Sociology SL Course: US Poverty, Welfare & Social Justice

Jun. 21, 2016

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Student Course Learning Goals:

Students will be able to define poverty and identify the underlying causes and consequences of poverty in the US.
Students will gain an in-depth understanding of the impact of poverty on people’s lives, particularly in the Cleveland area.
Students will learn to critically evaluate the effectiveness and fairness of social welfare policies & programs.
Students will be able to discuss various strategies for reducing poverty, including the programs at Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry (LMM)
Students will work together in research teams and learn how to conduct a program evaluation for LMM

Connection to the Department Student Learning Goals: The departmental learning goals are to: 1) engage students in critical questioning about their society and its social structure, 2) develop sociological thinking skills in logical reasoning, interpretation of research findings, and to be able to separate facts from misinformation, 3) engage in research of various types, and 4) develop a commitment to civic engagement. Through your class readings and discussions on poverty, visits to LMM (a community-based social service agency), and your research project focusing on evaluating a program to reduce poverty, you will meet the department goals. Connection to Institutional Academic Student Learning Goals: There are four of the university goals that relate to this course: 1) Understand and promote social justice, 2) apply creative and innovative thinking 3) communicate skillfully in multiple forms of expression, and 4) employ leadership and collaborative skills. The focus of this course is on issues of social justice as it relates to poverty and economic inequalities. Through your class discussions and research project at LMM evaluating a program, you will be using creative and innovative thinking, as well as working collaboratively and presenting your findings through written and oral expression. See below for full syllabus: Sociology Poverty, Welfare and Social Justice - John Caroll University 2015