COURSE NUMBER: SOWO 793 COURSE TITLE: Asset Development Practice and Policy INSTRUCTOR: Mark McDaniel, MCRP Office: 919.843.2120 Home: 919.425.5139 mcdaniem@email.unc.edu SEMESTER: Spring 2010 CREDIT HOURS: 1.5 OFFICE HOURS Tuesdays 12 – 1:45 COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course explores community‐based efforts and social policies to help lower‐income individuals and families build wealth through increased access to financial services and asset‐building opportunities. EXPANDED DESCRIPTION: Asset development policies and practices, which seek to help build wealth, represent a different approach to economic opportunity than income‐
based ones. This course will explore a variety of intervention models aimed at helping low‐ and moderate‐income individuals and families build wealth and strengthen their role as financial actors. Students will learn what these models look like at the community level and how programs should be designed using evidence concerning their evaluated results. This course is useful both for social workers who envision a role in running IDA, homeownership or related asset‐building programs and for social workers who want to understand the landscape of wealth‐building, not just income assistance, opportunities for their clients. COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of the course students will be able to: 1. Differentiate income‐ and asset‐oriented social policies in the U.S. 2. Understand rudiments of asset‐oriented tax policy in the U.S. 3. Describe data on wealth disparities by race, education and other social factors and identify historical antecedents, economic trends and patterns of institutional discrimination that explain such data. 4. Describe major theories that guide asset development practice and policy. 5. Understand the role of Community Development Financial Institutions and other nonprofit organizations, conventional banks and credit unions in expanding access to financial services and asset‐building opportunities. 6. Analyze and describe major components and strategies of cross‐sector, multi‐
institutional community initiatives that target lower‐income and –wealth individuals, families and neighborhoods with financial services and asset‐building opportunities. 7. Describe best‐ and evidence‐based practice for specific areas including homeownership counseling and assistance, micro‐enterprise, Individual Development Accounts, Child Savings Accounts, income tax filing assistance, and banking the unbanked. Required Text The required text can be purchased online through www.amazon.com Sherraden, M. (2005). Inclusion in the American Dream: Assets, Poverty and Public Policy. Oxford, NY. Oxford University Press Topic Week 1 ♦ Course Overview, syllabus review ♦ Money Wheel ♦ Avoiding the Money Trap Week 2 Financial Services for Low Income Consumers ♦ Community Reinvestment Act ♦ Lending Disparities and Fair Lending Practices Guest Speaker Peter Skillern, Community Reinvestment Association of NC Reading Assignments: Course Text ‐ Chapters 1, 2 and 8 Week 3 Money Traps: Predatory Lending, Credit Cards, Overdrafts…. ♦ Overview of various wealth stripping industries ♦ Strengthening Regulatory Practices
Guest Speaker Delvin Davis, Center for Responsible Lending Reading Assignments: OverDraft Explosion http://www.responsiblelending.org/overdraft‐loans/research‐analysis/crl‐
overdraft‐explosion.pdf Credit Cards Dodging Reform: As Some Credit Card Abuses Are Outlawed, New Ones Proliferate http://www.responsiblelending.org/credit‐cards/research‐analysis/CRL‐
Dodging‐Reform‐Report‐12‐10‐09.pdf Phantom Demand Report on Payday Loans http://www.responsiblelending.org/payday‐lending/research‐
analysis/phantom‐demand‐final.pdf Week 4 Personal Finance for Social Workers  Understanding the attitudes, behaviors and consumptive power of low‐ and moderate‐income persons  Personal Finance Basics Guest Speaker Jan Jasper, Winston Salem State University Reading Assignment: Course Text – Chapters 4‐5 Week 5 The Promise and Perils of Homeownership ♦ Low/Moderate Income Homeownership Policies & Practices ♦ Self‐Help’s secondary mortgage market program ♦ Responsible lending & homeownership counseling practices Guest Speakers Roberto Quercia and Janneke Ratcliffe, Center for Community Capital Reading Assignments: Course Text – Chapters 6 and 7 Housing Crisis and Homeownership http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roberto‐g‐quercia/exposing‐the‐myth‐of‐
