DEPARTMENT OF AFRICALOGY
Economics of the Black Community 106-125
Spring 2016
Instructor: Professor Abera Gelan
Office: MIT 210
E-mail: agelan@uwm.edu
Class Period: MoWe 9:30AM-10:45AM
Meeting Place: Holton Hall 180
Office Hours: Mo 2:00PM-3:00PM
TEL: 414-229-4144
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course provides you an opportunity to develop your understanding of economic conditions in
the black community from two perspectives: the neoclassical perspective and the political economy
perspective. The focus of the course is on the current economic issues of African American Community.
No prior knowledge of economics is required. However, a brief introduction to basic economic concepts
will be discussed at the beginning of the semester.
This course is also a GER Social Science course because you will use two basic approaches to
study the economic conditions of black community. First, you will examine the role of history and
institutions in order to contextualize how customary beliefs and institutional configurations are central for
the understanding of current economic circumstances of people of African descent in the U.S.A. Second,
you will study the role of collective behavior and individual behavior in order to determine the basis for
economic success or failure of different racial groups within the society in the U.S.A. The GER social
science requirements are met by the following course outcomes:
COURSE OUTCOMES:
After completing this course, it is expected that you will:
 Developed awareness of major economic issues currently receiving widespread attention in the
black community
 Identify and critically analyze major economic issues of concern to the black community
 Understand and apply diverse economic concepts to identify and develop critical analysis on
issues pertinent to the black community
 Apply knowledge of political and/or neoclassical economic views to recommend alternative
solutions to the current economic problems in the black community
 Evaluate underlying assumptions, value of economic viewpoints and controversies important to
black community
 Take initiatives and appropriate leadership to engage in major economic debates and controversies
in the black community
 Develop the spirit of collaboration and sound teamwork through cooperative learning
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
You are expected to participate fully in all aspects of the learning process in order to effectively
master concepts and apply your knowledge in analyzing/interpreting issues/opportunities and develop
alternative recommendations to identified problems. This requires both independent and collective efforts
to create a cooperative learning environment that fosters healthy learning experiences. We use a range of
formats of learning/teaching approaches to facilitate effective student learning:
 Lectures followed by discussions
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 Individual assignments
 Group assignments
 classroom debates
Required texts:
1. Albelda and Drago, Unlevel Playing Fields: Understanding Wage Inequality and Discrimination,
Fourth Edition, 2013, Dollars & Sense.
2. Schiller, Bradley R. The Economics of Poverty and Discrimination, Tenth Edition, 2008, Prentice
Hall.
Supplementary readings:
You are expected to regularly read relevant magazines, newspapers and Internet sites as a way to looking
at practical and real issues and staying current with important news in the local, national and world.
Attendance policies:
You are expected to meet the following requirements throughout the semester to satisfactorily complete
this course:
 Attendance is mandatory. Avoid being habitually late for class
 Actively participate in class discussions
 Read all assigned course materials before class
ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS
The ability to satisfactorily complete the course learning objectives will be determined by your
performances on several assessment instruments administered throughout the semester based on specific
criteria. The form of assessment instruments include:
 Individual and group assignments
 Classroom debates
 Examinations/quizzes
In order to determine the satisfactory completion of the GER social science criteria, your
Performance will be assessed specifically on your ability to achieve the following course outcomes:
 Indentify and critically analyze major economic issues of concern to black community
 Understand and apply diverse economic concepts to identify and develop critical analysis on issues
pertinent to the black community
 Apply knowledge of political and/or neoclassical economic views to recommend alternative
solutions to the current economic problems in the black community
 Evaluate underlying assumptions, value of economic viewpoints and controversies important to
black community
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Individual assignments
Assignments are regarded as integral components of student-centered learning wherein you will be
engaged in analysis of issues or solving problems at your own pace. Although criteria for performance on
each assignment will be provided for assessing and evaluating purposes, you are expected and encouraged
to take initiatives to be creative and develop effective strategies to complete and submit all assignments.
All out of classroom assignments will be posted on D2L.
Group assignments
Group assignments provide you with the opportunity to collaborate with your classmates to
analyze/interpret issues or develop solutions to problems using your course knowledge in order to achieve
the learning outcomes. This teamwork approach complements your individual work because the
interaction with your peers’ views, listening to alternative ideas and sharing of different experiences,
enhance both your own learning and the learning of your other group members while at the same time
helping you in developing essential teamwork and cooperative learning skills. Your performance on such
cooperative learning will be used as one more assessment tools to determine if you learned all points
equally well that satisfy a GER criterion.
