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GHPPA Steps
PPA Home Themes Resources Project TIPS |
Social ProblemsAs an individual, you may have some goals in your personal life. Examples could include receiving an "A" in social studies, losing ten pounds, or saving $25 for a special gift for your mother’s birthday. Suppose you only receive a "B" in social studies, lose only three pounds, and save only $15 toward the gift. In each instance you have a gap between your goal and your present condition. If you continue to feel very dissatisfied about these situations, you might refer to these gaps as individual problems in your life. Social problems may be viewed as gaps between the goals of a society and its present conditions. In other words, some members of the society must feel that existing social conditions are undesirable. In the United States, for example, our Declaration of Independence lists our nation’s goals as "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Life also includes the quality of life-good health, nutrition, and personal safety. Our liberties can be found in our Bill of Rights, especially the First Amendment. Pursuit of happiness involves concerns such as economic opportunity and a clean environment. Other nations have held similar societal goals. During the French Revolution, for example, the societal goals were expressed by the people shouting "Liberté, Fraternité, Egalité." (liberty, brotherhood, and equality). Social problems exist when some people feel there is a gap between present societal conditions and their nation’s goals. Social problems can be found throughout global history. These problems can be related to the concepts and themes in your state social studies curriculum. To help you to select a social problem and related theme from various time periods, review the sample list of Topics for Developing Global History Social Problems |