Course Syllabus
SW 530 Introductions to Social Welfare Policy and Services
Section 001 And 004
Fall 2010
Tuesday 8:00-11:00 Room - 2228SEB
Tuesday 2:00-5:00
Room -3752 SSWB
Instructor:
Office Hours:
Cell:
Email:
Tammie B Glenn, A.C.S.W.
By Appointment
810-919-9009
[email protected]
The moral test of a society is how it treats those in the dawn of life—its children; those in the twilight—
the elderly; and those in the shadow of life—the sick, the needy and the handicapped.
- Hubert Humphrey, 1977
1. Course Description:
This course surveys the history of social welfare policy, services, and the social work profession. It
explores current social welfare issues in the context of their history and the underlying rationale and
values that support different approaches. Emphasis is placed on major fields of social work service such
as: income maintenance, health care, mental health, child welfare, corrections, and services to the elderly.
Analytic frameworks with regard to social welfare policies and services are presented. These
frameworks identify strengths and weaknesses in the current social welfare system with respect to
multiculturalism and diversity; social justice and social change; behavioral and social science theory and
research; and social work relevant promotion, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation programs and
services in relations to the diverse dimensions (including ability, age, class, color, culture, ethnicity,
family structure, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), marital status, national origin,
race, religion or spirituality, sex, and sexual orientation).
2. Course Content:
There are four main content areas for the course.
1. The philosophic and practical basis for social welfare provisions, including consideration of the
respective roles and relationships of:
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2.
3.
4.
• the individual
• the family
• the community, groups, educational settings, churches, and workplaces
• the nonprofit sector
• the government at various geographic levels.
The history of the social work profession:
• from the altruistic philanthropist to the development of professional practice
• the emergence of distinct methods of practice in their historical context
• the influence of religious values, ethics, and social and political climates on the profession’s
development
• the emergence of specific policies and programs within their historical,
social and political contexts.
A critical analysis of current social welfare policies, and programs, nationally and cross-nationally
with attention to:
• the strengths and weaknesses of various policies and programs
• evolving population needs
• the ways in which current policies and programs address promotion, prevention, treatment,
and rehabilitation issues, and social justice/social change perspectives.
Descriptions and analyses using recent social science theory/research knowledge of major areas of
social welfare provision and patterns of their delivery, including, but not limited to:
• services for families, children, adolescents, adults, and the aging (including income
maintenance, protective services, health and mental health, corrections and criminal justice,
and education) including those targeted toward promotion, prevention, treatment, and
rehabilitation
• community service programs.
3. Course Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
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2.
3.
4.
5.
Describe the historical basis for the current U.S. social welfare system, including the history and
role of the social work profession.
Describe and critically analyze current social welfare policies, procedures, and programs including
the role of behavioral and social science research and theory in their evolution.
Discuss the strengths and limitations of the current social welfare system in terms of the functions of
the provision of basic needs, protection of the vulnerable, prevention, promotion, treatment,
rehabilitation, protection of society, and provision of social control. This discussion will incorporate
state, national, and cross-national analyses.
Describe and critically analyze major fields of social welfare service provision from a multicultural
perspective, including but not limited to income security, health and mental health services, child
welfare, educational practices, services to the elderly, and corrections.
Discuss and critically analyze current debates, trends, and ethical issues in each specific field of
service presented in the course including the implications for social work practice and promoting
social justice and social change.
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4. Course Design:
It is anticipated that the multiple sections of this course will be coordinated and lectures, assignments,
readings, class exercises, and examinations will be shared across instructors. Various classroom teaching
strategies may be used, including lecture, multimedia presentations, video documentaries, small and large
group discussion, and presentations by students and guest lecturers.
5. Relationship of the Course to Four Curricular Themes:
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Multiculturalism and Diversity. The course examines how the diverse dimensions (such as
ability, age, class, color, culture, ethnicity, family structure, gender (including gender
identity and gender expression), marital status, national origin, race, religion or spirituality,
sex, and sexual orientation) of individuals and groups influence their perspectives of and
experiences with social welfare policies and practices. Specific fields of service are
critically analyzed from multicultural, historical, and/or cross-national perspectives.
•
Social Justice and Social Change. The course critically analyzes current trends and ethical
issues and their implications for promoting social justice and social change.
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Promotion, Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation. The course gives attention to the
ways in which current policies and programs address promotion, prevention, treatment, and
rehabilitation.
