This series is designed to foster debates on the sociology of social problems by presenting a forum where sociologists of this discipline can present and argue opposed positions on epistemological, moral and political issues that are central to the field.

Men - help stop harassment, Brian Martin. Part 1 Public harassment and special circumstances: social illusions - responses to homelessness in Santa Cruz, California, 1989-1994, Celine-Marie Pascale, Candance West; managing righteousness - smoker's strategies in problematic public encounters, Cathy L. Clark; "Hey,this is the Ladies' Room" - gender misattribution and public harassment, Betsy Lucal; incivil attention and everyday intolerance - vicissitudes of exercising in public places, Greg Smith. Part 2 Women and public harassment: better safe than sorry? consequences of sexual assault prevention for women in public space, Kristen Day; should the law regulate the public harassment of women? Cynthia Bowman; public harassment, sexual harassment and the "reasonable women" standard - some limitations of legal rationality, James L. Chriss; no place to hide - violent pursuit in public and private, Jennifer L. Dunn. Part 3 Extremes of public acceptance: "Oh, I hope I don't catch anything!" - punk, deviance and public harassment, Lauraine Leblanc; city acquaintances - feeling "at home" in the public realm, Thaddeus Mueller. Part 4 Race, public harassment and discrimination: mediation on cross-cultural gender interactions - the case of public harassment of U.S. women students in India, Manisha Desai, Jeremy Geller; race, place and discrimination, Tyrone Forman et al. Part 5 Research and journal notes on public harassment: bus troubles - harassment and public transportation, Robert Emerson, Carol Brooks Gardner; visible disability and public experience - some journal entries, Alice Wong; lesbians and public harassment - an initial exploration, Debra Auger et al.