Part of Karl Marx's 19th Century critique of capitalism was a based in the conundrum that despite humankind having created abundance for the first time in history, the prevalence of those mired in poverty was both extraordinarily high and, at least for Marx, morally reprehensible. A century and a half after he attacked capitalism for its inequalities, more countries have become richer, a sizable middle class has substantially displaced the underclass in much of the advanced, industrialized world, and technology holds out the promise - or perhaps the illusion - of converting resources into ever more wealth. Yet the poor are still with us in greater absolute numbers, and the divisions between the rich and poor are more sharply drawn and more visible than ever before.

What is the nature of poverty? What causes it? What behaviors does it induce? Can carefully planned programs and targeted funding alleviate poverty? Is it eradicable, short of chucking the entire economic system pervasive to the world economy in the 21st Century? Is there an viable alternative? Can the solution be found in capitalism itself?

This course serves several purposes, at least two of which will likely apply to each of you. It is the capstone course of the major in International and Comparative Politics. True to its intent, the course is global in scope, although the focus on poverty itself will apply more to the developing countries of the South than the wealthy countries of the North. It also serves as the baccalaureate writing requirement for the major. Finally, for those of you in either the Lee Honors College or Political Science Honors, this course serves as your Honors seminar.

Writing assignments are found here and here.

There are no assigned texts for this course. Readings are either on the Web or available through course reserves.

Grades will be posted on Blackboard.

On most weeks, we will start with a narration of some type. I'll ask for a volunteer (or volunteers) one week ahead (or, if necessary, assign one), and I'll provide the text to the narrators (actually, just click on the link from the Schedule page). If and when you are a narrator, practice it (look at it as an exercise in thespian public speaking) and present it with whatever style you can muster.

This is a seminar course, which means the style should be relaxed, open, and participatory. In order to stress the latter, and the importance of reading each week's assignment before class, the quality and quantity of your participation in class is worth 20% of your grade. That works out to on and a half letter grades. Remain silent (or worse: don't read), and the best grade you can get is a CB.

Since it's a rather large class for a seminar, I will frequently call on students at random when I ask a question.

This is what I will be considering when evaluating your participation:

• quantity: talk enough to demonstrate that you're engaged.
• quality: demonstrate that you're thinking, both when reading and preparing for class and during class. Talking without preparation or thinking, or because you like the sound of your own voice, won't cut it either.
• preparation: I won't assume you've read. You have to show me you have.

Remember: what you say doesn't have to be brilliant (listen to others - including me - and you'll notice brilliance is a rare commodity), but should reflect a) preparation and b) thought. Sometimes the seemingly stupid questions or obvious observations are very productive for discussion.

One other way to participate is on the course blog (see next). You cannot post entries, but you can respond to and comment on the weekly postings I make.

This course has a blog. We will use it for two reasons. First, I will usually post after-class notes and, occasionally, study guides for some of the readings. You may comment on anything I write, and if a discussion develops I will count the contributions toward your participation grade. You may also use the blog's reply function to raise questions about issues we discuss.

Second, each week there will be a class preparation assessment. I will post a question (one or more) and the item will be open for discussion. Each item will be based on the week's readings. The assessment for you will be to participate in the discussion by replying, either responding directly to the opening item or to the ongoing discussion. The assessment will be posted by Tuesday the week before, and will be valid until 2:00 pm on class day (Monday), after which I will do my best to review the discussion and utlize issues that arise in the class later that day.

Class Preparation Assessments are graded; see the requirements above. Demonstrate that you have read and are engaging the material, and you'll most likely get full credit. Note: participation in the blog does not require attention to grammar, etc. (Just make sure we can understand you.)

We're going to be spending the semester studying poverty. As we progress, that means we'll be delving increasingly into the role of the state in society and the nature of the international political and economic system. Behaving in such a discussion as if there are neutral positions is pretentious, and I expect it neither of you nor myself. Some of you are conservative, some liberal, some middle-of-the-road, and some not sure. Absolutely nothing is wrong with any of those positions, notwithstanding the occasional tongue-in-cheek statement or jibe that pops up in class. The point here is two-fold. First, I don't expect you to agree with me, and wouldn't consider it respectful of me if you did so just to keep me happy (or worse: because you feared it might affect your grade). Second. don't hide your politics in class! Express opinions, take positions, and use evidence to support them. I may challenge you if your positions seem knee-jerk (that is, off-the-cuff, automatic, without having given them much thought), but do not assume I expect you agree with me. The goal of such challenges will be to make your positions stronger, better supported and more cogent.

You are responsible for making yourself aware of and understanding the policies and procedures in the Undergraduate (pp. 271-272) Catalog that pertain to academic integrity. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. Any required papers for this class may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to plagiarism detection software under license to WMU. All papers submitted will be included as source documents in that reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. If there is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult with me if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of an assignment or test.

We will have a discussion on plagiarism before the first writing assignment. Any apparent plagiarism will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. They - not I - will determine the degree of the violation (if any) and any sanctions beyond those I take (if they find you responsible). My sanction: failure in the course.

Papers are expected to be in on time except for extraordinary circumstances.* Penalties for late papers are high. If turned in later than the midnight deadline of the due date, and any time in the ensuing 24 hour period, the penaly is one full grade. An additional full grade is deducted if turned in during the second 24 hour period after the deadline, and so on.

*Extraordinary circumstances do not include:

• I got behind and it took longer to do than I thought.
• My computer froze (save, save, save).
• My disk crashed (backup, backup, backup).
• I lost my flash drive (backup, backup, backup).
• I couldn't find enough sources (see point #1).
• I had other deadlines that week (see point #1).

Over the course of the semester, four films will be shown in the evening. Each will depict some aspect of poverty. You are required* to attend one of the four. They will be shown on different evenings so as to minimize conflicts. Please plan ahead.

The four films to be shown, along with links to reviews, are:

• Rosetta. Belgium 1999. Directors: Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne. Read a review. Thursday, September 30, 3301 FRD at 6:00.
• Children of Heaven. Iran, 1999. Director: Majid Majidi. Read a review. Tuesday, October 19, 3301 FRD at 6:00.
• Salaam Bombay. India, 1988. Director: Mira Nair. Read a review. Wednesday, November 10, 3301 FRD at 6:00.
• City of God. Brazil, 2002. Director: Fernando Meirelles. Note: This film is violent and has occasional mature themes (it's rated R). Read a review. Thursday, December 9, 3301 FRD at 6:00. WARNING: This film is extraordinarily violent, and has one scene with a graphic description of a sex act.

*There is no credit for attending a film; it's merely a requirement. However, failure to attend at least one film will result in a half-grade deduction in your overall course grade. There is extra credit for attending additional films (extra credit may help you if you are near, but not quite at a higher grade level).