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SAGE College DEI - Author Investigating Social Problems
Author Spotlight
Published 7/2023. ©2023 Sage Publishing. All rights reserved. All other brand and product names are the property of their respective owners.
See what inspired Javier Trevino, author and editor of Investigating Social Problems.
What inspired you to become a textbook author?
Strictly speaking, I am not the author of our textbook, Investigating Social Problems, which will appear in its fourth edition in the summer of 2024. I suppose that a more accurate description of my involvement is perhaps that of coordinator or orchestrator. You see, this textbook is written by many authors—nearly two dozen—of which I am one. Each of the authors contributes a chapter in their area of expertise. The book, as a whole, is truly a collective effort. Aside from the fact that the chapter authors are specialists in their fields, I intentionally invited scholars to contribute based on their identities. The result is a contributing author team that represents a diversity of genders, sexualities, races, ethnicities, affiliations (whether teaching at a large research university or small liberal arts college), and geographical regions (Northeast, South, Midwest). We can honestly say that this book presents multiple and varied voices. In sum, what inspires my continued involvement with Investigating Social Problems is the opportunity to work with a diverse team of first-rate scholars.
What unique perspective or lived experience do you bring to your book that helps students relate to your content?
Because of the diversity of the contributing author team, the book brings together a variety of lived experiences and perspectives. The contributors’ diverse demographic composition makes this a truly multicultural, intersectional textbook.
At the beginning of each chapter, the authors briefly describe their own biographical and professional backgrounds. These author stories personalize the chapters and help students see that real people are involved in investigating real problems. Including the authors’ photos allow the student-readers to visually connect, or even identify, with these experts. Further, each chapter considers intersectionality, so students can see how multiple demographic factors combine to affect people's experiences of the social problem in question.
Tell us about the student reader(s) you keep in mind as you write. Who has had the biggest impact on how you write for a student audience?
Investigating Social Problems considers how students—regardless of their backgrounds—can make a real difference in addressing social problems. After being informed about the problems that plague society, students frequently want to know what solutions are available. Indeed, they often want to know what they can do to make a difference. Every chapter in our book provides suggestions and information on opportunities available for students to help solve the social problems we cover—through volunteer work, service learning, community activism, and other forms of civic engagement. Thus, we see students not only as passive receptacles of learning, but also as active agents of change in their own lives and in the world.
