Does poverty only mean shortage of food and material possessions? How does it associate with the mental health of different populations, such as females, working class, and sexual minority? Is the widespread gig economy, labelled with freedom, autonomy, and self-determination, a cure or a toxicant for poverty? And, what can technologies do in combating poverty and protecting the mental health of poverty population?

Drawing on cases in different countries, this course will lead students to explore the answers to these interesting and significant questions. Instructors will introduce some baseline frameworks, utilizing insights from psychology, sociology, and social policy. Based on these frameworks, students with different academic backgrounds are supposed to form several seminar topics that relate with Sustainable Development Goals (i.e., No.1, No.2, No.3, and No.10) set by United Nations. After taking the course, students are expected to get a fuller picture of poverty problem in the world as well as how it is dealt with by governments.

This course encourages meaningful intra- and inter-group interactions. Students of different academic perspectives form study group, and each study group will explore solutions to one specific poverty problem.

Relevant SDGs: SDG 1, SDG 2, SDG 3, SDG 10

1. Intercultural communication competence enhancement;
2. Basic facts of poverty and how it is dealt with by governments in contemporary world;
3. The associations between poverty and mental health among different populations, such as females, working class;
4. Classic analysis perspectives of the problem from Sociology, Psychology, and Social Policy;
5. A rare opportunity to use your own academic perspective to form a solution to one specific poverty problem. 

Lecture, tutorial, and seminar.

1. Attendance & in-class discussion: 30%
2. Group presentation: 60%
3. Final program summary: 10%

None.

Dr. Fan Yang: fan_yang86@sjtu.edu.cn