Many Voices: An Introduction to Social Issues

Many disciplines study human behavior. Each discipline has its own perspective on why humans exhibit particular behaviors, and on the origins of social problems and their solutions. Specialists from various fields see social issues through their own set of assumptions. The purpose of this text is to present these differing perspectives. The student will gain a richer understanding of the social issues themselves and of how social scientists and specialists from other related disciplines approach them. Forty authors from fifteen institutions and a variety of disciplines have contributed to this book.

As an intentionally cross-disciplinary text, Many Voices gives special attention to the roles and relationships of religion and culture. In many aspects of society, the effects of culture and religion are powerfully intertwined. An understanding of one helps us understand the other. It also helps us understand that there are, indeed, many voices behind the social issues and problems of our time.