| 1 | Orientation Session; Syllabus, and Summary Sheet | Analytical Exercise (On Ellwood Reading) |
| 2 | Policy Controversy and the Role of Values in Problem Definition | |
| 3 | The Concept and Measurement of Poverty in the United States | |
| 4 | Other Approaches to Conceptualizing and Measuring Poverty | |
| 5 | Roundtable Discussion on the Concept and Measurement of Poverty (student led) | |
| 6 | Institutional Design of Poverty Programs: Controversy over Responsibility, the Public-Private Mix Continued | |
| 7 | The Public Private Mix Controversy in Pension Policy | Assignment #1 Due |
| 8 | The Public Private Mix Controversy in Social Service Policy: Profit and Non Profit (Non-Sectarian and Faith-Based) | |
| 9 | Roundtable Discussion on the Public-Private Mix | |
| | Mid Term Exam (One week after Lecture 9) |
| 10 | The Underclass Controversy | |
| 11 | Taking Stock and Starting Discussion of the Underclass Debate | |
| 12 | Analyzing and Writing Reading Arguments | |
| 13 | Moving to Opportunity | |
| 14 | The Controversy over Welfare Reform | |
| 15 | Dependency in a Comparative Perspective | Assignment #2 Due |
| 16 | The American Reform of its Welfare System | |
| 17 | Roundtable Discussion of Welfare Reform | |
| 18 | Political Disenfranchisement | Writing Rewrite Assignment Due |
| 19 | Economic Growth: Poverty and the I.Q. Controversy | |
| 20 | The Controversy of Political Disenfranchisement: Poverty as a Lack of Power
Crime Deviance and Poverty Roundtable Discussion on the Underclass Debate | |
| 21 | Economic Power | |
| 22 | Roundtable Discussion on Disenfranchisement | Assignment #3 Due |
| 23 | Social Science Contribution to Controversy | |
| | End Term Exam (Optional but Strongly Recommended - 2 days after the last Lecture) |