Details for Mission and Global Poverty

This unit examines the nature and causes of poverty and analyses strategies in response. 

The unit Mission and Global Poverty is part of the subject area Social Engagement and is offered as a part of the following Awards: Master of Arts (Christian Studies) (Alphacrucis College (NSW Dept. of Education)).

Unit Content

Curriculum Objective

At the successful completion of this unit students will be able to:

1. understand the multi-faceted nature of poverty;
2. explain the interaction between the different dimensions of poverty;
3. describe the notion of powerlessness as it relates to poverty;
4. critically analyse various explanations of the causes of poverty;
5. evaluate macro and micro strategies of development agencies. 

Subject Content

1. Jesus and the priority for the poor
2. Listening to voices of the poor.
3. The extent of global poverty
4. Describing poverty
5. Relative and absolute poverty
6. Causes of poverty
7. Poverty as disempowerment and marred identity
8. Poor/non poor relationships 

Assessment Methods

Forum responses, book review, research paper.

Prescribed Text

• World Bank, World Development Report 2009: reshaping economic geography. Washington, DC: World Bank; London: Eurospan, 2009.
• United Nations Development Program, Human Development Report 2006: Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis, United Nations Development Program: New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.

Representative References

Brawen, G.J. Explaining Global Poverty:  A Critical Realist Approach.  New York:  Routledge, 2006.

Guest, R. The Shackled Continent: Power, Corruption, and African Lives. New York: Smithsonian, 2004.

Heymann, J. Forgotten Families: Ending the Growing Crisis Confronting Children and Working Parents in the Global Economy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.

Holman, S.R. God Knows There’s Need:  Christian Responses to Poverty.  New York:  Oxford University Press, 2009.

Hunt, M.O. “Race/Ethnicity and Beliefs about Wealth and Poverty.” Social Science Quarterly 85/3 (2004): 827-853.

Joseph, S. Globalization and its Discontents. London: Penguin, 2002.

Meredith, M. The Fate of Africa:  From the Hopes of Freedom to the Heart of Despair. New York: Public Affairs, 2005.

Montero, F.P. & Preussler, R.S. “Psychology and Social Justice: Working Towards a Christian Justice-Based model of Integration”, Journal of Psychology and Christianity 21/4 (2002): 301-308.