Spring 2014 - 63610 - PA388K - Advanced Topics in Public Policy

Women & the Changing World of Work: New Policies for the 21st Century

This course deals with the dramatic impact of social, demographic, and labor force changes on social policies related to women and family. The seminar will consist of an examination of policies focused on aspects of marriage, family and work for adult women, minorities, and the elderly. In previous generations, a women's welfare was based upon her husband's earnings. That world has changed profoundly. Increasingly, a women's economic security is her own responsibility, and social policies including retirement policies, must change to reflect that new reality. In barely two generations norms and expectations concerning work and family have altered greatly. Women who are today in their fifties and sixties have grown up in a world in which marital disruption has become common. Unlike their grandmothers, younger generations of women, especially the more educated, can not count on their husbands or guarantee their economic security. Women no longer work to simply supplement their income but to build their own nest egg. As a result, many single women find themselves at a serious disadvantage in the event their marriage or work fails.

This course is offered to all graduate students at the University of Texas at Austin. The seminar is one of the topical electives in The University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs, Sociology Department, dual-degree programs in Social Work and Women’s and Gender Studies, and fulfills requirements for the LBJ School specialization in economics and social policy.

Evaluation: Course grades will be based on three major requirements, including (1) a term project and oral presentation (50%); (2) leading a discussion section (25%); and (3) participation in weekly seminar discussions (25%).   Participation in class discussion and debate is essential to collective understanding of the topic.  Missing class seriously undermines this objective so please make every effort to attend. Excessive absences will have a negative impact on your grade.   The final average will be converted to a letter grade according to the following guidelines:

A=90-100 (Excellent)
B=80-89 (Good)
C=70-79 (Fair)
F=Below 70 (Failure)