Skip to main content

410.611.01
Health, Poverty and Public Policy in the U.S.

Location
East Baltimore
Term
2nd Term
Department
Health, Behavior and Society
Credit(s)
3
Academic Year
2013 - 2014
Instruction Method
TBD
Class Time(s)
M, W, 3:30 - 4:50pm
Auditors Allowed
Yes, with instructor consent
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Contact Name
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Description
Explores the relationship between health, poverty, and public policy in the U.S. and assesses past and future strategies to remedy inequities in health and health care. Addresses theories of social stratification in the U.S.; distribution of poverty across gender, age, and ethnic/racial groups; antipoverty programs and their effects; effects of changes in health care organization on the poor; and possible modifications to provide greater equity. Guest lecturers include physicians and public administrators working in programs designed to meet the needs of poor communities.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  1. explain different definitions of poverty and how each definition affects public policy
  2. describe current social science and public health approaches to poverty
  3. critique/appraise historical strategies and programs undertaken to address the health care problems of the poor
  4. describe how poverty and health status are related to one another in the U.S. and abroad
  5. identify specific populations of Americans at risk of poverty and explain why they are specifically at risk
  6. evaluate the public policy options currently available for improving the health of people living in poverty
Enrollment Restriction
Instructor consent required for undergraduate students