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Behavioral and Social Science Research. Analytic frameworks drawn from behavioral and
social science literature and research are presented for each field of service.
6. Relationship of the Course to Social Work Ethics and Values:
The historical overview in this course includes an analysis of the value base of the profession. Ethical
responsibilities of social workers within fields of service will be reviewed. Differences among codes of
ethics for several social work professional organizations will also be explored.
7. Intensive Focus Statement on Privilege, Oppression, Diversity, and Social Justice (PODS):
This course integrates PODS content and skills with a special emphasis on the identification of theories,
practice and/or policies that promote social justice, illuminate injustices and are consistent with scientific
and professional knowledge. Through the use of a variety of instructional methods, this course will
support students developing a vision of social justice, learn to recognize and reduce mechanisms that
support oppression and injustice, work toward social justice processes, apply intersectionality and
intercultural frameworks and strengthen critical consciousness, self knowledge and self awareness to
facilitate PODS learning.
8. Textbooks and News Media Requirements
Required Textbooks
1. Barusch, Amanda S. (2009). Foundations of Social Policy: Social Justice, Public Programs, and
the Social Work Profession 3rd Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning
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2. Axinn, J. & Stern, M.J. (2008). Social Welfare: A History of American Response to Need. NY:
Allyn & Bacon.
3. Other material as noted in syllabus (recommended & documents).
Required texts may be purchased at Ulrich’s, Michigan Book and Supply and Michigan Union
Bookstore.
Recommended Reading: All recommended reading is available from the instructor. If sufficient
numbers of students are interested in these readings I will place them on reserve in the library.
Document Reading: All documents cited as reading in this syllabus will be distributed by the professor in
class the week before they are to be read. If they are not distributed, than you are not responsible. If you
miss class, however, please make sure you pick up a copy of distributed documents from a classmate.
Required Media
1. The New York Times (or Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, etc.) The NYT is available online at
www. Nytimes.com. The Times also offers a discount rate on student subscriptions to hard copy
editions.
2. The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer (Mon-Fri, on Public TV). In the local area there are at least 4
showings of the NewsHour per evening (6pm; 6:30 pm; and again around midnight). Check your
local listings. The NewsHour is online at www. Pbs.org/newshour/.
Recommended Media
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Local Newspaper (Detroit Free Press);
CNN News and Policy discussions;
“All Things Considered” and/or “Morning Edition” on National Public Radio. This can be
accessed locally via WKAR-FM (90.5) or WUOM-FM (91.7).
Evening Network News - (CBS, ABC, NBC).
9. Assignments and Grading
Library Assignment (see grading note) – Students are expected to complete the library tutorial on or
before October 8th by 5:00pm. (NOTE THE QUIZ WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE WEBSITE
SHORTLY AFTER THIS DATE). Students must complete the library quiz with a score of 80% or
better. The final course grade will be marked down one grade step (example: from A- to B+) for
failure to satisfactorily complete the quiz. (See separate handout for assignment).
Debate Assignment (graded): See separate handout for assignment details. Presentation dates to be
determined by Sept. 14th. This assignment is worth 30% of the final grade.
Policy Paper (final graded): Comparing Social Welfare Policies/Programs (See separate handout with
instructions). Due dates: Preliminary Outline (Oct 26th). Final Paper (December 7th). It is worth 40% of
the final grade.
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Staller, K.M. (2004). “The structure of federal policy: Deciphering the United States Code.”
Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 24 (3/4), 47-63.
Staller, K. M. (in press). “Social problem construction and its impact on program and policy
responses.” In Kamerman, S.B., Phipps, S. & Ben-Arieh, A. (Eds). From child welfare to
child wellbeing: An international perspective on knowledge in the service of making policy.
Danziger, S. K. and Staller, K. M. (2008). “Social Problems.” In Mizrahi, T. and Davis, L.
E. (Eds). Encyclopedia of Social Work. NY: Oxford University Press.
Final Examination (graded). - The exam is NOT a current events quiz but rather will involve placing
current events in political, cultural and/or historical context in light of material covered, (and
emphasized), in class and/or in reading assignments. Exam date: Tuesday, December 14th.
