Rahul Sharma (Editor)

The Society for the Study of Social Problems

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Area served
  
Worldwide

Founded
  
1951

Publication
  
Social Problems

The Society for the Study of Social Problems wwwsssp1orglayoutData5528imagesheadlogopng

Type
  
Professional Organization

Focus
  
Pursuit of Social Justice through Social Research

Location
  
University of Tennessee 901 McClung Tower Knoxville, TN 37996-0490 United States

Key people
  
Dr. Héctor L. Delgado, Executive Officer Michele Smith Koontz, Administrative Officer & Meeting Manager

Founders
  
Alfred McClung Lee, Elizabeth Briant Lee

Similar
  
American Sociological Association, Sociologists for Women in Society, Law and Society Association, Social Science Research, American Academy of Politica

Profiles

The Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP), founded in 1951 by Elizabeth Briant Lee and Alfred McClung Lee, is a non-profit interdisciplinary community of scholars, practitioners, advocates, and students interested in the application of critical, scientific, and humanistic perspectives to the study of vital social problems.

Contents

Purpose

The SSSP’s stated purpose is to promote and protect sociological research and teaching on significant problems of social life. This includes:

  • encouraging the work of young sociologists;
  • stimulating the application of scientific method and theory to the study of vital social problems;
  • encouraging problem-centered social research;
  • fostering cooperative relations among persons and organizations engaged in the application of scientific sociological findings to the formulation of social policies;
  • fostering higher quality of life, social welfare, and positive social relations in society and the global community and
  • undertaking any activity related thereto or necessary or desirable for the accomplishment of the foregoing purposes.
  • Activities

    The SSSP promotes dialogue through presentations at the annual meeting and through listservs and newsletters throughout the year; publishes research in the journal Social Problems; presents awards to community groups; supports graduate students, young scholars and activists with professional support, leadership opportunities, and scholarships; passes and acts upon public resolutions; and fosters the generation of new ideas.

    Membership

    Most members are from the United States, but the Society enjoys the significant participation of international scholars, practitioners, students, and advocates as well. Membership is open to individuals and university and college departments who support the SSSP’s mission and goals. Since many of the Society’s members are sociologists, the SSSP holds annual meetings in the same location and time as the American Sociological Association.

    Divisions

    The SSSP has twenty-two divisions, each with its own newsletter, that provide members with common interests the opportunity to interact more intimately with one another. Division activity shapes the annual meeting of the Society by organizing paper sessions and panels. Divisions provide an opportunity for young scholars to present their work to a critical audience of scholar advocates interested in good research and social action to move toward solutions for social problems. Members interested in emerging areas of social problems can form new divisions.

    Scholarships and Awards

    The SSSP grants scholarships and awards in recognition of meritorious work by outstanding scholars, practitioners, advocates, and students who demonstrate active pursuit in the application of critical, scientific, and humanistic perspectives to the study of vital social problems. One of these awards is the prestigious C. Wright Mills Award, awarded to the previous year’s most outstanding book in the tradition of the individual for whom the award is named.

    Social Problems and other Publications

    The Society publishes Social Problems, one of the leading referred and most widely read social science journals in the United States, and several other miscellaneous publications.

    SSSP Presidents

    The following is a list of Presidents of the Society from its founding in 1951 to 2018.

    References

    The Society for the Study of Social Problems Wikipedia