Poverty in the United States
Fall 2014
762:304
NOTE: This syllabus is subject to change. .
Last Update: 8/22/14
Instructor: Marci Berger PhD
E-mail: mberger@usrealestateacq.com
Phone: 732-603-9375
Office Hours: By Appointment
Overview:
This class will explore the dynamics of poverty in the United States, particularly in
relation to the public policy process. Discussions and readings will focus on the multiple
causes and consequences of poverty and examine to what extent the role of
government has in helping to address these problems. The types of questions to be
addressed include:
How do we define poverty? What role does government in this country play in helping
to alleviate this issue and what are the specific policies utilized in the United States?
Does it matter which measurements we use to study poverty? Is poverty caused by
one or two factors or is it a complicated social phenomena? Do politics matter in the
discussion surrounding poverty and anti-poverty policies?
We will use readings, news articles, discussions and visual aids including movies and
clips from the internet to examine this process. Since public policymaking is a dynamic
process, please note that your assigned readings may change weekly to capture
emerging issues.
This course includes lectures, class discussions, group projects, written assignments,
and a final exam. Discussion and class participation are key components to this class. I
will repeat – DISCUSSION and CLASS PARTICIPATION ARE KEY COMPONENTS
TO THIS CLASS. Class participation comprises 40% of the final grade.
By the end of the class, students should understand the following:
1. The definition of poverty and factors that contribute to this issue
2. How public policy is made in the United States and the impact the process has
on poverty
3. Why anti-poverty programs in the U.S. are different than those in other countries
4. The measurements used to discuss poverty
5. What the characteristics are of poverty
6. Some theories about the causes of poverty
Required Texts and Readings:
Textbooks. There is 1 book required for this class. This book will be supplemented by
other readings including journal, newspaper or magazine articles and will vary from
week to week.

Iceland, John. 2013. Poverty in America: A Handbook. University of California
Press, 3rd Edition
Additionally, we will view relevant movies or clips from the internet.
Articles: In addition to the texts, you will be assigned a number of articles each week.
These articles may be from a newspaper, a website or an academic journal and vary in
length. Newspaper article are often short, while journal articles tend to run a number
of pages.
I will provide citations for the articles, not always the direct links. Some
articles may be posted on SAKAI. I expect every student to be able to locate
an article when given the citation. It is your responsibility to print copies of the
articles, read them prior to class and bring them to class for discussion.
Tips on finding the assigned articles: Every student has access to the Rutgers
University Library databases and research tools. Use them! Some of the articles will
not be accessible through Google. Some databases you may find of particular help
include:
Access World News
CQ Researcher
EBSCO
Factiva
JSTOR
Westlaw – News and Business Tab
The Library website has a neat tool called “Searchlight.” You can type in the name of
an article and it immediately searches for it from the Library homepage.
Additionally, you should check out the “Research Resources” section on the library
home page. It can link you to issue specific databases and other research materials.
Occasionally, an article is particularly difficult to find, or the citation is incorrect. Please
let me know if you have trouble locating a particular article.
Grading
Grading is based on performance on 1 exam, a petition project, a class presentation
(articles and lectures) and class participation. I reserve the right to give pop quizzes on
the readings on any given day, particularly if class discussions are lacking. In-class
assignments are to be expected and will be factored into the final grade. All materials
covered by the texts, class discussions, videos, special readings, lectures and guest
lecturers are to be expected on the exam.
Breakdown of grading:
Final Exam:
Petition Project:
Class Participation:
Article and Lecture
group project:
20%
20%
40%-
may include quizzes
20%
Any questions regarding the grading of exams, quizzes, group projects or policy memos
must be brought to Ms. Berger’s attention within 2 DAYS after receipt back of the
grade in question.
Absences:
Class participation is a key element of this class. Discussions and lectures will touch on
points not covered by the lecture notes, so attending each class is important as is
taking notes during class. If you expect to miss one or two classes, please use the
University absence reporting website, https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/ to indicate the date
and reason for your absence. An email is automatically sent to me.
Since this class meets only once per week, missing one class means missing a lot of
information. Each student is responsible for making up any missed work as well as
obtaining the class notes for that day from a classmate.
Assignments:
All assignments that are to be handed in are due at the beginning of the class period.
