Analyzing Welfare Policy

The economy is booming and most Americans are better off than they were a decade ago. But everyone is not sharing in the wealth. The Federal government estimates that 1 in 8 Americans live below the poverty line and the top 1% of the population owns more wealth than the bottom 90% combined. With all of our prosperity, how did the inequalities get so large? How do we define the poverty line? What is our current welfare policy and is it effective? What causes poverty?

This course addresses these questions and many more. We start by examining how poverty is measured and the federal programs used to address poverty. The next section of the course reflects on what it's like to live in poverty from the perspective of the poor, and asks questions like, "Is the federal government using its resources effectively?" "What causes poverty?" The final section of the course examines political movements of the poor with a focus on the Civil Rights Movement and the Welfare Rights Movement in the United states. Analyzing these movements should help us understand why reforms come about and the conditions under which mass protests occur.

Grading

Your work is not graded. Instead, all students who complete the course will receive a certificate. We are bound by our common interest in the subject, stimulating conversations, and the desire to learn something new. In the spirit of this arrangement, I have proposed minimal reading for the seminar from books that you should find interesting. I have also organized a field trip to a local soup kitchen. As we head into these topics, I will not purport to know all of the answers. I merely want to guide the discussions and offer some background lectures to get us started.

Required TextsAll readings will be handed out in class except for those on March 15. I'll make some suggestions for the readings on March 15 that can be found over the internet or in the library. I have noted the source of our first three lectures and discussions, but I will not expect you to read from those sources.

Schedule of Topics and Readings

1. Defining Poverty

Feb 9 Lecture from Sar Levitan et al, Programs in Aid of the Poor, Chapter 1

2. Federal Welfare Programs

Feb 16 Lecture from Sar Levitan et al, Programs in Aid of the Poor, Chapter 2 & 3

Feb 23 Lecture from Sar Levitan et al, Programs in Aid of the Poor, Chapter 5 & 6.

3. The Poor's Perspective

Mar 1 Please read Kozol, Rachel and her Children. (this class will be conducted as if we were in a book group)

Mar 8 FIELD TRIP: MIAMI SOUP KITCHEN

4. The Causes of Poverty and Hopes for Welfare Reform

Mar 15 This class will be conducted as a debate. I will assign sides and suggest readings closer to the debate.

Mar 22 NO CLASS! SPRING BREAK

5. Political Movements of the Poor

Mar 29 Please read Piven and Cloward, Poor People's Movements, Chapter 1 (introduction)

Apr 5 Please read Piven and Cloward, Poor People's Movements, Chapter 5 (Welfare Rights Movement),
& Chapter 4 (Civil Rights Movement)