Assignment policies
 All assignments are to be submitted on the designated day. Late assignments will not be accepted
 Each member is accountable for his/her share of the work while the group must be accountable for
achieving its goals
 Full commitment and active participation is expected from each group member, at each stage of
completing tasks, in order to make a cooperative learning effective and enjoyable
 Special arrangement will be made for students with special needs and those observing religious
holidays where necessary
Classroom debates
Classroom debates are used as one more form of assessment tools to instruct and assess performance. You
will be assigned to work with one of the two groups that will be formed from the class. As a member of
your group, you will be required to take a position and then argue about a controversial topic or policy
discussed in class. The goal is to provide you with the opportunity to use your ability to apply course
knowledge to effectively identify and prioritize problems and present sound alternative solutions as well
as to express your opinion on controversial topics. Criteria for effective performance on each debate will
be provided in class. The assessment of your performance on classroom debates fulfils one of the GER
social science requirements of exploring the alternative theoretical frameworks which have been used to
offer meaningful explanation of social phenomenon.
Examination and quiz
Examinations/quizzes are used as instruments to assess and evaluate your demonstrated achievements of
the learning objectives of the course. Criteria for performance on these instruments, which indicate
specific requirements for satisfactory completions, will be included with each examination/quiz. You are
required to take examinations/quizzes on the due dates. Failure to do so without prior consultation with
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the instructor will result in an “F” grade on the missed exam/quiz. However, special arrangement will be
made for disabled students and those observing religious holidays where necessary.
GRADING POLICIES
The course grade is viewed as a reasonable measure of student performance in terms of the
mastery of course concepts and application of course knowledge in analysis of issues/problems and
formulation of alternative recommendation to identified problems. Therefore, assignments, debates, exams
and quizzes are designed to be relevant and valid assessment of your achievement of course learning
outcomes. Your grade is based on your performances in three categories: (1) controlled exams/quizzes
that are administered in a classroom setting (2) individual and group assignments and (3) classroom
debates. Explicit criteria for performance will be provided with each instrument to determine your sound
and critical analytical and problem solving skills. Point values for the finale grade will be based on the
relative weights of workload assigned to each of these three categories.
Tentative weights for the final grade
Date
Individual assignments
Group assignments
Classroom debates
Quizzes
Exam one
Exam two
Exam three
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
10%
10%
15%
15%
15%
15%
20%
Classroom debate, group assignment, exam and quiz schedule
An underclass
Discrimination based on individual prejudice versus
Institutional discrimination
Affirmative Action Policies versus Old Boys’ Network
Why are people poor in USA?
Race Exclusion: physical or social isolation of a
group to diminish their roles and opportunities
The dimensions of poverty
Causes of poverty
Policy options
The dimensions of poverty & causes of poverty
Discrimination: the neoclassical approach
Discrimination: the political economy approach
Classroom Debate One
Classroom Debate Two
Classroom Debate Three
Group Assignment One
Group assignment Two
Quiz One
Quiz Two
Quiz Three
Exam One
Exam Two
Exam Three
 There will be individual assignment on each chapter in both textbooks.
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Grading scale
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
EXCEPTIONAL: between 94 and 100 percentage points
VERY GOOD: between 90and 93 percentage points
GOOD: between 86 and 89 percentage points
AVERAGE: between 82 and 85 percentage points
Between 78 and 81 percentage points
Between 73 and 77 percentage points
Between 70 and 72 percentage points
Between 67 and 69 percentage points
POOR: between 64 and 66 percentage points
Between 62 and 63 percentage points
Between 60 and 61 percentage points
UNACCEPTABLE/FAILLING: between 0 and 60 percentage points
DEPARTMENT AND UWM POLICIES
Information concerning the Department of Africology and UWM Policies on participation by students with
disabilities, accommodation for religious observations, academic conduct, complaint procedures, grade appeals
procedures, and other standing policies (e.g. sexual harassment, incomplete) is available in the main office of the
Department of Africology in Mitchell Hall, Room 225. Phone Number is 414-229-4155. For more UWM policies
please refer to: http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/SyllabusLinks.pdf
COURSE OUTLINE AND READINGS
Week One &Two: Three Economic paradigms: The conservative/Free Market, the Liberal/
Imperfectionist and the Marxian/Exploitation Schools
Required Reading:
Feiner, Susan, F. (1994). Race and Gender in the American Economy, pp. 22-27. Prentice Hall.
You will develop Knowledge of these three competing economic explanations, in order to
critically analyze why blacks are far more likely to be poor, unemployed or underemployed than European
descent.
Week Three: The Dimensions of poverty and inequality: views of inequality and poverty
Required Reading:
Schiller, Bradley, R. (2008). The Economics of Poverty and Discrimination, pp. 1-34. Prentice Hall.
Inequality is an important and complex subject for assessing the issue of poverty. This is so
because the dynamics of capitalism and a free market economy tend to produce inequality. You will
therefore use class discussions and course materials to hone your understanding of the extent and causes
of inequality as well as how & why it produces poverty.
