AS/HIST 4069.06A
http://www.yorku.ca/mltaylor/hist4069/ 2136 Vari Hall
2006-2007

Prof. Molly Ladd-Taylor
Tel: 736-5123 x30419
email: mltaylor@yorku.ca
Office Hr: Th. 1:00-2:00 or by appt.

POVERTY AND WELFARE IN UNITED STATES HISTORY

Poverty has existed in the United States since its founding, but ideas about who is poor, and why, and what (if anything) should be done about it, have changed over time. This course examines the social and intellectual history of poverty and welfare in the United States from the eighteen century to the present. We begin with the early republic, but focus mainly on the new forms of poverty – and new efforts to cope with it -- that emerged in the industrial and post-industrial economies of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. With some attention to European and Canadian parallels, we will chart the rise (and possibly the fall) of the American “semi-welfare state.” We will study changing perceptions of poverty and its cause, explore the social experience and survival strategies of poor people and families, and examine the multiple goals of welfare policy, including relief of want, social control, and political mobilization. The highly politicized distinction between a supposedly “deserving” and “undeserving” poor constitutes a major theme, considered in relation to race, gender, immigration/citizenship, ability, and age.

The course meets every Friday from 11:30-2:30 in Founders 106.

The assigned readings are available for purchase at the York University Bookstore. Most are also on reserve at Scott Library.

Walter Trattner, From Poor Law to Welfare State, 6th ed.
Kenneth Kusmer, Down and Out, On the Road
Frances Fox Piven & Richard A. Cloward, Regulating the Poor 2nd ed.
Barbara Ehrenreich, Nickel and Dimed
History 4069 Course Kit (2 volumes)
Jane Addams, Twenty Years at Hull House (optional)
Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives (optional)

Please note: reading assignments for Nov. 10, Nov. 17, Feb. 23, and March 30 are not in the course kit. They can be accessed online (at the URLs below) or in the library. The books by Addams and Riis are available on the internet, in the library, and at the bookstore.

Course requirements (1) reading the assigned materials on time; (2) regular attendance and active participation in discussions; (3) completion of in-class writing exercises and assignments (4) one ‘show-and-tell’ presentation; (5) three short essays in the fall term; (6) a research paper; and (7) a take-home final exam. All written work must be original, and your notes and rough drafts must be turned in with every essay. Late papers will be penalized, although no work will be failed for late submission alone.

The final grade will be determined by: class participation, 20% (10% each term); weekly writing exercises, 10% (5 % each term); show and tell presentation, 10%; first essay, 5%; position paper, 10%; footnote chase assignment, 15%; research paper, 20%; take-home final exam, 10%. Please note that grades on assignments may include plusses and minuses (eg. B+ or B-). No minus grades (eg., A-) will appear in your final mark.

Class Participation. This is a discussion class, and active participation is essential to your success in, and enjoyment of, this course. Please think about the reading and weekly discussion questions before you come to class, and don’t forget to turn off your cell phone. Your participation mark (10 percent each term) is based on regular attendance (6/10) and your thoughtful contribution to in-class discussions, activities, and debates.

Weekly Seminar Format and In-Class Assignments: The first 10 minutes of class will be devoted to a short writing exercise or ‘ice breaker’ designed to demonstrate your familiarity with the reading material and give you a chance to collect your thoughts prior to the start of discussion. We will usually discuss the reading in the first half of class and have student presentations, debates, films, etc. after a short break. Please note that attendance will be taken at the beginning of class and after the break. The ten-minute ‘ice breaker’ will be marked 0, 1 or 2, with the sum for each term divided by 4 (to a maximum of 5 percent each term). Your grade for other in-class activities, such as debates and role plays, will be folded into your participation mark

‘Show and Tell’ Presentations: Each week two or three students will present a 5-10 minute “show and tell” presentation that pertains to the week’s reading. The ‘show and tell’ assignment is an opportunity to pursue a topic in some depth without doing a formal research paper and (if you wish) to examine the similarities and differences between past and present, the US and other countries. Presentations should expand on the issues raised in the week’s readings, but take them in a new direction. For example, a show and tell presentation during the week on Jacob Riis might focus on contemporary housing reform in the US or Canada; current views about the relationship between immigration and poverty; or photojournalism. A presentation on “state power and child protection” could compare the SPCC of the nineteenth century with children’s aid societies today. One on “state power and public health” could debate the public health powers of the state through a consideration of SARS or AIDS – and so on.) The only requirement is that your presentation includes a visual component; it must ‘show’ as well as ‘tell’. You may do a poster or powerpoint presentation, distribute photocopies of newspaper or magazine articles, cartoons, etc., or show an excerpt from a video or DVD (10 minutes maximum). You could even do a skit – be creative! Please note: if you require a computer for powerpoint or internet, it must be ordered at least one week in advance.

Papers and Deadlines. Three short essays are due during the fall term, and a research essay is due in March. A 2-3 page essay reflecting on the values implicit in early U.S. welfare policy is due September 22. This ‘diagnostic’ essay, designed to help me get to know you better, is worth just 5 percent of your grade. A 3-5-page “position” paper, expressing your opinion on an issue raised in one week’s reading, is due at the beginning of class on the date the reading is discussed (between October 6 and November 17). A 3-5 page essay describing and analyzing a document cited in Kusmer’s Down and Out, On the Road, is due November 30. The major winter-term assignment is a 10-12 research essay on a topic approved by me. Your paper topic and preliminary bibliography are due January 26. The essay itself (with your notes and rough drafts) is due March 16. Late work will be penalized, so please note these due dates on your calendar.

Academic Honesty: All papers must be original and use appropriate methods of citation, and your notes and rough drafts must be turned in along with every essay. Violations of the York Senate Policy on Academic Honesty – including submitting work written by someone else or submitted in another course, failing to use quotation marks and citations when using or paraphrasing the printed or electronically-transmitted work of others, collaborating on written assignments, cheating during examinations, and aiding or abetting academic misconduct – will be treated severely. Recent penalties have included failure on the assignment, failure in the course, suspension from the University, and withholding or rescinding a York degree. For further information, see http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/legislation/senate/acadhone.htm.

Listserve & Course Website. All students must join the History 4069 listserve through which discussion questions and other relevant materials will be distributed. Please check your email before every class. Course materials (syllabus, paper assignments, etc.) and links to relevant websites are posted on the course website

Schedule of Topics and Assignments