POVERTY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE in Fall 2019 (PO5091B)

This course analyses the relationship between poverty and social justice through a comparative exploration of the impact of gender, law, geography and political culture on national ‘wealth’. The professor and students will focus on the world’s 40 poorest countries in determining the parameters of poverty, examining the following questions: Why do some countries remain poor? Why are women systematically poorer than men? Do geography, rule of law and political culture have an impact on persistent poverty? How has poverty been addressed through development programming, and have development policies been effective in alleviating poverty? Which emerging policies hold promise for the reduction of social inequalities and poverty? This course will investigate a variety of sources ranging from peer-reviewed scholarship and law to literature and film. Students will be challenged to do a good deal of group work and oral presentation in an effort to respond to the numerous social justice issues raised by endemic poverty.