Poverty, Gender, and Microcredit

Despite the atmosphere of instrumental individualism in higher education in general and in economics in particular, this course takes as given that education as a vital agent of democratization where the good of an individual is judged in relation to the good of others and of society in general. Moreover, this course assumes that all people, irrespective of their economic status, matter, and that humans are social beings interested in the welfare of self as well as others. To effectively engage in this form of learning, we will take this course into the streets of the local poor community of Spring Hill. In partnering with local leaders and members of the community, we will facilitate the development of business planning by Spring Hill members who are interested in starting a business, or improving upon an existing business.