Course Syllabus
Public Policy and Inequality
P SC 5343-980
Fall 2020
Mondays, 5:30 – 8:20 pm - ONLINE
ZOOM Link: https://oklahoma.zoom.us/j/97572118306?pwd=a0xXMTJMZC85b3I4aXB1Qy82ckxGZz09
ZOOM ID: 975 7211 8306 PASSCODE: HwDtdd5w
Instructor: David Blatt, Ph.D.
Office: 1H-07, Schusterman Academic Building, OU-Tulsa
Email: dblattok@ou.edu
Phone: 918-859-8747 (cell)
Virtual Office Hours: Mondays 2-5 pm, or by appointment
COURSE OVERVIEW
Growing inequality has emerged as one of the defining issues of American political life in the 21st century. Americans are living in what has been called a “second gilded age,” with higher levels of economic inequality than at any time in the past hundred years, along with persistently high rates of poverty. Inequality is having far-ranging effects on our social and political relations, in ways that are likely to be intensified by the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. For those occupying the lower rungs of the economic ladder, who are disproportionately people of color, myriad obstacles limit the opportunities for upward mobility and a stable middle-class existence.
In this class, we will explore explanations for rising inequality, the consequences of inequality for American society and politics, and policy proposals for tackling the problem. Through our readings and discussions, we will look at how inequality is produced and reproduced through various social systems, including employment, housing, education, health care, and criminal justice. We will focus especially on the challenges facing low-income individuals, families, neighborhoods, and communities confronting these systems, and on the ways that inequality is embedded in cross-cutting distinctions of class, race, gender, and geography.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
This course is designed to enable students to:
- Learn about historical and contemporary patterns of inequality, especially as inequality is produced and reproduced by social systems and through class, race, gender, and geography;
- Understand how public policies can contribute to widening or narrowing inequality;
- Evaluate theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of inequality;
- Learn directly from leading experts, policymakers, and practitioners active in the areas of inequality, poverty and opportunity;
- Strengthen writing, research, and critical thinking skills.
COURSE FORMAT
This course is formatted as a seminar course with a strong emphasis on discussion and minimal lectures. This means you will be expected to keep up with the assigned readings and to arrive in class prepared to participate fully in class discussions.
There is no assigned textbook for the class. Readings will consist of book chapters and articles from academic journals, newspapers and magazines. All materials can be accessed through Canvas.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
The class will be conducted online during its regularly scheduled time unless otherwise advised. Regular and prompt class attendance is essential to the educational experience and students are expected to be on time and attend all scheduled class meetings. If you must miss a class or if you must arrive late or leave early, you are expected to inform the instructor with as much advance notice as possible to receive an excused absence. Students with unexcused absences, repeated absences and/or who are habitually late may be dropped from the class. Exceptions to this policy require prior approval by the professor.
ZOOM ETIQUETTE
Click here for some suggestions about constructive and respectful Zoom participation.
ASSIGNMENTS
- Reading response essays
Over the initial five weeks of class (weeks 2-5), you will submit two short essays (about 500 words each) that respond to a question prompted by the week's assigned readings. Click here for Response Essay guidelines.
- Lead a weekly seminar
Each student will have primary responsibility for leading one of the weekly seminars during the semester. You will be assigned a seminar to lead by the second week of class based on a survey of preferences.
This assignment has two components:
- In advance of the class, you will submit an approximately 1,000-word critical essay about one or more of the primary readings for the week. Your critical essay should not be a “personal reaction paper,” nor should it be a summary of the readings. Instead, your essay should try to (1) isolate an important concept, theme, question, or disagreement in the readings, (2) clarify its meaning and significance, (3) present a critical analytic perspective on it, and (4) do so in a way that prepares the ground for a fruitful seminar discussion. Your essay should be approximately 1,000 words and should be posted to Canvas by midnight of the Sunday before our class meeting. Everyone will be responsible for reading the critical essay before we meet the following day.
- During your assigned week, you will be tasked with leading part of the class discussion (45 minutes - 1 hour) focused on that week’s themes and readings. To help prepare you to lead the class, you should identify 4-6 discussion prompts for me to review in advance.
- Final Paper and Presentation
You will write an approximately 15-20 page research paper that provides an in-depth policy analysis of a “big/bold idea” that has been proposed as a solution to inequality in America. You will give a summary of your paper as a 10-15 minute presentation during the final week of class. Suggested paper topics and detailed assignment instructions will be distributed by the second week of class. By September 28th you must submit a short written description of your paper topic (1-2 paragraphs) with 3-5 references; by November 9th you must submit a detailed outline of your paper. (These should be submitted to the Assignments page). Click here for final paper guidelines and suggested topics.
GRADING
Reading response essays (10 points each): 20%
Lead a seminar 30% (20% for your essay, 10% for seminar leadership)
Final paper and presentation 40% (30% for the written essay, 10% for presentation)
Class participation 10%
The grading scale for the class is:
A: 85+
B: 75-84
C: 65-74
D: 50-64
F: <65
Please be sure to review all university policies so as to be clear regarding your rights and responsibilities.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Week #1: August 24th - Introduction and Overview
Week #2: August 31st - The Downward Escalator: The unequal economy (1)
September 7th - NO CLASS (Labor Day Holiday)
Week #3: September 14th - The Downward Escalator: The unequal economy (2)
Week #4: September 21st - The Downward Escalator: The unequal economy (3)
September 28th - NO CLASS (Yom Kippur Holiday)
Week #5: October 5th - Separate and Unequal: Neighborhood Segregation (1)
Seminar Leader: Matt Miller
Week #6: October 12th - Separate and Unequal: Neighborhood Segregation (2)
Seminar Leader: Brooke Randels
Week #7: October 19th - Separate and Unequal: Neighborhood Segregation (3)
Seminar Leader: Alisa Dougless
Week #8: October 26th - The Racial Wealth Gap
Seminar Leader: Matt Alejandro
Week #9: November 2nd - The Cultures of Poverty (1)
Seminar Leader: Heather Palacios
Week #10: November 9th - The Cultures of Poverty (2)
Seminar Leader: Nikki Sharp
Week #11: November 16th - The Criminal Justice System and the New Undercaste
Seminar Leader: Arianna Derr
Week #12: November 23rd - Political Inequality (1)
Seminar Leader: Katie Peach
Week #13, November 30th - Political Inequality (2)
Seminar Leader: Logan Gear
Week #14, December 7th - Presentations (1)
- Brooke Randall, Alisa Dougless, Heather Palacios, Arianna Derr
Week #15, December 14th - Presentations (2)
- Matt Miller, Nikki Sharp, Katie Peach, Logan Gear, Matt Alejandro
Course Summary:
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