Midterms, Some papers from the DR, and a photo link...

I promise that I haven't been simply sitting around since I got back from the Dominican.

Here are a couple of papers turned in this week related to my trip:
La Republica Dominicana (ANT271)
9 Pages from an ethnographic position.
SLEX 1 - Dominican Republic (SSC355)
Borrows from the other paper, but here I use some concepts explored in my Cultural Diversity (Sociology) class to try and examine the community a bit.

Midterm grades were solid:
SPC120 Foundations of Speech: B+
BST102 Intro to New Testament: A
SSC355 Cultural Diversity: A-
MAT111 Mathematical Investigations: A
ANT271 Cultural Anthropology: A
Chapel: F (Apparently, my exemption from last semester doesn't carry over, just some paperwork and that will be fixed.)

Here are some photos of my trip, thanks to Kids Around The World.
(I'm in one, keep scrolling)

4 weeks left. Pray for my sanity.

Where are all your assignments?

Yeah, I'm not sure. This semester has been pretty easy so far. A bit of light reading... but nothing too earth shattering.

I have a paper for Thursday due for my New Testament class (Which is significantly better than my OT class was... Sorry Erickson, but you're boring!).

So, in the mean time... here are a couple of things for my Speech class.

Introductory Speech (SPC120). It is only an outline... I don't have audio of my actual speech.

Bonus Assignment (SPC120). I had to relay notes on a speaker that I heard publicly for some bonus credit. While I nailed my actual speech, I apparently have problems memorizing vocabulary terms. Grrr. I'm still fairly confident that I will do well in this class.

I have probably had the most homework from my Math class... But, I'm not going to make scans of that or anything crazy for you. How about I simply relay my test scores. I have a major one coming up Thursday.

I went to the Faith and International Development Conference this past weekend at Calvin College in Grand Rapids. It was good stuff. Maybe another post to follow... for now, I need some sleep.

Fall 07 wrap up with grades

The following is a wrap up of the classes that I took for Fall 2007 at Judson University. This post had the original listings and which books I used (and how much I paid) as well.

Quick Stats: I now have 48 credit hours to my name with a cumulative GPA of 3.375.

BST101 - Intro to Old Testament. Dr. Bob Erickson. GRADE RECEIVED: B.

I learned very little in this class. We had three grades from three tests, and that was it. I received a 93/100, a 74/100, and a 96/100, which is an average somewhere around 87/100.

College lesson learned: Never purchase all of your text books beforehand. I bought a new Bible for 29.99, and a brand new book for 22.99, both of which I did not open. I was able to borrow the main text for the class - I'm glad too, that would have been another 54.99 down the drain (Thanks David!).

HIS480 - History of the U.S. since 1945 to present. Dr. Craig Kaplowitz. GRADE RECEIVED: B+.

This was the most challenging course I took this semester and yet, it was my favorite. I am also most proud of this B+, as I feel I worked my tail off for it. I was expecting to receive a high C to low B, so a high B is especially rewarding. Kaplowitz is an engaging, approachable professor. He is extremely knowledgeable and can deliver his thoughts in a clear concise manner. He assigned a load of written assignments. I have 13 that I uploaded to Google Docs. 3 of those were medium sized papers (1800 - 2200 words), while most were one pagers. One was a research paper, but was only required to be of medium length. I read the most for this class as well. We made it through all four of the texts assigned (three were smaller volumes of primary source material, with some analysis, while one was a full text).

College lesson learned: Don't let your advisor sign you up for whatever... This was a high level class that will end up being nothing more then credit fodder as it does not count toward my final degree. And, it was stinking hard! Albeit rewarding.

HIS262 - History of Civilization II 1500 ad - 2000 ad. Dr. Craig Kaplowitz. GRADE RECEIVED: A.

I enjoyed this class. Kap did a good job with a subject that is boring to most people. (Not to me!) If you are going to take History of Civ II at Judson, and you will if you want to graduate at JU, take it with Kap. We had three medium length papers, in addition to weekly assignments, but there were NO TESTS, NOT A SINGLE ONE. We made it through the text, make use of the online resources with that text book (Worlds Together, Worlds Apart), it can save you a bit of reading.

College lesson learned: Make friends in your class. They can take notes for you when you miss, and even turn in papers when you know your going to 'be sick' that day.

MED240 - Writing for the Media. Professor A. Paul Mouw. GRADE RECEIVED: B.