SUMMARY OF ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES
LIBRARY QUIZ
DEBATE ASSIGNMENT:
WRITTEN ASSIGMNENT:
Preliminary Outline
Final Paper
October 9th NO LATER THAN 5:00PM
Dates TBD by Sept. 14th
Oct. 26th
Dec 8th
FINAL EXAM TAKE HOME:
December 14th
Writing Assistance. For further assistance with writing you may go to the Writing Workshop, 1139
Angell Hall, (734) 764-0429.
The criteria for each grade are as follows:
A or A-
B+
B
BC or CF
Mastery of subject content, demonstration of critical analysis, creativity and/or
complexity in completion of assignment. The difference between A and A- is based on
the degree to which these skills is demonstrated.
Mastery of subject content beyond expected competency, but has not demonstrated
additional critical analysis, creativity or complexity in the completion of the assignment.
Mastery of subject content at level of expected competency – meets course expectations
Less than adequate competency, but demonstrates student learning and potential for
mastery of subject content.
Demonstrates a minimal understanding of subject content. Significant areas needing
improvement to meet course requirements.
Student has failed to demonstrate minimal understanding of subject content.
Four Notes on Grading:
1. Class attendance and class participation are considered essential for this course. Therefore you are
expected to attend, to be prepared, and to make reasonable contributions. Many of the final exam
questions will be drawn from class lectures and discussions. It is your responsibility to get materials,
handouts, or class notes from one of your classmates if you are unable to be in class.
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2. I grade all papers anonymously. Put only your student identification number on your submitted work.
After I have read and graded all the papers, I will determine which paper belongs to whom.
3. It is best not to assume you will receive an “A” in this course. The instructor grades on a relative,
not absolute, grading scale. Since virtually all of you were “A” students as undergraduates there will
be a natural and necessary redistribution at the graduate level.
4. In general, I do accept challenges to grades. However, challenges must be in writing (not verbal);
must be specific, and must be based on substantive arguments (or mathematical errors) not on
nebulous references to “fairness.” The instructor reserves the right to re-read, and re-grade, the work
in its entirety in the case of a challenge. The grade may be adjusted up or down.
Academic Misconduct: Please acquaint yourself with University of Michigan, UM School of Social
Work, and NASW policies on scholarly integrity. All academic dishonesty, including cheating,
plagiarism, fabrication, and misrepresentation, will be treated seriously. You will find a discussion of
plagiarism in the Student Guide to the Master’s in Social Work Degree Program online. Note that using
Web resources increases the risk of “accidental plagiarism.” Do not let that happen.
10. Schedule of Classes & Assignments
September 7th -- Introduction
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
-Mark Twain
I have spent many years of my life in opposition, and I rather like the role.
- Eleanor Roosevelt
Course overview, assignments, grading, expectations etc. What is social welfare policy? Why should
social workers care? Definitions of Social Policy and theories of social justice. Race, gender, class, age,
sexual orientation
In Class: Policy Definition and Social Justice Exercise
Required Reading:
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Michael Reisch (2002). Defining social justice in a socially unjust world. Families in
Society: Journal of Contemporary Human Services, 83 (4). Pp. 343-354.
Recommended Reading:
• David Gill (1998). “Injustice and Oppression: Origins, evolution, dynamics, and
Consequences.” In Confronting Injustice and Oppression: Concepts and Strategies for
Social Workers. NY: Columbia University Press. Pp. 9-16.
September 14th- What is Social Welfare? Paying for a Just and Civilized Society.
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The problem of our age is the proper administration of wealth, so that the ties of brotherhood may still
bind together the rich and poor in harmonious relationships.
- Andrew Carnegie
We do not have a money problem in America. We have a values and priorities problem.
- Marian Wright Edelman
Debate assignment schedule to be determined
Federal Budget: Expenditures and receipts. Federal deficit, surplus and the balancing act. Funding
priorities. The role of the tax code in social welfare (redistribution of wealth, incentives). State Tax
System: similarities and differences. Role of public and private sector.
Suggested Exercise: Federal Budget Simulation
Required Reading:
Barusch, Chapters 1 – 3 (Part 1).
Recommended Reading:
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Paquin, Gary (1998). The Federal Budget Process: Necessary Knowledge for Social Policy
Education and Practice. Journal of Social Work Education 34 (3), 401-413.
Gist, John R. (1996). Entitlements and the Federal Budget: Facts, Folklore, and Future. The
Milbank Quarterly 74 (3), pp. 327-359.
