This course is the second half of a two-course sequence concerned with social welfare policy. The course is centered on the analysis of social problems and social policies in the United States. It addresses competing values, interest groups, conceptual approaches and processes involved in policymaking including implementation and evaluation. The course considers the ways in which policymakers have addressed human needs in specific areas. Topics include: different ways of defining poverty; the two major forms of income maintenance in the United States (social insurance and public assistance); health (both biomedical and social); substance abuse, hunger, and the service needs of children, older people, and those with disordered mental states. Note: Open to majors and minors.