, Lenoir-Rhyne University and Elizabeth Scheel, Saint Cloud State University “Teaching Empowerment toward Change: Possibilities and Pitfalls in an Academic-Meets-Organizer Partnership,” Kristin Marsh, University of Mary Washington and Kevin Simowitz, Virginia Organizing Project “The Community Service Miniterm: An Innovation in Service Learning,” Janet Grigsby, Union College “‘It’s Not Just About You’: Teaching Students about Social Problems through Community Organizations,” Shirley A. Jackson, Southern Connecticut State University “Teaching and Learning Moments: Studying Accessibility in City Services with Undergraduate and Graduate Students,” Kathleen Lowney and Ginger Macheski, Valdosta State University Session 73: Service Learning & Community Action Research: The Global Experience Date: Saturday, August 8 Time: 02:30 PM - 04:10 PM Room: UC-Dining Room Organizer: Vicky M. MacLean, Middle Tennessee State University Session 73, continued Presider: Theo Majka, University of Dayton Discussant: Shirley A. Jackson, Southern Connecticut State University Papers: “More Worldly: College Student Views of US Foreign Policy Before and After Global Travel,” Christine Wernet, University of South Carolina Aiken “An Exploratory Survey of School Social Work in S. Korea and the United States,” Alfred Joseph and Ji-Young Lim, Miami University “Reflection on Contrasting Communities: Racial and Gendered Differences in Sex Education Classrooms,” Melissa Busher, Illinois State University “On the Ground Social Action in the Trenches with the Poor,” Warner Woodworth, Brigham Young University Session 93: Juveniles and Education: Symbolic Frameworks and Institutional Issues Date: Sunday, August 9 Time: 08:30 AM - 10:10 AM Room: UC-Dining Room Organizer & Presider: Otis B. Grant, Indiana University South Bend Papers: “What Lessons Can Public Schools Learn From KIPP Charter Schools?” Marissa Shaw, Cecily Medved and Kiara Garcia, California State University, East Bay “Teaching about US Punishment to Privileged Liberal Arts Students,” R. Tyson Smith, Dickinson College “Canadian Multiculturalism as an Official Policy of Inclusion?: Immigrant Youth, Identity and Symbolic Constructions,” Maryam Nabavi, University of British Columbia “The Manifestation and Consequences of Identity Issues for Children of ‘The Enemy’: A Continuum Approach,” Selina Coleman and Alex Otieno, Arcadia University “Studying Race & Media: Is Reifying Race Unavoidable?” Natalie Byfield, St. John’s University Session 118: Context and Technique in the Classroom Date: Sunday, August 9 Time: 02:30 PM - 04:10 PM Room: SCH-Nob Hill Organizer & Presider: Christopher G. Kelly, Boston College Papers: “Bureaucratic Rituals as Mechanisms of Control,” Vince Montes, City University of New York/ LaGuardia C.C. and J. David Knottnerus, Oklahoma State University “From the Broom Closet to the Lecture Podium: How an Instructor’s Class Affects the Class,” Roxanne Gerbrandt, Austin Peay State University “Using Music Subcultures to Teach Social Problems,” Kenneth Culton, Niagara University JOIN US TO CELEBRATE THE SSSP AND ITS MEMBERS WELCOMING RECEPTION – OPEN TO SSSP MEMBERS  All meeting registrants are invited to the Welcoming Reception on Thursday, August 6, and celebrate the opening of the 59th Annual Meeting.  This social hour kicks off at 6:00pm and provides opportunities to renew past acquaintances, chat with old friends, and find a newcomer to befriend.  New members and first-time meeting attendees are particularly encouraged to come and have fun!  SSSP DIVISION-SPONSORED RECEPTION The Community Research and Development; Conflict, Social Action, and Change; Crime and Juvenile Delinquency; Disabilities; Educational Problems; Environment and Technology; Family; Health, Health Policy, and Health Services; Institutional Ethnography; Labor Studies; Law and Society; Poverty, Class, and Inequality; Racial and Ethnic Minorities; Sexual Behavior, Politics, and Communities; Sociology and Social Welfare; Sport Sociology; Teaching Social Problems and the Youth, Aging, and the Life Course divisions will be hosting a joint reception on Friday, August 7 from 6:30pm – 7:30pm. 9th ANNUAL AIDS FUNDRAISER Plan to attend this fun event on Friday, August 7 from 9:00pm –  10:30pm.  Graduate students and new members will receive complimentary admission, but everyone else is charged $15. Music will be provided by Jazz Musician Denise Fraga. A selection of tasty desserts will be available along with a cash bar.   During the evening, there will be a silent and a live auction.  You’ll be able to place bids on lots of great stuff. All proceeds will benefit the Asian Pacific Islander Wellness Center whose mission is to educate, support, empower, and advocate for Asian and Pacific Islander communities – particularly those living with or at-risk for, HIV/AIDS.  For more information, visit www.apiwellness.org/home.html. Things to Know about Session and Meeting Locations: All committee meetings and special events are scheduled at the Stanford Court Hotel (SCH). Sessions are scheduled at the Stanford Court Hotel (SCH) and the University Club (UC), which is adjacent to the hotel. Directions to the University Club (UC): Exit the hotel and make a right on California Street. Go to the corner of California and Powell. Cross Powell Street, turn left, and cross over California Street. The University Club is on your right. We Need You and You and You. . . To Volunteer!!! In the upcoming year, we will need people to do the following things – will you help our division to succeed? * Agree to run for Division Chair (it is not a lot of work, I promise!) * Brainstorm session ideas for 2010 Annual Meeting * Agree to be session organizers for 2010 * Be on the student paper award committee If you think you have an idea for next year or want to volunteer and CANNOT make the Division Meeting on Friday afternoon from 4:30-6:10 PM, then please e-mail me (klowney@valdosta.edu) BEFORE the meeting so that I can bring your ideas to the Division Meeting. My term will end in 2010 and I will begin a new challenge – I will be the incoming editor of the ASA journal, Teaching Sociology. So be sure to send me your completed manuscripts; I promise you a fair and quick review process. See you in San Francisco! 1