Unless otherwise noted, assignments are to be handed in by hard copy, NOT e-mail.
Late assignments will lose one full grade for each day they are late. Extension
requests must be discussed no less than 3 days in advance of the due date.
Exam:
Exam date clashes must be discussed AT LEAST TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE of
scheduled testing date. ONE alternative testing date will be offered for use by ALL
students. Requests for an alternative date received less than this time period will not
be honored except for extreme circumstances. Only valid exam clashes will be grounds
for utilizing the alternative date such as a conflict with another exam. Family social
engagements and volunteer activities are NOT legitimate conflict reasons.
If there is serious illness or an emergency on the day of the exam, contact Dr. Berger
IMMEDIATELY. Failure to make alternative arrangements prior to an exam or
a paper due date will result in a failure for that exam or paper. There are no
make-up exams for unexcused absences.
A Note on Class Participation:
After each class I assign all students an individual grade based on the following scale:
+(97-90); - (89-80); 0 (79-70). Class participation is assessed weekly based on the
quality of comments, not quantity. I am looking for evidence that a student has
completed the assigned readings and arrives to class prepared for discussion. I assess
this through the questions, comments and statements made (or not) by students each
week. To calculate the final class participation grade, I use an average of these classspecific grades.
Assignments:
All assignments that are to be handed in are due at the beginning of the class period.
Unless otherwise noted, assignments are to be handed in by hard copy, NOT e-mail.
Late assignments will lose one full grade for each day they are late. Extension
requests must be discussed no less than 3 days in advance of the due date.
Petition Project Challenge:
The U.S. Constitutions guarantees every citizen the right to “petition” the government.
What exactly does this mean? How does one do this? This project will help you answer
these questions as you create your own petitions on the White House website that
suggest a policy issue that addresses the poverty problem.
Government has a role in ending poverty and we will be examining the diverse policies
that may impact poverty in the U.S. To further examine the connection between
government and poverty, you will research a factor that may contribute to poverty,
develop a policy to address this problem and create a petition on the White House
website based on your research. Then, you will create a brief video aimed at
encouraging the public to sign your petition. You will work in small groups of 2 – 3
students for this project.
We will discuss the role of the public, petitions and policies in class. However, here are
the specific steps you must take for this assignment and the requirements you must
follow:
1. ON AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL. Visit petitions.whitehouse.gov to get an
understanding of what a petition is and how it is written. You eventually need to
create an account and file your own petition .
2. WITHIN A GROUP. Thinking about some of the issues we have discussed in
class, pick a specific policy that impacts poverty in the U.S. I have purposely left
this broad as I want you to be creative in your approach. Will you examine a
financial impact? A programmatic change? One with broad appeal or targeted
to a specific group?
3. Discuss the topic and your approach with Dr. Berger before you submit your
petition on whitehouse.gov. You must, in your discussion with Dr. Berger, lay out
the action that you are asking people to support by signing the petition. For
example, will you ask for a tax increase? Support for a new program? Creating
a new government department to oversee the poverty issue? You may use parts
of these examples in your final petition proposal but not as the sole focus.
4.
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5.
6.
7.
Groups and topics due in writing end of class (when I leave class) on October 8
For the above discussion, your group must submit a brief paper
detailing your topic, research, petition proposal, and reasons to
support the petition, not to exceed more than 3 double-spaced pages
(references ONLY may be listed on a 4th page). Your paper must
include the following:
Your topic
How does this topic contribute to the discussion about poverty? What does the
research tell you about this issue and how it relates to poverty? Think about
topics in the broad sense of causes/effects poverty or in the narrow sense.
What will your petition call for? Lay out the wording of your proposal for the
whitehouse website.
Based on your research, what are some concrete arguments that may be used
for encouraging the public to sign your petition? Your role in producing the
video is to advocate for your issue and present a compelling argument to
convince people to support you.
Paper due in hard copy in class, October 22
After receiving approval from Dr. Berger, create your petition on the whitehouse
website!
Create (and post) your video. We will schedule viewing dates in class to share
the petitions and videos.
Extra credit for groups who can collect over 150 signatures within 2 weeks of
posting!
