SOCIOLOGY 470: SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY

 

TERM:                  SPRING 2008—MW 11:00-12:15

INSTRUCTOR:     MICHAEL MARTIN

OFFICE:                ES 315       PHONE: 587-7878 (OFFICE);    

E-MAIL:    mwmartin@adams.edu

OFFICE HOURS:   TR 8:30-10:00, MW 9-10, OR BY APPOINTMENT

WEBSITE:            http://faculty.adams.edu/~mwmartin/

 

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Class Dates:

March 3:  Examination I

April 7:  Examination II

April 14:  Term paper due

May 7:  Final Examination Period, Wednesday, 1-2:50

 

Class Presentations:

February 25:  Housing Crisis/Policy

March 19:  Social Security Crisis/Solutions

March 31:  Welfare Policy/Reform

April 16:  Mental Health Policy/Deinstitutionalization

April 23:  Health Care Policy/Crisis

 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course analyzes the historical development, current content, and adequacy of social welfare policies in the United States.   Specific policy areas to be discussed include income maintenance (including social insurance and public assistance), mental health, health care, and aging.  

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the semester each student should be able to:

1.         compare and contrast the alternative views and frameworks of social welfare policy;

2.         identify the essential components of the policy-making process;

3.         discuss the history of the development of social welfare policies in the

United States;

4.         recognize the major themes and issues in contemporary social welfare

policies such as mental health, income maintenance, health care, and aging;

5.         analyze current social welfare policies for strengths and weaknesses;

6.         evaluate the effectiveness of recent reforms and proposed changes in social

welfare policies;

7.         assess the impact of social welfare policies on specific populations such as the

poor, women, single parents, and ethnic minorities.

8.         write more effectively.

 

CLASS FORMAT:

The primary methods of instruction are lectures, class presentations, and class discussion.  Class attendance is mandatory.  Students are allowed two unexcused absences during the semester except on guest speaker and class presentation days; on guest speaker and class presentation days, the Dean of Student Affairs, Ken Marquez, must excuse all absences.  Unexcused absences on guest speaker or class presentation days are counted as five absences.  Each unexcused absence beyond the allowed two will reduce a student’s final grade average by one point. 

 

READINGS:

American Social Welfare Policy: A Pluralist Approach, 2006, H. Karger and D. Stoesz, Fifth Edition, Pearson Education (Required textbook).

 

All other assigned readings are available M. Martin’s website.  Go to http://faculty.adams.edu/~mwmartin/COURSES-TAUGHT.htm and follow links to assigned readings for Sociology 470.   To access the readings, the username is martin and the password is gumbo.

 

CRITERIA FOR STUDENT EVALUATION:

 Examinations:

All students are required to take three examinations that will comprise 60% of the final grade.  Examinations may consist of multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and short essay questions and will cover all lectures, assigned readings, and videos. Tentative examination dates are March 3, April 7, and May 7.   

 

Class Presentation:

Students will develop a class presentation and lecture on a specific policy area; this lecture will be a minimum of 45 minutes in length and will be presented orally to the class.  The oral class presentation comprises 10% of the final grade.  Social welfare policy topics include the following:

Housing Crisis/Policy in the US

Social Security Crisis/Solutions

Health Care Crisis/Policy

Mental Health Policy/Deinstitutionalization

Welfare Policy/Reform

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Term Project:

Each student will complete a written term paper that will comprise 30% of the final grade.   The term paper will be based on the social welfare topic that was orally presented to the class; it is a written analysis of the social policy topic and should be a minimum of eight typed, double-spaced pages, excluding the title and reference pages.  The final draft of the term paper is due April 14.            In addition, an electronic copy of the paper must be submitted to www.turnitin.com by class time on April 14.  To submit a paper to www.turnitin.com, the Class ID for Sociology 470 is 2135745 and the Password is soc470.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE ON PLAGIARISM:  If you plagiarize someone’s work (i.e., turn in the same paper that someone else has turned in, if you quote sentences from another source without using quotations and citing the source, or if you turn in a paper that is not your individual, independent work for this specific class), you will receive an automatic ZERO for that portion of the grade.  If you do it again, you will FAIL the course. In addition, any assignment completed for this course should be independent and a unique paper just for this class. You cannot turn in work that is or has been completed for another class or that is part of another class’s assignment.  ALL RESEARCH PAPERS WILL BE SENT TO turnitin.com TO CHECK FOR PLAGIARISM.

 

 

GRADING SCALE FOR EXAMINATIONS AND TERM PROJECT:

 

90-100 = A           80-89 = B

70-79   = C           60-69 = D

Below 59 = F

 

ADDITIONAL CLASS POLICIES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:

 

Hints on writing effectively and clearly, editing, and referencing and citing in American Sociological Association (ASA) style can be accessed through the Nielsen Library’s homepage: click on Resources By Subject and then Style Guides.  

 

Accommodations:  If you require course adaptations or accommodations because of a documented disability, if you have emergency information to share with me, or if you need particular arrangements in the case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible.  My office location and hours are listed on the first page of the syllabus.

 

Electronic Devices: Please turn off all electronic devices including cell phones and put them away prior to the start of class.  Interruptions due to electronic devices will result in the student being asked to leave class and receiving an unexcused absence.

 

 

 CLASS TOPICS AND READING ASSIGNMENTS:

 

Dates

Topics and Activities

Readings

Mon, Jan 14

Overview of syllabus

Introduction to social

     policy

 

Wed, Jan 16

Mon, Jan 21 (MLK   

     Day—No Class)

Wed, Jan 23

Mon, Jan 28

Wed, Jan 30

Policymaking: often less than   

     rational and very political

Social work: a common vision

     of just social welfare policy

Alternative views of social

     welfare: to help or to

     control

Using welfare to control poor

     women

 

“Social Policy and the American Social Welfare State,” Chapter 1 in Karger and Stoesz.