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Week Four: The Dimensions of Poverty and inequality: counting the poor
Required Reading:
Schiller, Bradley, R. (2008). The Economics of Poverty and Discrimination, pp. 36-66. Prentice Hall.
This part introduces the problems of poverty, income and wealth distributions in the U.S.A. You
will use the Conservative view of Flawed Character, which faults the poor themselves and the Liberal
perspective of Restricted Opportunity, which ascribes to the weak economy, racial and gender
discrimination and income distribution to discuss while the U.S.A. is extremely a rich country, there are
unacceptable inequality and dreadful poverty.
Week Five: Causes of Poverty: Labor Force participation, the working poor
Required Reading:
Schiller, Bradley, R. (2008). The Economics of Poverty and Discrimination, pp. 79-116. Prentice Hall.
In this section, you will examine the linkage between poverty and labor force participation. More
specifically, you will focus on two central questions: (1) Are people poor because they work less or do
they work less because they are poor? (2) Why are so many who are working in the labor force still poor?
Group Assignment One
Week Six: An Underclass: Culture and Race
Required Reading:
Schiller, Bradley, R. (2008). The Economics of Poverty and Discrimination, pp. 155-171. Prentice Hall.
Does an “underclass” exist that is isolated from the mainstream society and economy? If so, is it
due to flawed character, racial discrimination and/or because of the misguided role of the government?
You will delve into a classroom debate in order to explore the nature, the size, and the implications of the
assertions of the existence of the so called an underclass.
Debate One
Exam One
Week Seven: Introduction to Wage Inequality: Two views on Equality and Discrimination, labor
Market Inequality – Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics
Required Reading
Albelda and Drago, (2013). Unlevel Playing Fields: Understanding Wage Inequality and Discrimination,
pp. 1-40. Economic Affairs Bureau, Inc.
You will learn two divergent explanations for why blacks and women earn less than white men
from neoclassical economists and political economists.
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Week Eight: The Neoclassical Approach: The Basics of Neoclassical Economics, Work and Wages
in the Neoclassical Model
Required Reading:
Albelda and Drago. (2013). Unlevel Playing Fields: Understanding Wage Inequality and Discrimination,
pp. 41-84. Economic Affairs Bureau, Inc.
The focus in this section is on the role of markets and competition. You will learn the central
tenets of the neoclassical economists’ focus on the markets to explain virtually any issue, including
discrimination. The purpose is so that you will develop the ability to evaluate and critically examine the
underlying assumptions of the neoclassical economics when you analyze/interpret economic issues and
formulate sound alternative solutions to identified problems.
Week Nine: The Neoclassical Approach: Discrimination in the Neoclassical View
Required Reading:
Albelda Drago. (2013. Unlevel Playing Fields: Understanding Wage Inequality and Discrimination,
pp. 85-117. Economic Affairs Bureau, Inc.
You will discuss how in the neoclassical paradigm markets permit discrimination yet uses its
“magic” to eliminate the adverse effects of discrimination making the government intervention into the
economy unnecessary.
Exam Two
Week Ten: The Political Economy Approach: The Basics of Political Economy: Class, Race, Gender
Required Reading:
Albelda and Drago. (2013). Unlevel Playing Fields: Understanding Wage Inequality and Discrimination,
pp. 119-143. Economic Affairs Bureau, Inc.
In this part, you will develop the ability to use the political economists’ outlook to effectively
interpret relationships among people in a society with an unlevel playing field. Specifically, you will be
able to critically examine the multitude of structures that have been embedded into the fabric of modern
societies by socially constructed concept of “race” to inflict harm upon the people of African descent.
Group Assignment Two
Week Eleven: The Political Economy Approach: Work and Wages in the Political Economy
Required Reading:
Albelda and Drago. (2013). Unlevel Playing Fields: Understanding Wage Inequality and Discrimination,
pp. 148-175. Economic Affairs Bureau, Inc.
This topic is intended for you to acquire knowledge of class relations between the capitalist and the
workers. The aim is to advance your understanding of how wages are determined and profits are created
as well as how job competition effects result in the exclusion of blacks from consideration for certain jobs.
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Week Twelve & Thirteen: The Political Economy Approach: The Political Economy Model of
Discrimination
Required Reading:
Albelda and Drago. (2013). Unlevel Playing Fields: Understanding Wage Inequality and Discrimination,
pp. 178-202. Economic Affairs Bureau, Inc.
In this section, you will examine the central role of history and institutions, collective behavior,
and conflicting interests in order to fully master the potency of institutional discrimination, which is the
mainstay for the domination, exploitation and exclusion of people of African descent at present time.
Debate Two
Week Fourteen: Education and Income, Discrimination in Education
Required Reading:
Schiller, Bradley, R. (2008). The Economics of Poverty and Discrimination, pp. 172-207. Prentice Hall.
