Social Issues

Social Issue

• "A social problem is a social condition (such as poverty) or a pattern of behavior (such as substance abuse) that harms some individuals or all people in a society and that a sufficient number of people believe warrants public concern and collective action to bring about change"

• (Kendall, D. Social Problems in a Diverse Society (4th ed). Boston: Pearson, 2007, p. 4.

Social Issue

• "A social problem exists when people subjectively perceive and have empirical evidence to show that social conditions combine at a local, societal, or global level to cause personal problems"

• (Crone, J. How Can We Solve Our Social Problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press, 2007, p. 2)

• Is making art about social issues risky? • What factors prevent or encourage people to

take creative risks?

Ai Weiwei

• Chinese Artist• Political and Cultural

Themes• Secretly Detained – 81 Days– April- June 2011

Ai Weiwei

Sunflower Seeds

Ai Weiwei

• A Conversation

• What risks are you willing to take and for what purpose or cause?

Social Issues• Abortion

– Pro Choice– Pro Life

• Affirmative Action• Ageism / Age Discrimination• Airport Screening Procedures• Airport Security• Alcoholism• Animal Rights• Anti-Muslim Discrimination• Binge Drinking• Birth Control• Bullying

• Campus Crime• Capital Punishment / Death Penal

ty• Chemical Weapons• Child Labor• Classism• Cloning• Colorisim• Corporate Downsizing• Disaster Relief• Domestic Violence• Dream Act• Drinking and Driving• Driving While Black

• Drug Abuse / Drug Addiction• Eating Disorders• Embryonic Stem Cell Research• Environmental Pollution• Environmental Racism• Equal Pay• Euthanasia / Assisted Suicide• Felony Disenfranchisement• Gang Violence• Gay Rights• Genetic Engineering• Gentrification• Global Warming• Gun Control

• Gun Rights• Hate Crimes• Hazing• Health Care Disparities• HIV / AIDS• Homelessness• Honor Killings

– PBS

• Human Trafficking• Hunger• Illegal Immigration• Legalization of Marijuana

• Mall Shootings• Mass Murder• Minimum Wage• National Rifle

Association• Obesity• Outsourcing Jobs• Photo bombs• Poverty

• Prayer in Schools• Racial Disparities in Health Care• Racial Disparities in Sentencing• Racial Profiling• Racism• Retail Profiling• Recycling and Conservation• Right to Work• Same-Sex Marriage• Sexism• Sexual Harassment• Sexting

• Shopping While Black• Single Parenting• Smoking / Tobacco Use• Social Networking and

Privacy• Stand Your Ground Laws• Steroid Use in Sports• Stereotyping• Sweat Shops• Teen Pregnancy• Terrorism

• Texting While Driving• Texting While Walking• Unemployment• Union Busting• Violence in Schools• Violence in Music Videos• Violence in Video Games• Voter Disenfranchisement• Voting Rights Restrictions