5:00 - 8:15 W |
141 Grise Hall |
Professor: |
|
| Douglas Smith | |
| 126 Grise Hall | Phone: (270) 745-3750 |
| Department of Sociology | Email: Douglas.Smith@wku.edu |
| Western Kentucky University | Webpage: people.wku.edu/Douglas.Smith/ |
| 1906 College Heights Blvd. #11057 | |
| Bowling Green, KY 42101-1057 | |
| Office Hours: By appointment. | |
Poverty ranks among the most persistent, pernicious and controversial of social problems. Comparatively high rates of malnutrition, morbidity and mortality, and sub-standard housing, low education, and low self-esteem are but a few of the regrettable correlates of poverty. While most agree that poverty needs to be ameliorated, antipoverty programs and policies have always generated vigorous debate. However, the majority of antipoverty programs have assumed an urban setting. The purpose of this seminar is to provide comprehensive understanding of the rural America's poverty problems. We will consider the implications of alternative definitions of poverty; the characteristics of the poor and the relationship between the poor and the rest of society; the theoretical causes of poverty; and the policies that we have used to ameliorate rural poverty. This course seeks to provide students with an understanding of how rural poverty is studied by scholars and the various contexts in which we understand this issue.
This course is a reading-and-discussion course. Discussions will focus on primary source materials. Each student brings a wide variety of experiences, assumptions and theoretical starting-points and are encouraged to bring thoughtful comments to class and listen to those of others. Students are required to attend all class meetings and come to discussions having already read and thought about the texts.
The first objective of the course is to increase the level of awareness of the nature and scope of poverty in contemporary rural America. The second objective is to develop an understanding of the explanations for existence of poverty. And thirdly, to encourage students to critically examine the public policy options for dealing with poverty in rural areas.
Students are required to purchase Jennifer Sherman's, Those Who Work, Those Who Don't: Poverty, Morality, and Family in Rural America. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minneapolis Press. All other readings will be posted to Blackboard.
Students with disabilities who require accommodations (academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids or services) for this course must contact the Office for Student Disability Services, Room 445, Potter Hall.
The Office for Student Disability Services telephone number is (270) 745-5121, (270)
745-5004 V/TDD.
You should discuss any accommodation you need with them and they will give you a form listing the approved accommodations to give to me to sign. This process should be completed by the end of the second week of class.
Please DO NOT request accommodations directly from me (Dr. Smith) without a letter of accommodation from the Office for Student Disability Services.
Class attendance and participation is mandatory. Each absence will reduce the student's semester points by one. More than 5 absences will result in a grade of 'F' for the semester.
With a partner--or alone, if you prefer--lead class discussion on one of the reading sets. This involves (1) an overview before students do the readings and (2) a discussion (or some alternative I approve) after others have done the readings. Choose one of the weekly topics (see schedule below) and find a partner soon. A sign-up sheet will be distributed the second class period; see me before then to beat others to your favorite topic. First come, first served.
In addition to readings on the Blackboard website, one books has been assigned. The Sherman will be reviewed by every student. This review will be due on Friday, September 23. The second review will be of a book from the professor's collection will be due on the Friday, October 28. Review Guidelines will be posted.
This medium-length (15-20 page) effort may take a variety of forms. One obvious--and probably the safest--possibility is a literature-based paper in which you identify the strengths and weaknesses of a particular line of research, trace the history of a key concept, address a theoretical debate, or engage in some other suitably analytical activity. Empirical papers are fine, too, although you should check with me early in the semester about the appropriateness of your project. Everyone must turn in a paper proposal (1 page) to me at the beginning of class on October 19. A hard copy of your final paper will be due Friday, December 16, 2011. Papers may be placed in my mailbox or emailed to me at Douglas.Smith@wku.edu.
NOTE: Dates and Course materials may be changed at the professor's discretion.
Wilkinson, Kenneth P. 1993. "Rural and Social Interaction." in Kenneth P. Wilkinson, The Community in Rural America. Pp. 54-8. Middleton, WI: Social Ecology Press.
Cromartie, John and Shawn Bucholtz. 2008. "Defining the 'Rural' in Rural America." Amber Waves 6(3):28-34
USDA Economic Research Service. 2004. Rural Poverty at a Glance. Rural Development Research Report 100. http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/rdrr100/rdrr100.pdf
Nord, Mark. 2004. "How Many U.S. Households Face Hunger... and How Often?" Amber Waves. http://www.ers.usda.gov/amberwaves/February04/pdf/findings_householdhunger.pdf
Short, Kathleen S. 2005. "Material and Financial Hardship and Income-Based Poverty Measures in the USA." Journal of Social Policy 34(1):21-38.