Article and Lecture group project:
Small groups of students will supplement each lecture by choosing 2 additional articles
to assign to the class and leading a short presentation and discussion based on the
topic of their choice.
a. You will break into groups of 2 – 3 students. Each group will chose a particular
topic/lecture to focus on, Lectures 4-10. Specific topics not covered in class, but
of special interest to you, may be considered. Please discuss with Dr. Berger
b. I must approve all groups, topics and articles.
 Groups and topic proposals are due: 9/17 by the end of class/before I leave
class
 Article submissions are due: Friday 9/26 by 12 noon. Please send me the links
and once the articles are approved, you MUST bring hard copies of the articles to
the beginning of class on Oct. 1.
c. Choose articles from peer reviewed journals, major newspapers or national news
magazines such as Time or Newsweek. The articles must come from two
different sources.
d. All groups must address the following topics (and may include other facts as they
are appropriate to your issue):
 Brief overview of your specific topic and how it relates to the lecture topic for the
week
 How do the articles you chose connect with your topic and the other readings
 Why did you choose these articles
 How do they contribute to our understanding of poverty?
 Discuss and review the articles.
 YOUR PRESENTATION SHOULD BE NO LESS THAN 10 MINUTES AND NO MORE
THAN 15 MINUTES
You will present on the day of the lecture that your articles are affiliated with.
Items to Note:
 Your failure to adhere to the due dates as stated on the syllabus will result in a
deduction FOR YOUR GROUP of 1/3 of a grade for each day your assignment is
late.
 Grades are assigned as a group, meaning all members of the group receive the
same grade.
Use of electronics in class:
Laptops are to be used by students for notetaking only. Please do not surf the net or
send e-mails during class. Cellphones must be turned OFF during class time. Texting
and/or sending e-mails during class time will not be tolerated.
E-mail:
I do my best to check e-mail daily. Please make sure you include the following: a
greeting (such as “Dear Professor Berger” or “Hello Ms. Berger”); the class name (I
teach more than one class); and please sign off with your name.
Coursework Requirements:
Rutgers University Policy on Academic Integrity applies to all coursework. Students in
this class and in all courses at Rutgers University are expected to uphold the highest
standards of academic integrity. Cheating, plagarism in written work, receiving and
providing unauthorized assistance and sabotaging the work of others are among the
behaviors that constitute violations of the Policy on Academic Integrity. You are
expected to be familiar with this policy.
If you are not familiar with this policy, please review it at:
http://ctaar.rutgers.edu/integrity/policy.html.
You are expected to complete the assigned readings prior to class to be able to
participate in a class discussion.
Academic Misconduct: A Bloustein School Perspective
Academic misconduct includes cheating, plagiarism, failure to cite sources, fabrication
and falsification, stealing ideas, and deliberate slanting of research designs to achieve a
pre-conceived result. We talk abut misconduct and ethical behavior in classes and
expectations are set forth in student handbooks and catalogues. Penalties for
misconduct can range from failing an assignment/exam or dismissal from the
university.
The Bloustein School is appending this memorandum to your course syllabus because
we recently have detected obvious cases of plagiarism. We have found far fewer cases
of other forms of academic misconduct, but we find several every year. It is imperative
that you understand that unethical academic conduct is intolerable, and it is completely
preventable.
Academic misconduct almost always happens for two reasons. One is ignorance of
academic rules and practices. For example, in virtually every recent plagiarism case in
the School, material has been taken from an Internet site and placed in text without
appropriate note or attribution. You must learn the proper rules for attribution. If you
are not sure, ask your instructor! If you do not know the rules that govern the use of
data sets, attribution, analysis and reporting of these sets, the faculty will help you.
There is no such thing as a stupid question regarding this subject.
Pressure is the second common reason for academic misconduct. Students, faculty,
every one of us is subject to deadline, financial, self-worth, peer, and other pressures.
If you are potentially allowing pressure to drive you to misconduct, please step back
and resist that urge. You can cope with pressure in a positive way by reaching out to
friends, counselors, and faculty members. Within the Bloustein School community, you
will find understanding people and positive direction.
The Bloustein School plays an important role in the planning and public policy agenda.
Our work and our students must be above reproach.
