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IRP, at the UW-Madison, is a center for interdisciplinary research into the causes and consequences of poverty and social inequality in the United States. As one of three National Poverty Research Centers sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, IRP has a particular interest in poverty and family welfare in Wisconsin as well as the nation.

Teaching Poverty 101 Workshop

The deadline for the 2013 workshop has passed. Check back on this website in December 2014, when we anticipate releasing a call for applications for our next workshop, which will take place in 2015.

IRP has introduced a biennial Teaching Poverty 101 Workshop to share its expertise developed over nearly a half century as the nation's original poverty research center. The workshop is designed to train and provide course materials to faculty who wish to develop poverty-related course content.

Often faculties at teaching institutions are not able to incorporate current poverty related research into their course materials, for a lack of specialized knowledge or other resource constraints. The training will target faculty from a broad range of institutions, including those that traditionally have not had the capacity to foster a program of poverty research.

Workshops are open to all college faculty and instructors in any postsecondary institution–university, college, or community college. Each workshop will cover key issues in poverty research and policy, and, drawing on the diverse disciplinary training of IRP faculty affiliates, will provide teaching materials appropriate to the specific field.

The program will cover the full range of topics in this area, including the concept of poverty and its measurement and study, the causes of poverty, including the labor market, family structure, education system, race/gender and culture, and the role of public policy in reducing poverty. The perspective will be multidisciplinary, and include presentations by distinguished scholars from the disciplines of sociology, economics, health, education, and social welfare.

Applicants need not have prior experience in poverty studies, but must be committed to including material from the workshop in future courses.

The Institute for Research on Poverty provides tuition and fees, 4 nights hotel, continental breakfasts and lunches, and two group dinners. Participants cover transportation, additional meals, and other expenses.

The inaugural workshop takes place June 2-6, 2013, at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The deadline for application was January 4, 2013, with selected participants being notified by February 1.