1. How generous are welfare benefits in the United States? How do they compare to
the official poverty level?
2. Do you think that our current welfare system helps poor people? Or hurts poor
people? Or both?
3. How does the government define unemployment? What are some of the
limitations of that definition?
4. How does the problem of unemployment in the U.S. compare with that in other
countries?
5. What are some key myths about unemployment today? What evidence
challenges those myths?
6. Based on the lectures, readings, and your own personal experience, do you think a
persons race is still an important factor in shaping their opportunities in
America?
7. What are some ways in which the legacy of past discrimination affects the social
and economic opportunities for black Americans in the present?