ASSIGNMENTS
LECTURE 1
September 3
Introduction: Poverty in the United States
Text: - No Text
Articles:
 Stirling, Stephen. (Star Ledger or S.L.) “NJ Wealth Gap Grows Wider”
11/15/13
 Reeves, Richard (NYT): “Shame Is Not A Four Letter Word” 3/16/13
LECTURE 2
September 10
General Ideas About Poverty
Two ways (at least) to view poverty…Role of Values…Conundrums and Paradoxes…Media Contributions
Text: Introduction
Articles:
 Ellwood, David: Poor Support – Poverty in the American Family, Chapter 2:
Values and the Helping Conundrum” pp. 14-25. This reading may be accessed
through other poverty class websites – here you can try a Google search.
 Ehrenreich, Barbara: “American Poverty, 50 Years Later” posted on 3/15/12
on the www.tomdispatch.com blog
 Morone, James: “The Corrosive Politics of Virtue” The American Prospect
#26, May/June 1996; may also be dated 12/19/2001
 msnbc.com: “Most Republicans think poverty caused by laziness, new poll
finds” by Megan Whitaker, 1/23/14
 Froomkin, Dan, from the Neiman Reports: “It Can’t Happen Here: Why is
there so little coverage of Americans who are struggling with poverty?
Winter, 2013. Neiman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard
Supplemental Reading, not required: nbcnews.com: Special Report “In Plain Sight: Poverty In
America”
IN CLASS:
LECTURE 3
September 17
Public Policy I: Policy Process
Big 5…Role of Government…Federalism…History of U.S. Social Policy
Groups and Topic proposals due by the end of class;
Text: Chapter 7 p. 130-140; 144-155
Articles:
 Rose, Max and Frank Baumgartner: “Framing the Poor: Media Coverage and
U.S. Poverty Policy, 1960-2008” . Policy Studies Journal, Vol. 41, No. 1, 2013.
 Usnewsandworldreport.com: “Consider the Conservative Counterfactual” by
Stephanie Slade, 5/12/14
 USnewsandworldreport.com: “Republicans Can’t Stay Neutral in the War on n
Poverty” by Nicole Hemmer, 1/7/14
 Fact sheet: “Welfare Reform-Social Welfare Change” at
http://www.welfareinfo.org/reform/
IN CLASS: Robert Reich interview, Jon Stewart, 9/16/13
--- Class Cancelled – September 24 --LECTURE 4
October 1
Policy Process II: The Welfare State – International
Comparisons
More on the Role of Government…International Comparisons…National Values
Article submissions-hard copies - due by the end of class;
Text: Chapter 4, Global Poverty, read only summary, pp. 77-78
Articles:
 Sahlbert, Pasi: “A Model Lesson: Finland Shows Us What Equal
Opportunity Looks Like” American Educator, Spring 2012 - Available on
SAKAI –
 Smeeding, Timothy and Jane Waldfogel: “Fighting Poverty: Attentive
Policy Can Make a Huge Difference” Journal of Policy Analysis and
Management, Vol. 29 No. 2, 401-407 (2010)
 King, Anthony: Ideas, Institutions and the Policies of Government: A
Comparative Analysis: Part III. British Journal of Political Science, vol.
3, No. 4 (Oct. 1973) pp 409-423. Available on JSTOR.
 Unger, David. (NYT): “Europe’s Social Contract, Lying in Pieces” 6/9/13
 NYT: “US Bishops Seek to Match Vatican in Shifting Tone” by Michael
Paulson, 6/13/14
IN CLASS:
LECTURE 5
October 8
What Does It Mean to Be Poor in the U.S.?