Documents:
• How a Bill Becomes a Law (Federal)
• Michigan: How a Bill Becomes a Law
• Federal Budget Handouts
September 21st - British Social Welfare History and The U.S. Social Security Act
Charity is no substitute for justice withheld.
- St Augustine
A framework of themes to ponder. Early history of social welfare. Decretum, Six English Poor Laws and
what their development suggests about attitudes toward poverty and social welfare. Worthy & unworthy
poor. The relationship between poverty, labor and social values. Public and Private care. Family,
religion, economic, ideological and political perspectives. Comparison of Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601
and the U.S. Social Security Act of 1935. Similarities and differences in structure and context. U.S.
definitions of poverty and responses.
Required Reading:
Axinn & Stern, Introduction & Chapter 2: The Colonial Period (begin)
Barusch, Chapter 4
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Somers M. R. & Block, F. (2005). From poverty to perversity: Ideas, markets, and
institutions over 200 years of welfare debate. American Sociological Review, 70, (2), pp.
260-287
Grønbjerg, K.A. & Salamon, L. M. Devolution, marketization, and the changing shape of
government-nonprofit relations. In L.M. Salamon (Ed.) The state of nonprofit America.
Washington, D.C. Brookings Institution Press.
Documents:
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Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601
The Law of Settlement, 1662
Barusch (2002) Tabel 3.1 Contents of the Social Security Act of 1935
Barusch (2002) Table 3.2 Titles of the Social Security Act (2000)
Recommended Reading:
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Social Security History at www.ssa.gov/history/history.html
Bronislaw Geremek, (1997). “What is poverty?” in Poverty a History. Cambridge,
Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers.
Bronislaw Geremek, (1997). “The Middle Ages: Is poverty necessary?” in Poverty a
History. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers.
Nazneen Mayadas, Doreen Elliott & Chathapuram Ramanathan, “A global model of ethnic
diversity conflict: Implications for social work with populations at risk” in Chathapuram
Ramanathan & Rosemary Link (1999). All Our Futures: Principles & Resources for Social
Work Practice in a Global Era. NY: Wadsworth.
September 28th - Early American Social Welfare, Labor, and the Road to Civil War
Justice without forces is powerless; force without justice is tyrannical.
- Blaise Pasccal
Examination of the United States Constitution as political and social document. Federalism (old and
new). General Welfare Clause. The relationship between policy “products” and three branches of
government: Executive orders; Legislative Enactment; Judicial Opinions. Tax Authority. Colonial Labor:
Slaves, Indentured Servants, and Apprentices. Colonial America and social welfare. Settlement and
community responsibility. Delivering service and forms of relief: Round-the-town, Indoor relief, etc.
Early “immigration” rules. Mental health crusader Dorthea Dix and social advocacy. Pierce Veto.
Reading:
Axinn & Stern, Chapter 2 Colonial period (finish) and Chapter 3 The pre-civil war
In Class Video.
Documents:
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United States Constitution
Thomas Jefferson, passage on slavery deleted from Declaration of Independence
Miscellaneous Colonial Town Records (1665)
Franklin, Benjamin “Petition to Parliament” (1767 or 1768)
Colonial Statutes: Act Imposing a Duty on Persons Convicted of Heinous Crimes and to Prevent Poor
and Impotent Persons Being Imported (1790)
Peter Kaim, Comments of a Swedish Traveler (1748)
The Binding of Moses Love, 1747
Dix, Memorial to the Honorable The Senate and the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey
Franklin Pierce: Veto Message, An Act Making a Grant of Public Lands to the Several States for the
Benefit of Indigent Insane Persons, 1854
Recommended Reading:
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Vicki Lens (2001). “The Supreme Court, Federalism, and Social Policy: The New Judicial
Activism,” Social Service Review 75(2), 318-336.
Mimi Abramovitz (1996). “Women and the Poor Laws in Colonial America,” in Regulating
the Lives of Women, 2nd edition, Boston: South End Press, pp. 75-105.
Slave narratives from the federal writers project 1936-38 at
www.memory.loc.gov/amen/snhtml/snhome.html
October 5th - Post Civil War, Progressive Era and Roots of Social Work
The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and
incorporated into our common life.
- Jane Addams
War and social policy: The U. S. Sanitary Commission & the Freedman’s Bureau; Johnson Veto and
federalism. Reconstruction, Resegregation (Jim Crow) and social welfare. Role of war-related
disabilities and social welfare responses (past and present).
