Poverty Law & Social Change

This course examines the relationship between law and poverty, including how legal doctrine, policy, practice, and discourse influence and reinforce economic inequality. The goal of the course is to develop a strong foundation in poverty law by covering core topics and developing critical reasoning skills. This includes examining the law’s role in structuring systemic conditions, particularly historic and ongoing racial subordination. The foundational study explores key information, history, doctrine, and concepts about poverty including definitions, social welfare policy arguments, an analysis of intersecting government systems that impact low-income families, thoughtful examination of antipoverty programs, the role of lawyers, and emerging developments.

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