Lichter, Daniel T. and Kenneth M. Johnson. 2007. "The Changing Spatial Concentration of America's Rural Poor Population." Rural Sociology 72(3):331-358.
Hamilton, Lawrence C., Leslie R. Hamilton, Cynthia M. Duncan, and Chris R. Colocousis. 2008. Place Matters: Challenges and Opportunities in Four Rural Americas. Reports on Rural America 1(4). Durham, NH: Carsey Institute.
WEBSITE: Farrigan, Tracey, Thomas Hertz, Timothy Parker, and John Pender. 2010. "Rural Income, Poverty, and Welfare." http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/incomepovertywelfare/
WEBSITE: USDA Economic Research Service. "Food Desert Locator." http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/fooddesert/fooddesert.html
Davis, Kingsley and Wilbert E. Moore. 1945. "Some Principles of Stratification." American Sociological Review 10(2): 242-49.
Tumin, Melvin M. 1953. "Some Principles of Stratification: A Critical Analysis." American Sociological Review 18(4): 387-97.
Gans, Herbert J. 1972. "The Positive Functions of Poverty." American Journal of Sociology 78(2): 275-89.
Angle, John. 1986. "The Surplus Theory of Social Stratification and the Size Distribution of Personal Wealth." Social Forces 65(2):293-327.
Seiyama, Kazuo. 2000. "The Modern Stratification System and Its Transformation." International Journal of Sociology 30(1): 7-36.
Anderson, Leon and David A. Snow. 2001. "Inequality and the Self: Exploring Connections from an Interactionist Perspective." Symbolic Interaction 24(4):395-406.
Rye, Johan Fredrik. 2006. "Leaving the Countryside: An Analysis of Rural-to-Urban Migration and Long-Term Capital Accumulation." Acta Sociologica 49(1):47-65.
Lewis, Oscar. 1966. "The Culture of Poverty." Scientific American 215(4): 19-25.
Walls, David S. 1978. "Internal Colony or Internal Periphery: a Critique of Current Models and an Alternative Formulation." in Colonialism in Modern America: The Appalachian Case. Boone, NC: Appalachian Consortium Press.
Rural Sociological Society Task Force on Persistent Rural Poverty. 1993. "Human Capital Theory" In Persistent Poverty in Rural America. Pp. 42-9, 64-7. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Rural Sociological Society Task Force on Persistent Rural Poverty. 1993. "Major Existing Theories" In Persistent Poverty in Rural America. Pp. 8-19. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Dwight B. Billings and Kathleen M. Blee. 2000. "Conventional Models of Appalachian Poverty and Politics." In The Road to Poverty: The Making of Wealth and Hardship in Appalachia. Pp. 8-17. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Rank, Mark R.; Hong-Sik Yoon; and Thomas A. Hirschl. 2003. "American Poverty as a Structural Failing: Evidence and Arguments." Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 30(4): 3-29.
Weber, Bruce, Leif Jensen, Kathleen Miller, Jane Mosley, and Monica Fisher. 2005. "A Critical Review of Rural Poverty Literature: Is There Truly a Rural Effect?" Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Paper no. 1309-05. http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/irpweb/publications/dps/pdfs/dp130905.pdf
Bradshaw, Ted K. 2007. "Theories of Poverty and Anti-Poverty Programs in Community Development." Community Development 38(1):7-25.
Fitchen, Janet M. 1994. "Residential Mobility Among the Rural Poor." Rural Sociology 59(3): 416-36.
Findeis, Jill L., Leif Jensen, and Quiyang Wang. 2000. "Underemployment Prevalence and Transitions in the U.S. Nonmetropolitan South." Southern Rural Sociology 16:125-47.
Schafft, Kai A. 2006. "Poverty, Residential Mobility, and Student Transiency within a Rural New York School District." Rural Sociology 71(2):212-231.
Zekeri, Andrew A. 2010. "Household Food Insecurity and Depression Among Single Mothers in Rural Alabama." Journal of Rural Social Sciences 25(1): 90-102.
Latimer, Melissa and Rachel A. Woldoff. 2010. "Good Country Living? Exploring Four Housing Outcomes Among Poor Appalachians." Sociological Forum 25(2): 315-334.
