This classic volume was originally designed as an introductionto social science perspectives on a broad rangeof social issues in American society, specifi cally the complexsocial problems of the 1960s. Because the volume isstructured as a survey, it is neither exhaustive or defi nitive.It does provide a wide range of information about theseproblems, as well as the many diff erent policy initiativesthat were developed to cope with them. Readers can learna great deal about the common themes, predilections andquandaries that characterized United States responses tothe complex problems of the 1960s and the patterns ofinequality and injustice prevalent at that time.

The essays were selected to cover the range of substantiveproblematic issues of the period, the social scienceperspectives that were brought to bear on them, and therange of social science methodologies used. Finally, theselections emphasize the contributions that can be madeto understanding social problems by intensive and rigoroussocial science research.

Journalists and popular writers use a common senseapproach to their study of social problems, and theresults are often imaginative and incisive. Th e tools ofsocial scientists produce information and analyses thatcontribute far more to our understanding than even themost insightful journalist can achieve. Th e selections inthis volume highlight the deeper and more fundamentalunderstanding of social issues that can come from rigorousanalysis of government statistics, and from specialsample surveys, from in-depth ethnographic studies.

Lee Rainwater is professor emeritus of sociology at HarvardUniversity. He was one of the original founders of TransactionPublishers. He has written books and articles in many professionaljournals.