Measures…Definitions…Alternatives
Petition project groups/topics due
Text: Chapter 2
Articles:
 Pew Research Center, Pew Social and Demographic Trends: “Re-Counting
Poverty” by Jodie Allen, 11/30/11
 NYT: “Change Life of the Poor: Better off, but Far Behind” by Annie
Lowrey, 4/30/14
 “”How the Census Bureau Measures Poverty” which can be found at:
www.census.gov (search for this document once you get to the website)
 FamiliesUSA: Federal Poverty Guidelines for 2014
 USNewsandWorldReport: “50 Years Later, a War Over the Poverty Rate”
by Danielle Kurtzleberg, 1/6/14
IN CLASS: Pew video about Poverty Measures
LECTURE 6
October 15
Characteristics of Poverty
Text: Chapter 3
Articles:
 NYT Book Review: “Tramps Like Them” Review by Nicholas Confessore, of
Charles Murray’s Coming Apart: The State of White America, 2/12/12
 Nj.com: “NJ Voters Approve Constitutional Amendment Raising Minimum
Wage” 11/11/13
 Heritage Foundation: Backgrounder-“Understanding Poverty in the United
States: Surprising Facts About America’s Poor” by Robert Rector and
Rachel Sheffield, 9/13/11, #2607
 NYT: “From Rags to Riches to Rags” by Mark Rank, 4/20/14
IN CLASS: video.foxnews.com/v/2668167174001/poverty-in-america/#sp=show-clips
Geraldo Rivera on The O’Reilly Factor, 9/12/13
LECTURE 7
October 22
Causes of Poverty I: Theories
Individual….Culture of Poverty…Structural…Universal Programs
Petition project paper due in hard copy
Text: No Text
Articles:
 Lewis, Oscar. “The Culture of Poverty” Scientific American: October 1966.
Volume 215, #4
 Murray, Charles. Losing Ground 1984, Basic Books – Excerpt. POSTED ON
SAKAI
 Wilson, William J. “Another Look at the Truly Disadvantaged” Political
Science Quarterly, Vol. 106, #4. 1991-92
 Gilens, Martin. “Race and Poverty in America: Public Misperception and the
American News Media” Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 60, No. 4, 1996
 Stateline.org: “From Manhattan to N.D., Wealth Inequality Worries Grow”
by Jake Grovum, 6/15/14
IN CLASS – Brookings Institute Podcast: Causes of and Solutions for U.S. Poverty’s
Continued Rise, 6/22/12
LECTURE 8
October 29
Causes of Poverty II: Factors
Race….Gender/Familly…Education
Text: Chapter 5: pp. 79-83; 85-93; skim 94-99; end of 99-113
Articles:
 Heritage Foundation Backgrounder: “Marriage: America’s Greatest Weapon
Against Child Poverty” by Robert Rector, #2465, 9/16/10
 NYT: “Progress in the War on Poverty” by Nicholas Kristoff, 1/9/14
 NYT: “Better Colleges Failing to Lure Poorer Students” by David Leonhardt,
3/17/13
 NYT: “The Compassion Gap” by Nicholas Kristoff, 3/2/14
IN CLASS: nbcnews.com – Meet the Press, The Shriver Report: Female Poverty in
America, 1/12/14
LECTURE 9
November 5
Documentary: Waging A Living
LECTURE 10
November 12
The Great Recession
Structural Forces…Economics…Individual Choices
Text: Chapter 6,
Articles:
 Putnam, Robert. “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Captial, 1995.
Journal of Democracy 6.1
 The Atlantic.com: “Robert Putnam: Class Now Trumps Race as Great Divide
in America” by Garance Franke-Ruta, 6/2012
 NYT: “”Even Critics of the Safety Net Increasingly Depend on it” by
Binyamin Appelbaum and Robert Gebeloff, 2/12/12
 Townhall.com: “Seattle Set to Destroy Economy with Highest Minimum Wage
Increase in the World” by Rachel Alexander, 5/20/14
LECTURE 11
November 19
Ideology Revisited: A Final Look at our Poverty Policies
Text: Chapter 8 pp. 157-163
Articles:
 NYT Magazine: “Single Mothers with Family Values” by Molly Worthen
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10/27/13
Star Ledger (S.L): “Hows the Health of Our Welfare State” Editorial,
2/7/14
Boston.com: “Massive Housing Experiment Finds Those Who Moved to LessImpoverished Neighborhoods Were Happier” by Carolyn Johnson, 9/21/12
Huffingtonpost.com: “Ending Modern Day Slavery in its Hometown: The End
of Poverty in Richmond” by Thomas Houston, 1/6/14
IN CLASS POSSIBILITY: pbs.org: pbsnewshour- “Poverty and Politics: How
Strong is Safety Net For Poor America? 2/2/12
November 26 No Class, Friday Classes Meet, Happy Thanksgiving
December 3
Review for Final…Finish Projects
December 10 – LAST CLASS, FINAL
EXAM