Poverty, The Underclass and Public Policy I

SW846, Section 001

This seminar will examine the nature and extent of poverty in the U.S., its causes and consequences, and the antipoverty effects of existing and proposed government programs and policies. The types of questions to be addressed include the following: What is poverty? Who is in the underclass? Why is poverty so persistent? Why are poverty and unemployment rates for minorities so high?

What are the goals and purposes of social welfare programs? how did they grow and what did they accomplish during the War on Poverty and Great Society era? What is the feminization of poverty? What are its causes and consequences? What will workfare programs accomplish? What are the interrelationships between poverty, family structure, labor market conditions and public policies? Is there a culture of poverty? Is poverty passed on from generation to generation?

One goal of this course will be to encourage doctoral students to undertake research in this area. During the winter semester, a research seminar (Social Work 847) will be offered to students who have completed the first semester course and who wish to prepare research papers and dissertation proposals in the area. Students will be provided with access to many of the same data sets used by the authors whose work will be studied in the first semester.

Course Codes