Course:

This 3-credit course focuses on the causes of poverty in the United States and the impact of government intervention.  There are three main topics in this course: poverty measurement and incidence, social insurance, and public assistance.

Social insurance programs (including Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, and Workers’ Compensation) are designed to prevent poverty, while public assistance programs (including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Medicaid) are designed to help those living in poverty.

Course Objectives:

Through this course, students will develop:

• An understanding of how poverty is measured in the United States and the problems with such types of measurements.

• An understanding of the history and current debates surrounding social insurance and public assistance programs in the United States.

• Enhanced critical thinking skills through the analysis of normative tradeoffs involving economic efficiency and social equity.

• Enhanced writing skills allowing you to present your ideas and analysis clearly to others.

Prerequisite: ECON 210 or consent of instructor. May not earn credit in both ECON 328 and Sociology 328.

Permission required: Contact Libby Heidmann at liberty.heidmann@uwc.edu or 715-261-6242

UWSP campus students contact Jason Davis at jdavis@uwsp.edu or 715-346-4598

For all other questions contact: C.R. Marshall, Chair,
UWSP Division of Business and Economics at cmarshal@uwsp.edu or 715-346-4576