EXAMS:

Midterm and Final. A good portion of the final exam will cover materials coming from students' term papers.

TERM PAPER:

a. For graduate credit, 20-25 pages long, with at least 15 sources of reference coming mainly from professional journals.
b. For undergraduate credit, 15-20 pages long, with at least 10 sources of reference.

CLASS ATTENDANCE:

Attendance is required. Good record of class participation will help a student's final grade in "borderline" cases.

COURSE GRADE BREAKDOWN:

Midterm = 30%
Term Paper = 20%
Final = 50%

COURSE OUTLINE:

I. The Economic Status of the Aged
1. Aged Income
2. The Aged are not a Homogeneous Group
3. The Impact of Taxation, Assets, and In-Kind Income
4. The Adequacy of Income in Old Age
5. The Impact of Inflation
II. To Work or Not to Work
1. The Right to Retire
2. The Work-Leisure Trade-Off
3. Economic Problems of Older Workers
4. Training Older Workers
5. The Retirement Decision
6. Mandatory versus Flexible Retirement Options
7. Do the Aged Want to Work?
III. Planning for Retirement
1. Retirement Provision by Individuals
2. The Role of Pensions
3. Arguments Against and For Social Security
4. Arguments in Support of Private Pensions
5. The Pension Mix in Various Countries
IV. Social Security: Old Age and Survivors' Benefits
1. The Changing Social Security System
2. The Principles of Social Security
3. Retirement Benefit Provisions
4. Social Security Pension Reforms
V. Social Security Financing: Who Pays? Who Should Pay?
1. Rising Pension Expenditures and Growing Controversy
2. Financing Social Security
3. Social Security and the Federal Budget
4. Financing Equity
5. Reform Proposals
VI. Health, Disability, and SSI Benefits
1. Health Insurance for the Elderly
2. Long-term Care
3. Financing Health Care
4. Other Social Security Programs: Disability and SSI
5. The Supplemental Security Income Program


Return to Teaching Page

---