Taking sides. Clashing views on social issues / selected, edited and with introductions by Kurt Finsterbusch, University of Maryland.

Unit 1. Culture and values. Does the media have a liberal bias? -- Is Third World immigration a threat to America's way of life? -- Unit 2. Sex roles, gender, and the family. Does the divorce have long-term damaging effects on children? -- Are professional women'opting out' of work by choice? -- Should same-sex marriages be legally recognized? -- Unit 3. Stratification and inequality. Is increasing economic inequality a serious problem? -- Is America close to being a post-racial society? -- Has feminism benefited American society? -- Is the gender wage gap justified? -- Unit 4. Political economy and institutions. Is government dominated by big business? -- Does capitalism undermine democracy? -- Should government intervene in a capitalist economy? -- Was the welfare reform the right approach to poverty? -- Is No Child Left Behind irretrievably flawed? -- Should biotechnology be used to alter and enhance humans? -- Unit 5. Crime and social control. Is street crime more harmful than white-collar crime? -- Should laws against drug use remain restrictive? -- Are we headed toward a nuclear 9/11? -- Is torture ever justified? -- Unit 6. The future: population/environment/society. Does immigration benefit the economy? -- Is humankind dangerously harming the environment? -- Is economic globalization good for both rich and poor? -- Unit 7. Bonus issues- Special topics for today. Is stimulus the best way to get the American economy back on its feet? -- Does social media have largely positive impacts on its users?