discussion board 5

Discussion Board Question(s) are given to show how well you can interpret what you have read and apply it to today. These responses are more subjective, asking the student to form an opinion on certain topics. The student should exhibit some mastery of the material and the ability to think beyond the text. Ex: What did this event, movement, idea, mean at the time? What motivated it? What effects does it still have today? Did this have an overall negative or positive effect on our culture? Be thorough in answering these questions, as they constitute 25% of your final grade. Discussion Board Responses should be thoughtful reflections on the readings. As such, these questions are more open to debate and interpretation than the Reading Guide Questions. Your responses should reflect some critical and analytical thinking on your part. Responses should be at least 300 words minimum. This work should be posted in Blackboard and is due by Thursday evening, 11:45 PM. Lateness affects the other students’ ability to make their Peer Responses so please be considerate.
What is your evaluation of Johnson’s program for the "war on poverty"? What do you think are the primary causes of poverty? How much is cultural, and how much is personal responsibility? What are, in your opinion, the best ways to help people out of poverty? Do you lean more toward the "hand-up" or the "hand-out"? Isserman and Kazin point out that a major shift took place in the war on poverty when welfare came to be seen as a "right" instead of a gift of charity. They point out and document how that shift did much to harm public opinion and support for the program. What do you make of that shift? What is your evaluation of Johnson’s program now in hindsight? Has it been successful? To what degree? How has it succeeded and how has it failed? What would be your approach to fighting a "war on poverty" if you were given the task Johnson gave Sergeant Shriver today?