Does poverty only mean a 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 to combat poverty and protect the mental health of the population living in poverty?
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 the United Nations. After taking the course, students are expected to get a fuller picture of poverty problems in the world as well as how they are dealt with by governments.
This course encourages meaningful intra- and inter-group interactions. Students of different academic perspectives form study groups, and each study group will explore solutions to one specific poverty problem.