irra_b_279682.html Homework Assignment: Community‐Wide Intervention Case Study Week 6 Asset Building Policy: Individual Development Accounts to Child Savings Accounts ♦ IDA program evidence‐based practices ♦ Child Savings Accounts ♦ Tax Policy and Asset Building Guest Speaker, Alexandra Sirota, Action for Children NC Guest Speaker, Carl Rist, Corporation for Enterprise Development Guest Speaker, Lucy Gorham, MDC Inc Reading Assignment: Course Text – Chapters 9 and 10 Week 7 Final Exam and Assignment Presentations Teaching Methods My goal is to facilitate the development of a learning community, where students learn from one another, not just the instructor. Students will be expected to have completed all reading prior to class and most of class time will focus on discussion and problem‐
solving activities to integrate learning and build skills. Learning can only truly occur in a space where all participants feel respected and safe. Therefore all class participants, student and instructor, will be expected to interact in a collegial manner, challenging ideas while respecting people. Course Requirements Requirement % of Grade Class Participation 20% Homework Assignment & Presentation 40% Final Exam 40% GRADING SYSTEM: The School of Social Work operates on an evaluation system of Honors (H), Pass (P), Low Pass (L), and Fail (F). The numerical values of these grades are: H: 94‐100 P: 80‐93 L: 70‐79 F: 69 and lower Honor Code Students are expected to complete assigned and independent readings, contribute to the development of a positive learning environment, and demonstrate their learning through written assignments and class participation. Original written work is expected and required. The University of North Carolina has a rich and longstanding tradition of honor. If you have not yet done so, please see the Student Code of Honor. All submitted work must conform to the Honor Code of the University of North Carolina. For information on the Honor Code, including guidance on representing the words, thoughts, and ideas of others, please see: http://instrument.unc.edu Please note that plagiarism is defined in the Code as “the intentional representation of another person’s words, thoughts, or ideas as one’s own.” Violation of the Honor Code will result in an “F” grade, and referral to the Honor Court. From the Code: “It is the responsibility of every student to obey and support the enforcement of the Honor Code, which prohibits lying, cheating, or stealing when these actions involve academic processes or University, student or academic personnel acting in an official capacity. Students will conduct all academic work within the letter and spirit of the Honor Code, which prohibits the giving or receiving of unauthorized aid in all academic processes.” All written work must be accompanied by a signed Honor Code statement, and work lacking this affirmation will not be accepted. The statement is to read as follows: I have neither given nor received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment. <Student’s Signature> Policy on the Use of Laptops Use of laptops are encouraged to access information online during class activities, refer to powerpoint presentations on Blackboard, etc. However, use of laptops are discouraged during class discussions, i.e. they should not get in the way of engagement in class discussion. Policy on Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities that affect their participation in the course should notify the instructor if they wish to have special accommodations in instructional format, examination format, etc., considered, and should obtain a supporting letter from the UNC Department of Disability Services (http://disabilityservices.unc.edu). Written Assignments: Students are expected to use good academic English; grades will be lowered for poor grammar, syntax, or spelling. Those who have difficulty writing are STRONGLY encouraged to contact the Writing Center (962‐7710 or http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/ The School of Social Work faculty has adopted APA style as the preferred format for papers and publications. Thus, all written assignments completed for this course must follow APA style for the formatting of the paper, citations, etc. A summary was distributed at orientation. The following web sites provide additional information:  http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html (APA Style for material in electronic formats)  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html (general information about documentation using APA style)  http://www.bartleby.com/141/ (electronic version of Strunk's The Elements of Style which was originally published in 1918)  http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/resources.html (The Writing Center, links to on‐line reference material and many other useful sites for authors)  http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/ (The UNC writing center—on‐line and tutorial help at Phillips Annex 962‐7710)