• The student should be able to define what a social problem is and explain the elements of the definition, describe the social context that sociologists use to understand social problems, and explain the significance of the sociological imagination.

• The student should be able to explain the roles of theories in understanding social problems and to discuss the three major theoretical perspectives in sociology and explain how they are used in understanding social problems.

• The student should have an understanding of the scientific method and how it differs from other ways of knowing about the world, be able to explain how research is conducted, and be able to evaluate issues of values and interest groups in research, objectivity in research, and problems that arise in assessing data.

• The student should be able to evaluate the ways in which social problems can be solved; understand the interplay of social policy and social research in finding solutions to problems; assess the role of social movements, the government, and other organizations in solving problems; and describe the interventionist and laissez faire approaches to solving social problems.

• The student should understand why an international perspective is important to understanding and solving social problems.

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