Poverty, Poor, and Welfare Policy

Limited to juniors/seniors. Current research and policy issues concerning poverty in the U.S., with specific emphasis on single-parent households. Overview of measurements and characteristics of poor people; alternative theoretical explanations of poverty; historical overview of major social welfare policies to combat poverty, particularly Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PROWA); and critical appraisal of recently enacted state welfare reform policies. Relationship between research knowledge about poverty and current policies, and effects of gender, ethnicity, and class on patterns of poverty and policy responses.

P/NP or letter grading.