Rise of scientific charity and applied philanthropy. Industrialization and the reform of the poor laws:
Indoor vs. Outdoor Relief. Immigration, urbanization and social welfare: Charitable Organization
Societies (COS) vs. Settlement Houses. Settlement house movements—white and black: Jane Addams
and Miss. Brown. The raise of the social work profession.
REMINDER: LIBRARY QUIZ
DUE OCT 8th
In Class Video: The Women of Hull House.
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Reading:
Axinn & Stern, Chapter 4 -The Civil War & Chapter 5 - Progress and Reform (begin)
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Howard N. Rabinowitz (1974). “From Exclusion to Segregation: Health and Welfare
Services for Southern Blacks, 1865-1890,” Social Service Review 84(3): 327-354.
Documents:
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Johnson, Veto Message (1866)
Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870, List of Murders, Alabama, 1866
Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, Registers of Signatures of Depositors in
Branches of the Freedmen’s Saving and Trust Company, August 21, 1874
Alabama’s 6 State Constitutions: 1819; 1861; 1865; 1869;1875; and 1901 (on line at: legislature.
State. al.us/misc/history/constitution.
Recommended Reading:
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David Rothman (1990). “The Well-Ordered Asylum,” in The Discovery of the Asylum, revised
edition, Boston: Little, Brown, pp. 206-236.
Linda Gordon (1994). “ ‘Don’t Wait for Deliverers: Black Women’s Welfare Thought,” in
Pitied but Not Entitled: Single Mothers and the History of Welfare, 1890-1935, New York: The
Free Press, pp. 111-144.
Aston-Mansfield History
October 12th - Progressive Era and Roots of Social Work (continued)
Justice is conscience, not a personal conscience but the conscience of the whole of humanity. Those who
clearly recognize the voice of their own conscience usually recognize also the voice of justice.
- Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Reading:
Axinn & Stern, Chapter 4 Progress and Reform (finish)
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Elizabeth Bussiere (1997). “The ‘Maternalist’ Movement for Mothers’ Pensions in the
Progressive Era,” in (Dis)Entitling the Poor: The Warren Court, Welfare Rights, and the
American Political Tradition, University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, pp. 4762.
Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn (1993). “The Mainstream Settlement Movement and Blacks,” in Black
Neighbors: Race and the Limits of Reform in the American Settlement House Movement, 18801945, pp. 9-46.
Recommended Reading:
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See above.
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In Class Video: The Heart of Basset Place: W. Gertrude Brown and the Wheatley House –the black
settlement house movement, civil rights roots, head start model.
FALL BREAK OCT. 18 AND 19
October 26th - New Deal and Creation of the Welfare State: Social Security Act
When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery
rather than avenge it?
- Eleanor Roosevelt
Reminder: Preliminary outline due
The Great Depression: Roosevelt's New Deal. Poor relief or work relief: policy struggles in the New
Deal. The Court Packing Plan. The role of the federal government in social welfare. The structure of the
Social Security Act and its importance as a conceptual blueprint. The “creation” of the welfare state.
Revisiting the notion of “worthy” and “unworthy” poor and Elizabethan Poor Law.
In Class Video: Harry Hopkins (FDR and the New Deal).
Reading:
Axinn & Stern, Chapter 6 - Depression and New Deal
Barusch, Chapter 4 (re-visit) & 8
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Paul K. Longmore and David Goldberger (December 2000). “The League of the Physically
Handicapped and the Great Depression,” The Journal of American History 87(3): 888-922.
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Donna Cooper Hamilton and Charles V. Hamilton (1997). “Coping with the New Deal,” in
The Dual Agenda: The African American Struggle for Civil and Economic Equality, New
York: Columbia University Press, pp. 8-42.
Documents:
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Fireside Chat on Reorganization of the Judiciary, March 9, 1937
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Economic Bill of Rights, proposed January 11, 1944
Works Projects Administration: Report of Work Completed, 1935-40
A WPA Farmer Tells his Story, 1938
Recommended Reading:
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Susan Ware (1981). “Women and Social Welfare Policy,” in Beyond Suffrage: Women in
the New Deal, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, pp. 87-115.
Neil Betten and Raymond A. Mohl (1986). “From Discrimination to Repatriation: Mexican
Life in Gary, Indiana, During the Great Depression,” in Raymond A. Mohl and Neil Betten,
Steel City: Urban and Ethnic Patterns in Gary, Indiana, 1906-1950, New York: Holmes &
Meier, pp. 124-142.
