Why does Philadelphia have a dropout rate of roughly 50%? Why have students brought weapons to school and plotted to kill their classmates? Why, despite decades of progress in race relations, do schools remain largely segregated institutions? These questions are derived from three pressing social problems in American society that play out in our schools: high school dropouts, school violence, and segregation. Using these questions and the larger issues to which they are related, students in this course will explore the multiple and often competing explanations for these and other social problems in American society. They will also learn about the search for creative solutions at the individual level as well as within our social structure. Guest speakers, observations within the Philadelphia school system, and analysis of films depicting these issues will enrich the course experience. Note: This course fulfills the Human Behavior (GB) requirement for students under GenEd and the Individual & Society (IN) requirement for students under Core.