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GOVT347
Caring, Rights and Welfare
GOVT347 FA
Fall 96 Availability (Last Updated on Thu Apr 17 05:01:13 EDT 1997
)
Section Limit Enrollment Available
01 13 0 13
Next Offered in 9798 FA
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: Seminar
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Level: UG Credit: 1.00
Gen Ed Area & Dept: SBS GOVT
Prerequisites:
None
Last Updated on MAR-10-1997
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