ABSTRACT

Truly comprehensive in scope - and arranged in A-Z format for quick access - this eight-volume set is a one-source reference for anyone researching the historical and contemporary details of more than 170 major issues confronting American society. Entries cover the full range of hotly contested social issues - including economic, scientific, environmental, criminal, legal, security, health, and media topics. Each entry discusses the historical origins of the problem or debate; past means used to deal with the issue; the current controversy surrounding the issue from all perspectives; and the near-term and future implications for society. In addition, each entry includes a chronology, a bibliography, and a directory of Internet resources for further research as well as primary documents and statistical tables highlighting the debates.

letter Volume 1|257 pages

entry |13 pages

Abortion and Reproductive Issues

entry |10 pages

Academic Freedom

entry |13 pages

Adoption

entry |8 pages

Advertising, Children's

entry |16 pages

Affirmative Action

entry |6 pages

Ageism

entry |16 pages

AIDS/HIV

entry |17 pages

Air Pollution

entry |19 pages

Air Travel: Safety, Security, and Service

entry |11 pages

Alcohol and Alcoholism

entry |10 pages

Animal Rights

entry |12 pages

Anti-Muslim Discrimination and Violence

entry |10 pages

Anti-Semitism

entry |7 pages

Arson

entry |10 pages

Arts Funding and Censorship

entry |10 pages

At-Risk Students: Higher Education

entry |9 pages

Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder

entry |8 pages

Autism

entry |11 pages

Automobile and Highway Safety

entry |11 pages

Bilingualism

entry |14 pages

Birth Control

entry |16 pages

Campaign Finance Reform

letter Volume 2|280 pages

entry |12 pages

Cancer

entry |17 pages

Capital Punishment

entry |12 pages

Census Issues

entry |9 pages

Cheating, Academic

entry |11 pages

Child Abuse and Molestation

entry |13 pages

Child Labor

entry |10 pages

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

entry |14 pages

Church-State Separation

entry |13 pages

Civil Liberties

entry |16 pages

Civil Rights

entry |11 pages

Coastal Pollution and Wetlands Protection

entry |11 pages

College Sports

entry |12 pages

Computer Crime and Hacking

entry |7 pages

Consumer Debt and Bankruptcy

entry |9 pages

Corporal Punishment

entry |15 pages

Corporate Crime

entry |10 pages

Corporate Downsizing

entry |16 pages

Crime

entry |11 pages

Criminal Rights

entry |12 pages

“Cults𠇜 and Alternative Religions

entry |11 pages

Defense Spending and Preparedness

entry |14 pages

Deforestation and Logging

entry |14 pages

Disability Rights

letter Volume 3|277 pages

entry |9 pages

Divorce and Child Custody

entry |14 pages

Domestic Violence

entry |8 pages

Drought and Aquifer Depletion

entry |14 pages

Drug Abuse

entry |12 pages

Drugs, War on

entry |13 pages

Eating Disorders

entry |17 pages

Energy Dependency

entry |12 pages

Environmental Justice

entry |11 pages

Environmentally Induced Illnesses

entry |10 pages

Euthanasia

entry |10 pages

Evolution Education

entry |16 pages

Extinction and Species Loss: Biota Invasion and Habitat Destruction

entry |10 pages

Farm Issues

entry |14 pages

Food and Drug Safety

entry |10 pages

Foster Care

entry |12 pages

Gambling

entry |7 pages

Gangs

entry |17 pages

Gay and Lesbian Rights

entry |10 pages

Genetic Engineering

entry |9 pages

Gentrification

entry |13 pages

Global Warming

entry |10 pages

Gulf War Syndrome and other Veterans' Illnesses

entry |18 pages

Gun Violence and Gun Control

letter Volume 4|270 pages

entry |11 pages

Hate Crimes

entry |7 pages

Hate Radio and Internet