Mammen, Sheila, Jean W. Bauer, and Leslie Richards. 2008. "Understanding Persistent Food Insecurity: A Paradox of Place and Circumstance." University of Massachusetts-Amherst Department of Resource Economics Working Paper No. 2008-6. http://courses.umass.edu/resec/workingpapers/documents/ResEcWorkingPaper2008-6.pdf
Foulkes, Matt and K. Bruce Newbold. 2008. "Poverty Catchments: Migration, Residential Mobility, and Population Turnover in Impoverished Rural Illinois Communities." Rural Sociology 73(3):440-462.
Mattingly, Marybeth J., Kristin E. Smith, and Jessica A. Bean. 2011. "Unemployment in the Great Recession: Single Parents and Men Hit Hard." Carsey Institute Issue Brief No. 35. http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/publications/IB-Bean-Unemployment.pdf
Sennett, Richard and Jonathan Cobb. 1972. The Hidden Injuries of Class. Pp. 46-50, 121-136. New York: Vintage Books.
Levine, Robert. 1997. "Time Literacy." In A Geography of Time. Pp. 187-190. New York: Basic Books.
Dunbar, Roxanne A. 1997. "Bloody Footprints." In Matt Wray and Annalle Newitz (eds.), White Trash: Race and Class in America. Pp. 73-86. New York: Routledge.
Goad, Jim. 1997. "Playin' Hard." In The Redneck Manifesto. Pp. 126-37. New York, NY: Touchstone.
Lee, Matthew R.; Maume, Michael O.; and Ousey, Graham C. 2003. "Social Isolation and Lethal Violence Across the Metro/Nonmetro Divide: The Effects of Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Poverty Concentration on Homocide." Rural Sociology, 68(1): 107, 25p,
Graham, Carol, and Andrew Felton. 2005. "Does Inequality Matter to Individual Welfare? An Initial Exploration Based on Happiness Surveys from Latin America." CSED Working Paper No. 38. http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2005/01poverty_graham/01poverty_graham.pdf
Kusenbach, Margarethe. 2009. "Salvaging Decency: Mobile Home Residents' Strategies of Managing the Stigma of "Trailer" Living." Qualitative Sociology 32:399-428.
Rural Sociological Society Task Force on Persistent Rural Poverty. 1993. "Persistent Rural Poverty and Racial and Ethnic Minorities." In Persistent Poverty in Rural America. Pp. 173-99. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Horton, Hayward Derrick and Beverlyn Lundy Allen. 1998. "Race, Family Structure and Rural Poverty: An Assessment of Population and Structural Change." Journal of Comparative Family Studies 29(2): 397-406.
Coates, Jennifer, Edward A. Frongillo, Beatrice Lorge Rogers, Patrick Webb, Parke E. Wilde, and Robert Houser. 2006. "Commonalities in the Experience of Household Food Insecurity across Cultures: What Are Measures Missing?" Journal of Nutrition 136:1438S-1448S.
Stewart, Pearl. 2007. "Working but Poor: Perspectives from a Rural African American Family." Michigan Family Review 12:48-65.
Thomas, Kevin J.A. 2010. "Poverty Among Young Childern in Black Immigrant, US-Born Black, and Non-Black Immigrant Families: The Role of Familial Contexts." University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series, DP2010-02. http://www.ukcpr.org/Publications/DP2010-02.pdf
Leach, Mark A. 2010. Household Living Arrangements and Economic Resources among Mexican Immigrant Families with Children. University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series, DP2010-10. http://www.ukcpr.org/Publications/DP2010-10.pdf
Lichter, Daniel T., Domenico Parisi, and Michael C. Taquino. 2011. "The Geography of Exclusion: Race, Segregation, and Concentrated Poverty." National Poverty Center Working Paper Series #11-16. http://npc.umich.edu/publications/u/2011-16%20NPC%20Working%20Paper.pdf
Snyder, Anastasia R., Diane K. McLaughlin and Jill Findeis. 2006. "Household Composition and Poverty among Female-Headed Households with Children: Differences by Race and Residence." Rural Sociology 71(4):597-624.
