Are You Sure About That?

Karen A. Cerulo is a prizewinning cultural sociologist and professor emeritus at Rutgers University, former vice-president of the Eastern Sociological Society, and former editor of Sociological Forum. She has written over 50 articles and six books including Dreams of a Lifetime, coauthored with Janet Ruane, and Never Saw It Coming.Janet M. Ruane is a prizewinning sociologist who taught research methods for over 30 years at Montclair State University. Her books include Introducing Social Research Methods and Dreams of a Lifetime.

• Introduction: Why You Need this BookPart One 1 Why Should You Believe Us?Part Two: 22 Hot Social and Political Topics 2 The Political Divide in the U.S. Has Reached an All-Time High 3 Fake News Has Never Been More Prevalent 4 Parental Rights Versus Experts Versus Government Regulation—Who's Winning? 5 Mass Shootings Are on the Rise 6 In the American Legal System, Precedent Rules the Day 7 Raising Corporate Taxes Drives Companies Away. It's Bad for the Economy 8 Immigration: Is Something New Going on Here? 9 We All Have a Constitutional Right to Vote 10 We Live in a Post-racial Society 11 Is There a Right to Abortion? Public Opinion Versus the Law 12 Police and Citizen Encounters Seem More Violent and Lethal Than Ever 13 Young Men Are in Trouble 14 The Primary Causes of Homelessness Are Mental Illness, Substance Abuse, or Laziness 15 The U.S. Healthcare System Is the Best in the World 16 The Separation of Church and State and the Defense of Religious Freedom Are Keystones of U.S. Society 17 The Internet Leads to Social Isolation 18 Education Doesn't Pay Anymore 19 Competition is Healthy 20 Climate Change Is Nothing to Worry About 21 Looks Don't Matter 22 Are Names All That Important? 23 Hard Work Pays Off in America 24 Last Words Appendix Acknowledgements