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Nancy Rose (1990). “Discrimination Against Women in New Deal Work Programs,” Affilia
5(2): 25-45.
November 2nd -- The “Discovery” of poverty, Great Society,
Anti-poverty programs, and the Expansion of the Welfare State
That the poor are invisible is one of the most important things about them. They are not simply neglected
and forgotten as in the old rhetoric of reform; what is much worse, they are not seen.
- Michael Harrington
The affluent society. The “discovery” of poverty in the land of plenty. Special populations (urban, rural,
working poor, children, women, persons of color, elderly). The War on Poverty and the promises of the
Great Society: Structural, Institutional reform. Getting into the Health Care business. Civil Rights
Movements: (Freedom Riders, Stone Wall, Feminists, In Re Gault). Poverty: causes (structural,
personal, cultural) and political perspectives (liberals vs. conservatives). Feminization of poverty.
In Class Video: The War on Poverty: Given a Chance
Reading:
Axinn & Stern, Chapter 7 - War and Prosperity
Barusch, Chapter 5 & 9
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Michael Harrington, (1962). “The Invisible Land,” in The Other America: Poverty in the
United States. Penguin Books.
Danziger, S. (2007). Fighting poverty revisited: What did researchers know 40 years ago?
What do we know today? Focus, 25 (1), 3-11.
Lemann, N. (1988). The unfinished war. The Atlantic Monthly, 262, 6. Pp. 37-56.
Lemann, N. (1988). The unfinished war. The Atlantic Monthly, 263, 1. pp. 52-68.
Jared Bernstein, (2001). Let the War on the Poverty Line Commence. Foundation for Child
Development. 2-25.
Documents:
• John F. Kennedy, Nationally Televised Speech, June 11, 1963. Kennedy announces he will
federalize the National Guard in order to integrate the University of Alabama.
• Governor George C. Wallace, School House Steps Speech, June 11, 1963
• Martin Luther King, I Have a Dream Speech, August 28, 1963
• Lyndon B. Johnson, Great Society Speech. Detroit, Michigan, 1964.
• Governor George C. Wallace (Alabama), The Civil Rights Movement: Fraud, Sham, Hoax. July 4,
1964
• Lyndon B. Johnson, We Shall Overcome, March 15, 1965
• Alabama Literacy Test (in use until 1966).
• Revisit U. S. Constitution: Voting Amendments.
Recommended Reading:
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Howard Glennerster, (March 2002). United States Poverty Studies and Poverty
Measurement: The Past Twenty-five Years. Social Service Review, 76 (1). Pp. 83-107.
Patricia Ruggles, (1990). “Why measure poverty?” in Drawing the Line: Alternative poverty
measures and their implications for public policy. Washington, D.C.: Urban Institute.
Patricia Ruggles, (1990). “Choices in Poverty Measure” in Drawing the Line: Alternative
poverty measures and their implications for public policy. Washington, D.C.: Urban
Institute.
Sherraden, M., Zhan, M. & Williams, T. (2002). Assets, Poverty, and Children. The Fedele
F. and Iris M. Fauri Lecture. University of Michigan School of Social Work. Nov. 14, 2002
(revised Oct. 7, 2003).
November 9th
Reagan Legacy: Retraction of the Welfare State;
Clinton Re-defining Poverty
Justice is itself the great standing policy of civil society; and any eminent departure from it, under any
circumstances, lies under the suspicion of being no policy at all.
- Edmund Burke
Stagnation and retrenchment of the welfare state. Reaganomics and the attack on social welfare. New
federalism. A “Contract with America.” The role of the private sector. The Clinton Years: “Ending
welfare as we know it”: PRWORA and its consequences. Clinton’s Charitable Choice. Defense of
Marriage Act (DOMA).
ASSIGMENT: Comparing Social Welfare Policies/Programs paper due
In Class Video: NewsHour June 7, 2004. Reagan in his own words; and/or Historians remember
“Reagan the Policy Maker”. And/or “Charitable Choice”
Required Reading:
Axinn & Stern, Chapter 8 - Conservative Resurgence
Barusch, Chapters 8 & 14
Documents:
• DHEW (1971). Welfare myths vs. facts.
