Outline Today Waging a Living Video and Worksheet Thursday Waging a Living Video conclusion,...

Outline

Today Waging a Living Video and Worksheet

Thursday Waging a Living Video conclusion, Poverty, Rank & American

Values, Fundraising/Visit

Next Tuesday Ministers Join Us for a Reflection There will be a mandatory reflection due this class Attendance will count as a 4 point assignment

Next Thursday is our first test Mix of MC/TF and Essay

Slides up through last Tuesday are now on website

Outline

Waging a Living Video conclusion If missed Tuesday, video will be put on reserve and you must do

make-up sheet for full credit Poverty, Rank & American Values Fundraising/Visit

Next Tuesday Ministers Join Us for a Reflection There are mandatory reflection Qs on the web Attendance will count as a 4 point assignment

Next Thursday is our first test Mix of MC/TF and Essay

Slides up through last Tuesday are now on website

1. Early this semester it was suggested that in a capitalist society, a person’s well being/standard of living will primarily be determined by their participation in the labor market. Are the main characters in the video (Jean, Jerry, Barbara and Mary) selling their labor? What kinds of jobs do they have?

2. In class we learned that “overall, studies examining cultural differences do not provide overwhelming evidence that most of the poor people adhere to very different value systems than non-poor people” What evidence do you see to suggest that the people we meet in the movie seem to have more or less the same culture as “mainstream” America?

Differences from “mainstream” America?

3. Rank notes that “…newer longitudinal data show that a majority of poor individuals actually remain poor for only short periods of time” but “despite the shortness of many poverty spells, it is quite common for people who leave poverty to fall back into it a short time later.” What evidence for these two statements do you see in the movie?

4. As you know, Rank suggests that structural factors like the number of jobs, available, the wage levels of many jobs, and the meager social safety net in America are the key factors for explaining the high levels of poverty in the US. What evidence do you see in the film to support the idea that structural factors explain poverty in the US?

5. In addition to Barbara’s earnings of $8.25 per hour, her family receives Medicaid,food stamps, child care subsidies, utility assistance, Section 8 rental assistance, and occasionally $100 per week in child support. How does Barbara’s pay raise from $8.25/hour to $11/hour hurt rather than help her?

6. Some of the people we meet are pursuing strategies which focus on improving their human capital in order to achieve intragenerational social mobility? Others are pursuing strategies designed to address the structural shortcomings of their jobs (namely the level of pay and benefits). Discuss the different strategies used by Jean, Jerry, Mary, and Barbara to improve their circumstances

 7. How has divorce or the absence of a contribution spouse changed Mary and several of the other’s financial circumstances?

8. Did the film challenge any of your ideas about people who live in poverty or people who accept welfare or other types of government assistance? If yes, how? If no, why?

1. In chapter 5, Rank argues that regardless of whether “one interprets the Judeo-Christian ethic from a religious perspective or from an ethical perspective, there is a direct imperative to help the poor”(Rank 2005: 125). What evidence does he provide to support this position? Be sure to incorporate at least one properly cited (See above) direct quote from the reading into your answer.

 2. Rank uses Webster to define liberty and suggests that poverty infringes on the liberty of the poor. Please explain what his argument.

3. Please explain what is meant by the concepts “deserving poor” and “undeserving poor.”

4. Rank argues that most people experiencing poverty in the US should be thought of as the deserving poor. Please explain his reasoning, being sure to mention the different groups who constitute the poor in America, and to mention the role of the “structural failings” he has previously written about.

5. Rank suggests that in America, equality has typically meant “equality of opportunity.” Please summarize what he means by this and explain why he thinks poverty infringes on equality. 

US Turnout by Income, 1997

6. Briefly summarize Rank’s argument that the existence of poverty undermines the democratic process. Does the following power point slide support Rank’s argument? If so, how? If not, why?

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Fundraising and a Trip to Campus A moderator to facilitate discussion Fundraising Ideas

Assignment of tasks Trip to Campus

Ideas? Assignment of tasks