Poverty: America’s Enduring Disgrace

High rates of poverty – especially for children and ethnic minority populations – are a hallmark of U.S. society. This module provides information on the historical reach of poverty, ways in which poverty is measured, implications of poverty on health and well-being, the realities of living in poverty, myths associated with poverty and the behavior of low-income people and groups, comparative aspects of poverty, state and national poverty figures, expert opinion on poverty, and programs that help to mitigate the harshest features of poverty. 

At the conclusion of this video series, participants will be able to:

  1. Understand the ways in which poverty is measured and its relationship to important U.S. public policies.

  2. Understand the rates of poverty at the state and national levels and the implications of comparatively high rates of poverty on the health and well-being of individuals and groups in society.

  3. Apply a critical lens to current policy efforts to address poverty and analyze differences in poverty rates from a cross-national perspective.

Components of the video series:*

  • Introduction to Poverty

  • Poverty Measures & Basic Needs

  • Poverty Myths: Exposed

  • More Than a Statistic: The Pain of Poverty

  • You Be the Judge: A Basic Budget Exercise

  • Poverty in Comparative Perspective

  • Face-to-Face: Interview with Anti-Poverty Expert Dr. Mark Rank

  • Fighting Poverty: Programs That Work

  • State & National Poverty

* An extensive reference section is also available for download

Estimated Time to Complete video series: 4.5 hours (4.5 CE credits)

Note: All course content must be viewed and an evaluation completed before the CE certificate can be issued.

Price: $45

Course Curriculum

  • 1

    Poverty: America's Enduring Disgrace

    • Opening

    • Introduction to Poverty

    • Poverty Measures & Basic Needs

    • More Than a Statistic: The Pain of Poverty

    • You Be the Judge: A Basic Budget Exercise

    • Updated Budget Numbers

    • Poverty in Comparative Perspective

    • The PULSE Survey & Hardship in the Pandemic

    • Face-to-Face: Interview with Anti-Poverty Expert Dr. Mark Rank

    • Poverty Myths: Exposed

    • Poverty by the Numbers - 2021 (with interactives)

    • The CARES Act and Poverty Early in the Covid-19 Pandemic

    • Official Poverty Measure vs Supplemental Poverty Measure

    • Fighting Poverty: Programs That Work

    • Evaluation

    • References

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About the instructor

Founder, OfCourse!

Miguel Ferguson

Hello, my name is Miguel Ferguson. My teaching career began at the high school level but for the last 20 years I have taught courses in Social Welfare Policy, Poverty, and Social Justice in leading schools of social work. I founded OfCourse! to make dynamic information on these topics accessible to students and busy instructors. OfCourse! content is engaging and up to date and each lesson comes with "Interactives" (drag-and-drop, fill-in-the-blank, drop-down menu choices, etc). OfCourse! materials are fun and engaging and designed to help busy teachers inform and inspire students with interactive and easy-to-use content. Dr. Ferguson is also the author of two popular books on the intersection of policy and community change ("Caught in the Storm" and "Navigating Policy & Practice in the Great Recession") and a graphic novel on the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War ("¡Brigadistas!").