Zimmerman, Julie N. and Lori Garkovich. 1998. "The Bottom Line: Making Ends Meet in Rural Kentucky." http://www.ca.uky.edu/SNARL/SEEDPubs/MonthlyBudget.PDF
Zimmerman, Julie N., Deb Kershaw, and Lori Garkovich. 2000. "It's Not Just the Numbers: A Monthly Budget Case Study Update." http://www.ca.uky.edu/SNARL/SEEDPubs/MonthlyBudgetUpdate.PDF
Harris, Rosalind P. and Julie N. Zimmerman. 2003. Children and Poverty in the Rural South. SRDC Policy Series. http://srdc.msstate.edu/publications/srdcpolicy/harris_zimmerman.pdf
Weber, Bruce, Mark Edwards, and Greg Duncan. 2003. "Single Mother Work and Poverty Under Welfare Reform: Are Policy Impacts Different in Rural Areas." National Poverty Center Working Paper Series. http://www.npc.umich.edu/publications/working_papers/paper7a/03-07.pdf
Rogers, Carolyn. 2003. "Rural Income, Poverty, and Welfare: Rural Child Poverty." http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/incomepovertywelfare/ChildPoverty/
Manning, Wendy, Heidi Lyons, and Meredith Porter. 2008. "Cohabitation and Child Poverty in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan America: 1995-2006." Bowling Green, OH: BGSU Center for Family and Demographic Research. http://www.bgsu.edu/downloads/cas/file35779.pdf
Kentucky Commission on Women. 2008. Employment and Earnings Fact Sheet. http://women.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/3367A3EA-9B91-47E3-B637-156376F969E0/0/EconomicandEmploymentHandout.pdf
Broussard, C. Anne. 2009. "Going It Along: Single Mothers and Poverty." PP. 150-166 in Family Poverty in Diverse Contexts, edited by C. Anne Broussard and Alfred L. Joseph. New York: Routledge.
Rural Sociological Society Task Force on Persistent Rural Poverty. 1993. "Rural Elderly and Poverty." In Persistent Poverty in Rural America. Pp. 259-91. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Rogers, Carolyn C. 2000. "Changes in the Older Population and Implications for Rural Areas." Rural Development and Research Report No. 90. 36 pp. http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/rdrr90/rdrr90.pdf
Ziliak, James P., Craig Gunderson, and Margaret Haist. 2008. "The Causes, Consequences, and Future of Senior Hunger in America." http://www.ukcpr.org/Publications/SeniorHungerStudy.pdf
Durazo, Eva M., Melissa R. Jones, Steven P. Wallace, Jessica Van Arsdale, May Aydin, and Connie Stewart. 2011. "The Health Status and Unique Health Challenges of Rural Older Adults in California." UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. http://www.humboldt.edu/ccrp/sites/ccrp/files/briefs/ruralolderadultspb.pdf
Ham, Richard J., R. Turner Goins, and David K. Brown. 2003. "Best Practices in Service Delivery to the Rural Elderly." West Virginia University Center on Aging. Pp. 1-54
Bergeron, L. Rene. 2009. "Old and Poor: America's Hidden Problem." Pp. 167-183 in Family Poverty in Diverse Contexts, edited by C. Anne Broussard and Alfred L. Joseph. New York: Routledge.
Wolff, Edward N. 2009. "Public Policy and Poverty Alleviation." Pp. 527-573 in Poverty and Income Distribution, 2nd edition. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
Wolff, Edward N. 2009. "The Redistributional Effects of Public Policy." Pp. 574-626.
Ziliak, James P. 2010. "The Appalachian Regional Development Act and Economic Change." University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series, DP2010-14. http://www.ukcpr.org/Publications/DP2010-14.pdf
Allard, Scott W. 2006. "Access to Social Services in Rural America: The Geography of the Safety Net in the Rural South." http://www.ukcpr.org/Publications/Newsletter-Vol5_1_Article2.pdf
Bean, Jessica A. 2011. "Household Reports of Energy Assistance Receipt Increased 48 Percent During Recession: Proposed Cuts Threaten Vulnerable Families." Carsey Institute Issue Brief No. 27. http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/publications/IB-Bean-LIHEAP.pdf
Richardson, James A. and Jonathan K. London. 2007. "Strategies and Lessons for Reducing Persistent Rural Poverty: A Social Justice Approach to Funding Rural Community Transformation." Community Development 38(1):92-107
Davis, Daniel P. 2011. "All I Really Need To Know About Microfinance I Learned in Bangladesh." Bridges Spring:1-3.
Haralson, Lyn. 2011. "Campus Microfinance Funds: Connecting Campuses to Communities." Bridges Spring. 4-5.
Southern Rural Development Center. 2011. Turning the Tide on Poverty: Creating Vibrant Communities Together, 2nd edition. Mississippi State, MS: SRDC.
Martin, Megan C. and Koen Caminada. 2011. "Welfare Reform in the U.S.: A Policy Overview Analysis." Poverty and Public Policy 3(1):1-38.
