Sociology of Poverty Mod. 9

1. Sociology of Poverty
MOD 9: Ten Obstacles the Poor Face

2. 10 Day-to-Day Obstacles
 In chapters 9 and 10 of Royce’s (2015) text the focus is on “ten obstacles or
institutional problems commonly encountered by low-income households as
they struggle to eke out a living” (p. 197).
 These obstacles highlight inequalities that exist in people’s access to essential
goods and services
 Proponents of individualistic theories blame these hardships experienced on
poor people’s “deviant values and bad choices” (p. 198)
 Structuralists attribute these hardships to systematic and structural
inequalities, wide distribution of power, and unequal allocation of resources
and opportunity in society (p. 198)

3. Chapter 9 Obstacles
 Racial and ethnic discrimination
 Residential discrimination
 Housing
 Education
 Transportation

4. Chapter 10 Obstacles
 Sex discrimination
 Child care
 Health and health care
 Retirement insecurity
 Legal deprivation

5. Final Project Guidelines
 In small groups, students will prepare a final group report and
presentation covering at least four of the 10 obstacles
 Two obstacles should be chosen from Ch. 9 and two obstacles from Ch. 10
 Groups will conduct brief literature reviews concerning the obstacles
of focus and will analyze these institutional problems through both
structural and individualistic lenses
 Grading criteria includes:
 Group Project Outline - 20 points
 Final Report & Presentation - 50 points
 Peer Participation Points - 10 points

6. Final Project Guidelines
Group Project Outline (20 points)
 Prepare a reading outline of literature pertaining to the four obstacles
your group will focus on
 Your final essay report should include both individualistic and structural
theories to explain each of the obstacles; so choose external sources to
refer to in your outline that address both explanations
 The outline (and final report) should include content presented in Royce’s
(2015) text and at least two external sources per topic
 Use APA format for in-text citations and reference list entries
 The group project outline should be 2-4 pages long and incorporate the
research and analysis of each group member

7. Final Project Guidelines
Final Report & Presentation (50 points)
 A final essay report should consist of:
 10-12 pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 point font
 Headings based on Sample Outline (see next slide)
 APA formatted reference list and properly formatted in-text citations (see
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/ for formatting guide)
 NOTE: Be sure that an Introduction and Summary section are included, as
well as appropriate transitions. Your final report should be a coherent
essay format -- not four individual essays simply pasted together
 A PowerPoint Presentation (minimum 7 slides) should summarize the
major points from the report

8. Final Essay Report Sample Outline
 Introduction
 Overview of Four Obstacles
 Theoretical Understanding
 Individualistic Theories
 Structural Perspectives
 Topic 1
 Overview & Literature Review
 Individualistic Explanation & Examples
 Structural Explanation & Examples
 Topic 2….3….4 (repeat Topic 1 sections from above)
 Summary & Conclusion

9. Final Project Guidelines
Peer Participation Points (10 points)
 A total of 10 points are available to earn, as assigned by your group members
 Each individual will submit points for themselves and each group member:
Group Member
Participation Points Earned (1-10)
(10=highest participation level)
Self
Group Member Name
Group Member Name
Group Member Name
Group Member Name