To what extent is the lack of education a cause of poverty? Why Don't the Poor Stay in School?
What Constitutes Discrimination in Education? Who wins and who loses from discrimination in
education? You will critically explicate these and similar issues in this section.
Week Fifteen: Inequality Today: Where do we go from Here? The government’s power to regulate
the private sector to achieve race justice: Affirmative Action Policies versus Old Boy’s Network
Required Reading:
Albelda and Drago. (2013). Unlevel Playing Fields: Understanding Wage Inequality and Discrimination,
pp. 178-202. Economic Affairs Bureau, Inc.
Using knowledge of this course, you will be expected to recommend alternative solutions on racial
discrimination to level the playing field.
Debate Three
Week Sixteen: Hit by a global train: Job loss worse than the Great Depression’s in Milwaukee’s
Urban Center
Required Reading:
Journal Sentinel, December 4, 5&6 (2004). http://jsonline.com/news/metro/dec04/281193.asp
Using a comprehensive analysis by the Journal Sentinel, in December 2004, about the current
conditions of the black community in Milwaukee, you will explore the root causes of current dire
economic state of affairs under which the people endure unparalleled sufferings from the political
economists’ perspective.
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Exam Three
This article is on reserve in the East Wing of the library. It is placed on Electronic Reserve (E-Reserve).
E-Reserve documents may be viewed or printed using campus computer laboratories as well as any offcampus computer with proper set-up and configuration.
GRADING SCHEME FOR THE THIRD EXAMINATION
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Categories
Outstanding Performance
Very Good Performance
Good Performance
Poor Performance
Key concepts of political
economy - Context,
Collective behavior,
Conflicting interests and
Change (Four Cs), which
provide a way to
examine the
socioeconomics of
society (20 points)
Uses knowledge of the Four Cs to
develop a workable recommendation
plan that deals with alternative solutions
to the current economic problems in the
black community (19-20)
Uses knowledge of the
Four Cs to explore the
root causes of current
economic problems in
the black community
(16-18)
Demonstrates
mastery of the
Four Cs (14-15)
Do not show the
ability to grasp the
Four Cs and the
cause for current
economic problems
in the black
community (0-12)
The three key Social
relations that are central
to understanding the
capitalist society
(20 Points)
Applies knowledge of class, race and
gender relations to thoroughly develop
analysis of how one group takes
economic advantage from another
(exploitation), achieve submissive
behavior from another (domination), or
limit the location or opportunities of
another group (exclusion) (19-20)
Demonstrates the ability
to analyze how the three
key social relations are
formed and sustained in
the capitalist society
(16-18)
Show the ability
that differences by
class, race and
gender take their
meaning primarily
from society
rather than
biology (14-15)
Fails to explain the
significance of social
categorization of
class, race and
gender that are
marked by different
forms of oppression
(0-12)
Institutional
Discrimination
(20 Points)
Demonstrates the ability to develop a
sound and viable recommendation plan
to correct problems of institutional
discrimination (19-20)
Exhibits the ability to
explain why and how
institutional
discrimination may
persists even if the ideas
and motives of
individuals change
(16-18)
Succinctly
describes
institutional
discrimination and
some of its most
negative results,
which adversely
treat women and
minorities (14-15)
Shows less than
satisfactory
understanding of
the adverse effects
of institutional
discrimination on
minorities and
women (0-12)
Work and wage
determination (20 Points)
Applies course knowledge to develop an
alternative recommendation plan
explicating ways of how workers can
raise their wages and improve their
working conditions (19-20)
Shows the ability to
develop a coherent
analysis of the role of
customs and institutions
in occupational exclusion
of women and minorities
and minimizing their
wages and increasing
their job insecurity
(16-18)
Analysis conveys
awareness of the
historical and
current
determinants of
inequality,
increased
unemployment
and poverty rates
among people of
African descent
(14-15)
Do not demonstrate
a clear
understanding of
the interplay
between the social
and political fabric
of society and
economic
mechanism in
determining wages
and work (0-12)
Policies and Prescriptions
(20 Points)
Provides a central explanation of the
controversies of Affirmative Action and
Comparable Worth by providing
supporting evidences whether or not
these policies give more power to those
who have been traditionally excluded
and marginalized to remedy problems of
discrimination against them fairly and
justly (19-20)
Presents insightful analysis
identifying the main
purpose of Affirmative
Action and Comparable
Worth as well as indicating
how these policies were
aimed at rectifying the
effects of past and ongoing
discrimination against
women and racial minorities
((16-18)
Displays the ability
to accurately
analyze the two
policies –
Affirmative Action
and Comparable
Worth (14-15)
Analysis of the two
policies and
prescriptions is
vague and
incomplete (0-12)
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