• Contract with America
• The Republican Promises, NYT November 11, 1994
• Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWOA)
• Comparison of Prior Law and Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of
1996
• Outline of TANF (2000).
• Data on AFDC/TANF (2000)
Recommended Reading:
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Nathan Glazer, “The ‘Social Agenda’: in John Palmer, Editor. (1986). Perspectives on the
Reagan Years. Washington, D.C.: Urban Institute.
Vicki Lens (2002). “TANF: What Went Wrong and What to Do Next,” Social Work 47 (3):
279-290.
Sandra K. Danziger & Kristin Seefeldt (2000). Ending welfare through Work First: Manager
and client views. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Human Service, 81 (6).
Pp. 593-604
DeParle, J. (2004). American Dream. Chapter 12. Viking Press.
Charles Murray, (1984). Chapter 11: “The Social Scientists and the Great Experiment” and
Chapter 12: “Incentives to Fail I: Maximizing Short-term Gains.” Losing Ground: American
Social Policy 1950-1980. Basic Books.
Bane, M. J. & Ellwood, D. T. (1994). Welfare Realities: From rhetoric to reform. Chapter 5:
Reducing poverty by replacing welfare. Pp. 145-162. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Sandra K. Danziger (2005). Mott Memo: Path to job can be rocky for many women.
November 16th
–G.W. Bush: Faith, Politics, Sexual Orientation, and
Social Policy & Private Philanthropy
Freedom and justice cannot be parceled out in pieces to suit political convenience. I don’t believe you
can stand for freedom for one group of people and deny it to others. -Coretta Scott King
G. W. Bush Years and Post 9/11 context: War on Terrorism. Legislation: USA PATRIOT Act, Leave No
Child Behind (and legal challenges to it as an unfunded mandate). Faith-based initiatives and continuing
the shift in social service responsibility, The Supreme Court's role in Lawrence v Texas (14th Amendment
revisited,) and the implications for the LGBT civil rights movement. Gay Marriage landscape and
Advocacy. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Reading:
Barusch, Chapters 10
Axinn & Stern, Chapter 9 Social Welfare and the Information Society
•
Poindexter, C. C. (1997). Sociopolitical antecedents to Stonewall: Analysis of the origins of the
Gay Rights Movement in the United States. Social Work, 42, 6, pp. 607-615.
•
Chaves, M. (2003). Debunking Charitable Choice: The evidence doesn’t support the political
left or right. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 1 (2) pp. 28-36.
•
Gibelman, M. & Gelman, S.R. (2003). The Promise of Faith-based Social Services: Perception
versus Reality. Social Thought, 22 (1) 5-23.
•
Marx, J. D. & Hopper, F. (2005). Faith-based versus Fact-based Social Policy: The case of
teenage pregnancy prevention. Social Work, 50 (3), 280-282.
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Video: After Stonewall (2005). Directed by John Scagloitti. NY:NY First Run Features.
Video: For the Bible Tells Me So (2008)
Documents:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Linda Greenhouse (December 4, 2002). Black robes don’t make the Justice, but the rest of the closet
just might. New York Times.
Linda Greenhouse (June 27, 2003). Justices, 6-3, Legalize Gay Sexual Conduct in Sweeping
Reversal of Court’s 86 Ruling. New York Times.
Excerpts from Supreme Court’s Decision Striking Down Sodomy Law. June 27, 2003. New York
Times.
Bumiller, E. (2004, Oct. 26th). Bush says his party is wrong to oppose gay civil unions. New York
Times.
Janofsky, M. (2004, Aug. 24). In limited ruling, court upholds military ban on sodomy. New York
Times.
Same sex marriage: State by State (2004). New York Times.
ACLU press release (July 20, 2004). Michigan court punishes man for refusing to Pentecostal faith
in drug rehab Program.
Recommended Reading:
•
•
•
•
David Gill (1998). “Social-change strategies to overcome injustice and oppression.” In
Confronting Injustice and Oppression: Concepts and Strategies for Social Workers. NY:
Columbia University Press. Pp. 9-16.
Sucheng Chan (1991). “The Social Organization of Asian Immigrant Communities,” in
Asian Americans: An Interpretive History, Boston: Twayne Publishers, pp. 63-78.
Howard Karger and John Bricout, “Has the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) gone too
far?” in Karger, Midgley & Brown (2003). Controversial Issues in Social Policy. Allyn &
Bacon. Pp. 144-160.
