In the summer of 2020, The Justice 21 Committee of the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) released two rapid-response digital volumes: Social Problems in the Age of COVID‐19 to clarify the far-reaching effects of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic on an array of national and global social problems, from mass incarceration, isolation and inequality in education, and access to mental health care, to precarious and crowded housing and homelessness, unemployment, workplace closures, and exposure risk.
As social scientists, sociologists who study social problems are guided by a clear and simple directive: reduce human suffering. COVID-19, the disease and its attendant policies has not only intensified human suffering, it has laid bare a host of institutional failures—the building blocks of a healthy society and the structures upon which life depends. Though the full effects of the pandemic are not yet known, Social Problems in the Age of COVID‐19 recognizes the vital need for rigorous research to inform social problems solutions, identify their root cause, and chart a realistic and effective policy response.
Please click here to view a lively conversation with SSSP Justice 21 Committee members, Kristen Budd, David Lane, Glenn Muschert, Jason Smith and SSSP President Corey Dolgon as they offer sociological insight and understanding of COVID-19’s impact on social problems, both old and new, and offer recommendations for action by citizens, elected officials, policy makers, and the public.
To view the recording, click here.
Introduction by:
Corey Dolgon, Professor of Sociology and Faculty Directory for the Downtown Center for Community Engagement at Stonehill College and current President of the Society for the Study of Social Problems
Panel participants:
Glenn Muschert, Professor of Sociology at Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Glenn Muschert is a Professor of Sociology at Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and previously served on the faculty at Miami University and Purdue University (USA), and as a visiting scholar at Erzincan University and Atatürk University (Turkey). His research focuses on digital divides, sustainable development, and the resolution of global social problems. He has published numerous scholarly volumes, peer-reviewed articles, and chapters in academic volumes in the fields of sociology, media studies, social justice studies, and sustainable development. He serves as Secretary of the Society for the study of Social Problems (SSSP) and Chair of the SSSP Justice 21 Committee.
Kristen M. Budd, Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio
Kristen M. Budd, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Purdue University (2011) with a specialization in Law and Society. Dr. Budd has published over twenty articles, most recently in Sexual Abuse, the Journal of School Violence, Criminal Justice Review, and other crime and policy journals. Her research focuses on interpersonal violence, law, and policy including how they intersect with perpetrator and victim sociodemographic characteristics. Currently, she researches patterns and predictors of offending behavior in relation to sexual assault, public perceptions in relation to criminal behavior, law, and criminal justice policy and practice, and social and legal responses to interpersonal violence and other social problems. She serves as Chairperson, Council of Divisions within the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) and is a member of the SSSP Justice 21 Committee.
David C. Lane, Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice Sciences at Illinois State University
David C. Lane is an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice Sciences at Illinois State University. He holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Delaware. His monograph, The Other End of the Needle: Continuity and Change among Tattoo Workers was recently released on Rutgers University Press. His recent articles appear in Deviant Behavior and the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. Broadly, David’s research focuses on tattoo work, labor and the changes to cultural production in capitalist systems, crime in relation to natural hazards, art theft, and constructionist approaches to social problems. At the Society for the Study of Social Problems he currently serves on the Nominations Committee and as a member of the Justice 21 Committee. He also serves as the Chair of the Body Art and Images area of the Mid-Atlantic Popular and American Culture Association.
Jason A. Smith, Research Affiliate at the Center for Social Science Research, George Mason University
Jason A. Smith is a Research Affiliate with the Center for Social Science Research at George Mason University and member of the Justice 21 Committee with the Society for the Study of Social Problems. Jason’s research focuses on race and media exclusion. Overarching themes in his work include issues of access and representation for communities of color in various institutional and organizational spaces, with his work appearing in journals such as Sociology of Race & Ethnicity and Ethnic & Racial Studies. In the past he has worked with organizations such as the American Sociological Association, El Sistema USA, and the New America Foundation.
To view the recording, click here.
February 04, 2021
