This landmark reference work is a comprehensive, one-stop interdisciplinary resource that examines important, current social issues in global and historical perspective. Approximately 140 in-depth, balanced text entries cover a broad range of critical topics pertaining to the natural environment, health, energy, science, the media, ethnic conflict, poverty, labor, justice, individual rights, family, gender, and immigration, to name just a few. Each original, signed article provides historical context as well as a thorough discussion and analysis of a contemporary issue in today's interconnected global society. Articles also include essential primary documents, as well as extensive further reading lists, Web sites of notable institutions and organizations, statistical data, and photographs. In all, Global Social Issues provides essential, objective information that enables students to understand and evaluate the major challenges facing human society worldwide and to foster awareness and critical thinking as "global citizens" of the 21st century. -- Publisher.

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Adoption -- Affirmative Action -- AIDS/HIV -- Alcohol Use and Abuse -- Animal Rights -- Antiquities Theft and Restitution -- Arms Trade -- Aviation Security -- Biodiversity and Extinction -- Brain Drain and Talent Mobility -- Cancer -- Capital Punishment -- Cardiovascular Disease -- Child Labor -- Children's Rights -- Climate Change -- Conservation and Recycling -- Consumer and Investor Rights and Protections -- Corporate Social Responsibility -- Credit and Debt, Personal and Business -- Crime, Organized -- Crime, Violent -- Crimes Against Humanity -- Cultural, Historic, and Linguistic Preservation -- Cybercrime -- Defense Spending -- Deficits and Sovereign Debt -- Deforestation -- Desertification -- Diabetes -- Digital Divide -- Disability Rights -- Domestic Violence -- Drug Abuse -- Drug Resistance -- Drug Trade -- Education, Higher -- Education, Primary and Secondary -- Elections and Voting -- Energy, Alternative -- Environmental Illnesses -- Environmental Justice -- Ethnic and Religious Conflict -- Failed States and Nation-Building -- Fair Trade -- Farm Policy -- Financial Crises -- Fishing and Fish Stocks -- Food and Drug Safety -- Gambling -- Gastrointestinal Disease -- Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues -- Genetically Engineered Crops and Foods -- Government Corruption and Transparency -- Health Care -- Hepatitis -- Homelessness -- Housing Costs, Finance, and Affordability -- Human Rights -- Hunger and Malnutrition -- Identity Fraud -- Immigration, Illegal and Irregular -- Indigenous Peoples' Rights -- Inequality, Income and Wealth -- Infant Mortality -- Influenza -- Infrastructure -- Intellectual Property Rights -- Kidnapping and Hostage-Taking -- Land Mines -- Law, Rule of -- Literacy -- Marriage and Divorce -- Mental Health -- Migrant Labor -- Mining Issues -- Money Laundering and Illegal Transfers -- Mosquito-borne Disease -- Natural Disasters, Preparedness and Response -- Neurological Disease -- Nuclear Energy -- Nuclear Proliferation -- Obesity and Eating Disorders -- Oil, Economic and Political Aspects -- Oil, Environmental and Health Aspects -- Organ and Tissue Trade -- Parasitic Disease -- Pesticides and Artificial Fertilizers -- Pharmaceuticals: Availability, Cost, Efficacy, and Safety -- Piracy, Maritime -- Police Corruption and Brutality -- Polio -- Pollution, Air -- Pollution, Water -- Population Growth and Demographic Issues -- Poverty -- Press, Freedom of -- Prisoners and Prisoner Rights -- Privacy -- Privatization -- Protectionism and Free Trade -- Public Health -- Rape and Sexual Assault -- Refugees, Displaced Persons, and Asylum Seekers -- Regulation, Business and Financial -- Religious Freedom -- Reproductive Issues -- Respiratory Disease -- Sanctions, International -- Secrecy, Government -- Self-Determination and Sovereignty -- Sex Tourism and the Sex Trade -- Sexually Transmitted Infections -- Slavery -- Social Networking -- Social Welfare -- Suicide -- Taxation -- Terrorism -- Tobacco -- Torture -- Toxic Waste -- Traffic and Mass Transit -- Tuberculosis -- Underground Economies -- Unemployment -- Unions and Workers' Rights -- Urbanization -- Vaccination -- War Crimes -- Waste Disposal -- Water Supply and Access -- Waterborne Disease -- Wetlands -- Women's Rights -- Working Conditions.