 

“Poverty in America,” Chapter 5 in Karger and Stoesz.

 

“Value for Family Tax Dollars: How Does the US Stack Up?” Website reading.

 

“Income and Wealth Redistribution.”  Website reading

Mon, Feb 4

Origins of the modern welfare

     state

A significant turn of events: the

     Great Depression and New

     Deal

 

“Social Welfare: The Safety Net.”  Website reading.

Wed, Feb 6

Mon, Feb 11

The great War On Poverty: the

     Great Society

Successes and Failures

 

“What Was Really Great about the Great Society.”  Website reading.

Wed, Feb13

Guest Speaker--Homelessness

Website reading on “Homelessness”  

Mon, Feb 18

Snow Day—No Class

 

Wed, Feb 20

Study Day—No Class

 

Mon, Feb 25

Class Presentation: Housing

     Crisis/Policy in US

“Housing Policies,” Chapter 16 in Karger and Stoesz.

 

Wed, Feb 27

Housing Policy in US

Homelessness

 

Mon, March 3

Examination I

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wed, March 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

Undoing/redoing the American

     "Welfare" State: 1980-

     present

The great assault on welfare: a

     big and easy target

Welfare is OK as long as we

     don't give it to the poor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Bigger and Better.”  Website reading.

March 10-14

Spring Break—No Class

 

Wed, March 17

Aging policy in the US: getting

     old is not for wimps

Long-term care for the elderly:

     a challenge

Changing stereotypes and the

     evolution of aging policy

 

“Social Insurance Programs,” Chapter 10 in Karger and Stoesz.

 

Wed, March 19

Class Presentation: Social

     Security Crisis/Solutions

 

Mon, March 24

Wed, March 26

The Social Security safety net

The looming crisis in Social

     Security

 

“Reframing Social Security: Cures Worse than the Disease.”  Website reading.

Mon, March 31

Class Presentation: Welfare

     Policy/Reform

 

Wed, April 2

Welfare reform over the years

Recent efforts at reform:

     successes or failures

Misconceptions about welfare

     and TANF

The reality of living on welfare:

     living the life and walking the

     walk

“Public Assistance Program,” Chapter 11 in Karger and Stoesz.

 

  “TANF-What Went Wrong.”  Website reading. 

 

“Stigma and Discrimination.”  Website reading.

 

Mon, April 7

Examination II

 

Wed, April 9

Mon, April 14

 

Mental health policy in

     America: from the asylums

     to the community

 

“Mental Health and Substance Abuse Policy,” Chapter 13 in Karger and Stoesz.   

 

Wed, April 16

Class Presentation: Mental

     Health Policy/

     Deinstitutionalization

 

Mon, April 21

Deinstitutionalization and the

     community mental health

     movement

 

 

Wed, April 23

Class Presentation: Health

    Care Crisis/Policy

 

Mon, April 28

Wed, April 30

Introduction to the health care

     system and emerging crisis

The escalating cost of health

     care

Managed Care as a possible

     solution

The Canadian Model

 

“The American Health Care System,” Chapter 12 in Karger and Stoesz.  

 

“Making Patients Pay.”  Website reading. 

 

 “Managed Care.”  (pages 315-324).  Website reading.

 

Wed, May 7, 1-2:50

Final Examination

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOCIAL POLICY ANALYSIS TERM PROJECT:

 

The following format and topic headings are recommended, if applicable, for the social policy analysis:

 

Introduction (short introduction on the origin or history of the social policy)

Current Policy (the details of the current policy)

Debates, Discussions, or Problems with the Current Policy

Proposed Changes (proposed solution to mentioned problems)

 

The following guidelines must be followed:

 

-eight typed, double-spaced pages of text using normal margins and font sizes

-a title sheet with paper title, name, phone number, and e-mail address

-a reference page with at least eight references

-no more than two website references

-at least two book references (no encyclopedia, opposing viewpoints, course textbook,  

or class lecture references)

-at least four research journal or periodical references (no newspaper or popular magazines) 

-citations and references using ASA format (please highlight text citations in red print)

-use your own words (no direct quotes)

-a visit to the Writing Studio is recommended but is not mandatory

-a hard copy of the paper must be submitted to the instructor at class time on the due date

and the paper must be submitted to www.turnitin.com by class time on the due date

 

 

 

The term project will be graded using the following rubric:

 

 

 

                                                    Excellent                            Very Good                             Good                      OK

Quality of Writing (editing, proofing, grammar, clarity, and organization)

 

 

 

 

 

Clearly Focused Social Policy Issue and Understandable Format

 

 

 

 

 

Intellectual Quality of the Paper and its Analysis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                GRADE = _____________

 

 

 

                 

                                                                                                                                                                Points Lost

Absence of title page with title of paper, name, phone number, and e-mail address

 

5 points

Use of a format other than American Sociological Association (ASA) for text citations and references

 

10 points

Citations in the text that are not referenced on the reference page; references on the reference page that are not cited in the text; the absence of citations and references

 

10 points

Failure to follow directions regarding minimum paper length and number and types of references

 

5 points

Failure to provide the instructor with any requested reference materials

 

25 points

Failure to use your own words (extensively copy an author’s words verbatim or simply string together a series of direct quotes

Up to 50 points

Failure to submit the term paper on the due date

 

5 points a day

Failure to submit paper to www.turnitin.com by the designated date

50 points

 

 

 

 

FINAL GRADE ON ASSIGNMENT= __________________