entry |9 pages

Hate Speech

entry |18 pages

Healthcare Reform

entry |7 pages

Heart Disease and Cardiology

entry |13 pages

Homelessness

entry |10 pages

Housing, Affordable

entry |11 pages

Human Experimentation

entry |12 pages

Identity Theft

entry |16 pages

Immigration Policy and Law

entry |12 pages

Immigration, Illegal

entry |8 pages

Indoor Air Pollution

entry |11 pages

Infectious Disease and Epidemics

entry |10 pages

Infrastructure Deterioration

entry |11 pages

Intellectual Property Rights

entry |11 pages

Journalistic Ethics

entry |14 pages

Judicial Reform

entry |8 pages

Juvenile Justice

entry |8 pages

Legal Services for the Poor

entry |12 pages

Literacy

entry |10 pages

Mandatory Sentencing

entry |11 pages

Marijuana

entry |9 pages

Mass Transit

entry |8 pages

Media Bias

entry |13 pages

Media Consolidation

letter Volume 5|279 pages

entry |8 pages

Media Sex and Violence

entry |10 pages

Medical Malpractice Reform

entry |11 pages

Medicare and Medicaid Reform

entry |12 pages

Medicine, Complementary and Alternative

entry |12 pages

Mental Illness

entry |12 pages

Migrant Workers

entry |13 pages

Militia Movement

entry |13 pages

Minimum and Living Wages

entry |14 pages

Money Laundering

entry |22 pages

Native Americans and Government Policy

entry |10 pages

Natural Disasters and Disaster Relief

entry |13 pages

Needle Exchange Programs

entry |8 pages

Noise Pollution

entry |9 pages

Not in My Backyard (NIMBY) Issues

entry |12 pages

Nuclear Power and Waste

entry |15 pages

Nuclear Weapons

entry |14 pages

Obesity

entry |14 pages

Occupational Safety and Health

entry |10 pages

Organ and Tissue Transplants

entry |7 pages

Organic Foods

entry |13 pages

Organized Crime

entry |6 pages

Plagiarism, Literary and Artistic

entry |9 pages

Police Abuse and Corruption

entry |12 pages

Pornography

letter Volume 6|276 pages

entry |9 pages

Poverty and Wealth

entry |15 pages

Prison Reform and Prisoner Rights

entry |15 pages

Privacy

entry |9 pages

Prostitution

entry |9 pages

Public Opinion Polling

entry |10 pages

Racial Profiling

entry |11 pages

Rape

entry |10 pages

Recycling and Conservation

entry |9 pages

Redlining, Loan Discrimination, and Predatory Lending

entry |8 pages

Rioting

entry |11 pages

School Standards and Testing

entry |9 pages

School Violence

entry |10 pages

School Vouchers and Privatization

entry |9 pages

Scientific Research Ethics

entry |12 pages

Secrecy, Government

entry |12 pages

Sex Education

entry |10 pages

Sexual Harassment

entry |8 pages

Single Parenting and Out-of-Wedlock Births

entry |15 pages

Social Security Reform

entry |9 pages

Space Exploration

entry |11 pages

Special Education

entry |11 pages

Stem Cell Research

entry |14 pages

Stress

entry |10 pages

Students' Rights

entry |9 pages

Suicide

entry |11 pages

Superstores vs. Main Street

letter Volume 7|284 pages

entry |13 pages

Sweatshops

entry |14 pages

Taxes and Tax Reform

entry |17 pages

Term Limits

entry |14 pages

Terrorism, Domestic

entry |16 pages

Terrorism, Foreign

entry |13 pages

Terrorism, War on

entry |11 pages

Tobacco

entry |14 pages

Tort Reform

entry |10 pages

Toxic Waste

entry |13 pages

Traffic Congestion

entry |14 pages

Unemployment

entry |14 pages

Unions

entry |14 pages

Urban Sprawl

entry |13 pages

Voluntarism and Volunteering

entry |12 pages

Voting Issues

entry |11 pages

Waste Disposal

entry |14 pages

Water Pollution

entry |10 pages

Weapons of Mass Destruction

entry |13 pages

Welfare and Welfare Reform

entry |9 pages

Wilderness Protection

entry |12 pages

Women's Rights

entry |13 pages

Xenophobia and Nativism