Unit 1: Earthquake in Haiti- 'Natural Disaster or Poverty' Disaster Story?

The recent earthquake in Haiti left the small island nation devastated, scrambling for resources to treat survivors, and reliant on other countries as well as international aid organizations for relief. This event shed light on Haiti, the poorest nation in this hemisphere, and its already crumbling infrastructure. Despite the widespread devastation in Haiti some believe that this tragedy may provide opportunity to address the abject poverty already present in Haiti through permanent, positive structural changes to the country; while others like David Brooks, a columnist for the New York Times are not so convinced it is simply a matter of changing structures in Haiti but rather that it is necessary to also address deeply held cultural beliefs.

Read the op-editorial that David Brooks recently wrote for the New York Times discussing his ideas of the challenges facing Haiti in terms of both cultural and structural issues related to poverty. In class we are delving into the cultural and structural explanations for poverty. Discuss the merit of Brook’s argument by answering the following questions: What are cultural explanations and/or structural explanations for the situation in Haiti? Which aspects of Brooks’ argument make the most sense to you and why? What other cultural and/or structural explanations regarding the earthquake tragedy in Haiti would you offer? What do you think is the best way to move forward to impact the poverty rates in Haiti? Why?

Unit 1: Developing a Sociological Imagination

Alice Neel (1900-1984) was one of the greatest portraitists and most remarkable women in 20th century American art. She was outspoken and honest about the lives of disadvantaged people throughout her career. This painting is from 1935, entitled Investigation of Poverty at the Russell Sage Foundation. At the time, the Foundation was a social services organization founded in 1907 by Margaret Olivia Sage. Its mission was “a permanent contribution to the improvement of living and social conditions by its studies and its wide cooperation with agencies, rather than by contributing directly to relief.” In the painting, the grief-stricken woman at the center – who was living with her seven children in an overturned car – is observed with great concern by social workers, academics, and even clergy.

Poverty has been "studied" for many decades, alongside real efforts to alleviate it. How does Neel encourage you to think about the contrast between "studying poverty" and "doing something to end poverty"? As a student and an eventual family professional, how do you think the study of poverty is related to action to end poverty? What role does a sociological imagination play in bridging study and action?

Welcome to Our Blog!

Welcome to the Families, Poverty, and Affluence blogspot. Our goal is to offer students a new way to interact and discuss themes of the course. Please read through our posts and join in a conversation about any of the topics raised. Both FMSC 381 sections will be involved in the post commentaries, so you will have up to 120 peers reflecting on your posts.

Please refer to your syllabus for specific instructions and detailed expectations about your participation in the blogging project.

Please use this post to enter a "test comment" using your assigned alias as instructed in class. Successfully completing the test message will let your instructor know that you are ready to go and able to use the blog.

Also, please let us (Dr. Roy or Ms. Vesely) know about other topics you would like to discuss on the blog.