Zimmerman, Julie N. 1998. "Getting Involved in Welfare Reform: Answers to Commonly Asked Questions." http://www.ca.uky.edu/SNARL/SEEDPubs/WelfRefAnswerstoQuestions.PDF
Pickering, Kathleen. 2000. "Alternative Economic Strategies in Low-Income Rural Communities: TANF, Labor Migration, and the Case of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation." Rural Sociology 65(1): 148-67.
Arsneault, Shelly. 2006. "Implementing Welfare Reform in Rural and Urban Communities: Why Place Matters." The American Review of Public Administration 36(2):173-188.
Pickering, Kathleen, Mark H. Harvey, Gene F. Summers, and David Mushinski. 2006. "Welfare Reform in Appalachian Kentucky" Pp. 123-147 in Welfare Reform in Persistent Rural Poverty: Dreams, Disenchantments, and Diversity. University Park, PA: Penn State Press.
Pruitt, Lisa R. 2007. "Missing the Mark: Welfare Reform and Rural Poverty." The Journal of Gender, Race, and Justice
Housing Assistance Council. 2008. "Easing the Transition: Housing Assistance for Rural TANF Recipients." http://www.ruralhome.org/storage/documents/easingthetransition.pdf
Lichter, Daniel T. and Rukamalie Jayakody. 2002. "Welfare Reform: How Do We Measure Success?" Annual Review of Sociology 28:117-41.
Winicki, Joshua, Dean Jolliffe, and Craig Gundersen. 2002. Issues in Food Assistance—How Do Food Assistance Programs Improve the Well-Being of Low-Income Families? ERS Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Report No. FANRR26-9. 4 pp. http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/fanrr26/fanrr26-9/fanrr26-9.pdf
Ribar, David C. and Karen S. Hamrick. 2003. "Dynamics of Poverty and Food Sufficiency." Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Report No. (FANRR36) 33 pp. http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/fanrr36/fanrr36.pdf
Connell, Carol L., Kathy Yadrick, Agnes Hinton, and Joseph Su. 2001. Food Insufficiency and the Use of Food Assistance Programs in the South. Southern Rural Development Food Assistance Policy Series. http://srdc.msstate.edu/focusareas/health/fa/fa_1.pdf
Ratcliff, Caroline and Signe-Mary McKernan. 2010. "How Much Does SNAP Reduce Food Insecurity?" The Urban Institute. http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/412065_reduce_food_insecurity.pdf
Cason, Katherine L., Ruby H. Cox, and Janie L. Burney. 2002. "Do Food Stamps Without Education Improve the Nutrient Intake and Food-Related Behaviors of
Recipients?" Southern Rural Development Food Assistance Policy
Series. http://srdc.msstate.edu/focusareas/health/fa/fa_4_cason.pdf
Monroe, Pamela, Carol O'Neil, Vicky V. Tiller, and Jennifer Smith. 2002. "The
Challenge of Compliance: Food Security in Rural Households Affected by Welfare
Reform." Southern Rural Development Food Assistance Series.
Monroe, Pamela, Carol O'Neil, Vicky R. Tiller, Jennifer Smith, Susan Seab, Janet G.H. Marsh, and Stacey Willocks. "Assessing Food Security and Related Welfare Reform Outcomes in Two Southern States." http://srdc.msstate.edu/ridge/files/recipients/00_monroe_final.pdf
Baum, Charles. 2008. "The Effects of Food Stamps on Exiting Welfare and Becoming Employed for Welfare Recipients." UKCPR Discussion Paper DP2008-03. http://www.ukcpr.org/Publications/DP2008-03.pdf
DECEMBER 7 : The Upshot for this Region
Barber, Gerard M.; Stacy D. Shade; Daniel McAdam; and Robert Daugherty. 2002. Welfare Reform: Overview of Kentucky's Five-Year Experience.
Tickamyer, Ann, Debra Henderson, and Barry Tadlock. 2007. Does Welfare Reform Work in Rural America? A 7-Year Follow-Up." UKCPR Discussion Paper Series, DP2007-06. http://www.ukcpr.org/Publications/DP2007-06.pdf
Briggs, Brianna and Peter Kuhn. 2008. "Paying for the Relocation of Welfare Recipients: Evidence from the Kentucky Relocation Assistance Program." UKCPR Discussion Paper DP2008-01. http://www.ukcpr.org/Publications/DP2008-01.pdf
Black, Dan and Seth Sanders. 2009. "Inequality and Human Capital in Appalachia: 1960-2000. University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series, DP2009-11. http://www.ukcpr.org/Publications/DP2009-11.pdf