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Academic Year 2004/2005

Caring, Rights and Welfare
GOVT 347 SP

This seminar examines the ambivalences and ambiguities of a politics of care as manifested by contemporary welfare states. Ideally, the welfare state is supposed to guarantee the social rights of citizenship, enabling everyone to attain a life of autonomy and dignity. Yet, its core policies--in the areas of income maintenance, education, medical care and housing--often have the effect of undermining these values in certain ways while at the same time promoting them in other ways. By focusing on specific problems and cases, we will examine the moral and political principles involved and the dilemmas of policy we face. The types of issues to be considered include the treatment of the mentally ill and the homeless, family policy including child support and family law, education, welfare dependency and modes of provision of medical care.

MAJOR READINGS

A.Gutmann, ed., DEMOCRACY AND THE WELFARE STATE W.J. Wilson, THE TRULY DISADVANTAGED Robert Goodin, PROTECTING THE VULNERABLE J. Mead, NEW POLITICS OF POVERTY S. Danziger and D. Weinberg, eds.; FIGHTING POVERTY C. Offe, CONTRADICTIONS OF THE WELFARE STATE K. Luker, ABORTION AND THE POLITICS OF MOTHERHOOD

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

There will be short essays responding to the class material, and a research paper.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

While there are no specific prerequisites for this course, some background in political theory, philosophy, or ethics is strongly recommended. Readings and discussions will be broadly multidisciplinary, using concepts and methods from economics and sociology as well as political science. The readings listed here are examples of the kinds of texts that will be used. Final selection of texts has not yet been made. Please check with instructor for more up-to-date information. Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS GOVT    Grading Mode: Student Option   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-21-2005

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