Ann Alvarez & Sally Pipes, “Are Affirmative-Action Polices increasing equity in the labor
market?” in Karger, Midgley & Brown (2003). Controversial Issues in Social Policy. Allyn
& Bacon. Pp. 92-106.
November 23rd
Polices and Services: Health and Mental Health
The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.
- Aristotle
The rocky history of U.S. health cares. Current problems, dilemmas and debates. How is Obama doing at
this point? Reforming Medicare; reforming Medicaid, prescription drugs, etc. The health care burden on
state government. A National Health care system? The role of private providers? Financing, eligibility
and exclusions, health risks. Managed care.
Reading:
Barusch, Chapters 6 & 7
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Documents:
• Henig, R. M. (2005, Aug. 7th). Will we ever arrive at the good death? New York Times
Magazine. P. 26
• Scott, J. (2005, May 16th). Life at the top in America isn’t just better, it’s longer. New York
Times. (part of series on class in the U.S.)
•
Recommended Reading:
•
•
•
•
•
Carol Mowbray & Mark Holter, (March 2002). Mental Health and Mental Illness: Out of the
Closet. Social Service Review, 76 (1). pp. 135-179.
Carol Mowbray, Kyle Grazier, & Mark Holter (2002). Managed Behavioral Health Care in
the Public Sector: Will it Become the Third Shame of the States. Psychiatric Services, 53
(2), 157-170.
Mardi Coleman et al (2005). Overview of Publicly Funded Managed Behavioral Health Care.
Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 32 (4), 321-340.
Human Rights Watch (2003). Summary, Recommendations, and Background. In Illequipped: U.S. prisons and offenders with mental illness. New York, NY. Pp. 1-29.
Stephen H. Gorin, (2000). Inequality and Health: Implications for Social Work. Health &
Social Work, 25, 4, pp. 270-275.
•
November 30th
Policies and Services: Children and Families
Right knows no boundaries, and justice no frontiers;
the brotherhood of man is not a domestic institution.
- Learned Hand
Women vs. children or children as part of family? What is the target of policy? CAPTA and JJDPA.
Day care and implications for children and their parents. Education: who pays, how is it delivered, to
whom and how is accountability achieved? Conceptualization of “good” and “bad” children (and
families).
Reading:
Barusch, Chapter 11 & 12
•
“Caring for infants and Toddlers: Analysis and Recommendations” The Future of Children
(2001). Pp. 7-19.
•
Linda Gordon (1995). “Putting Children First: Women, Maternalism, and Welfare in the
Early Twentieth Century,” in Linda K. Kerber, Alice Kessler-Harris, and Kathryn Kish
Sklar, eds., U.S. History as Women’s History: New Feminist Essays, Chapel Hill, NC:
University of North Carolina Press, pp. 63-86.
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Recommended Reading:
•
David Rothman (1980). “The Invention of the Juvenile Court,” in Conscience and
Convenience: The Asylum and Its Alternatives in Progressive America, Boston: Little,
Brown, pp. 205-235.
December 7th
Policies and Services for the Elderly &
Obama Administration: Current Assessment and Future Directions
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of
mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.
- Martin Luther King
You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.
-
Mark Twain
The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice,
peace and brotherhood.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Reminder: Final Paper due
Take Home exam given out
The Old vs. The Young? The problems of rhetorical debate that pits vulnerable populations against one
another. The advantage of inter-generational and life-course policy frameworks. Similarities and
differences: competence, health care, abuse and neglect. Demographic realities. Health care, long-term
care, Older American Act, AARP.
So much left to do and no more time. A critical look at the first year of the Obama Administration. What
did we expect? How far have we gotten? Globalization? International social work? The future of
American social policy? The advocacy and organizing role of social workers in matters of social policy.
Reading:
Barusch, Chapter 13
Recommended Reading:
17
•
Kingson, E.R. & Williamson, J. B. (1993). The generational equity debate: A
progressive framing of a conservative issue. Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 5, 3.
pp. 31-53.
•
Barusch, Conclusion
•
Goldberg, G. S (2002). Diminishing welfare: Convergence toward a liberal model? In G. S.
Goldberg & M. G. Rosenthal, M. G. (Eds.). Diminishing welfare: A cross-national study of
social provision. Westport, Ct: Auburn House. Pp. 321-372.
Dec 14th FINAL EXAM
Due in my office no later than 4:00PM
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