Prof. Mouw is a wealth of experience, if a bit eccentric. If you are struggling with how to write, don't take this class. The lack of feedback after assignments will not help your style improve unless you seek out Mouw. If you are decent at writing, this class can show you ways to make your writing more effective. I took away a new insight for using different voices for different mediums.

College lesson learned: 8am classes stink. If you can take an alternative to a general ed requirement, do it! I took this class in place of my ENG102, and it was a lot of fun.

SOC151 - Intro to Sociology. Dr. Tim Johnson. GRADE RECEIVED: B-

Notes are critical, especially when you have a professor that writes things he wants you to know on the whiteboard. I took more notes for this class then 3 of my classes combined, the only other course that rivaled was HIS480. Johnson's notes are crazy... and they don't make sense unless you are there to hear the lecture. So, copy exactly what he writes... and then take your own notes on top of that. Johnson's tests are hard... mostly because he incorporates things from the reading that you may, or may not discuss in class, and expects you to know them. There were concepts, names, and readings that I was being introduced to for the first time while reading the study guide for the test. Without the study guides, and my notes, I would have failed every test we took (2, plus final). I am excited to expand on some of the ideas introduced in this class with Johnson next semester as I take Cultural Diversity.

College lesson learned: Get out of the classroom! As part of this class, I did an optional service learning experience. I went several times to feed the homeless in Elgin, and also went brown bagging in the city. Those experiences greatly enriched my learning.

Book total for Fall 2007 was $317.51 USD, I got back about $111.00 USD. THAT IS A NET LOSS OF OVER 200 DOLLARS FOR ONE SEMESTER. Half of the books I returned I did not read in great detail. One I never even opened. Most went for less than 40% of what I paid.

College lesson learned: Your campus bookstore is a blood sucking leech of convenience! DO NOT SHOP THERE, DO NOT RETURN YOUR BOOKS THERE! The only thing worthwhile about Judson's bookstore is that they sell clothes with the name Judson on them. I will be getting all of my books off of half.com or someplace similar for next semester. I will also try to inter-library loan as many as possible as well - you can't beat free.

So, all in all, a good semester. I'm thankful for my scholarship, and am in prayer that it will continue. If you are in the spirit of giving, you can paypal me some money and it will go for school required medical insurance and books for Spring 2008. If you want to make it tax deductible before the end of the year, you can give to my International Teams account which helps support the wage I receive and can serve to differ my travel related expenses this next Spring. Either way, an email to chrismwarren at gmail dot com can point you in the correct direction.

Cheers until 2008!

More Than a Transcript Grade

Ok, here is a bit of substance to go along with that random interjection from earlier... (Caution, the rest is long.) Written for my Intro to Sociology class.

More Than a Transcript Grade

“How can we worship a homeless man on Sunday and ignore on Monday?” In his book, The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical, Shane Claiborne describes a true life event that forever changed his life and those of the people involved^[1]. The quote from above is painted on a banner that someone had hung over the entrance, and is the first thing that greets Claiborne and a few of his friends when they meet this group. The setting is that a group of homeless people have begun to squat inside of an old vacant cathedral in Northern Philadelphia. After Shane and a few of his friends stumble onto this makeshift community, they learn that the city in conjunction with the local diocese which owns the abandoned parish are going to forcefully evict the new tenets from the property. In a flurry of grassroots activism, students from the college he was attending turned out en mass to support the fledgling community.

Shane and his friends are struck by the reality that our Lord and Savior was indeed a homeless man. The gospels even highlight several times where there is anxiety and concern that there might not be enough food for the crowds that gathered to hear Jesus speak^[2]. Jesus did not live “the good life” like so many of us in the United States enjoy. It is impossible to ignore what is becoming epidemic in this country (and many other nations as well). In the U.S. up to 3.5 million people experience homelessness in a given year^[3].

To bring some of my experience in working with the homeless here in Elgin, and in Chicago over the course of the past semester and compare it with what we have been learning in Dr. Johnson's Intro to Sociology course has been extraordinarily enriching. I often find myself in class thinking of living examples of ideas we are reading out of the text^[4].

In my first Service Learning Experience Paper (SLEx Paper), I discussed the social order of the homeless briefly. I feel that to truly dive into and evaluate that, I would need to spend more time being inside that network. Recently, Mike Yankowski was on campus leading our Spiritual Enrichment Week here at Judson University. There were five chapels that week, instead of the requisite three that there normally is. I had heard a little of Mike before he came (He is somewhat of a figure on campus, thanks in large part to him being here the year before, and his book now being required reading for some classes), and just before he came a friend of mine from Denver (Who actually works for the Denver Rescue Mission where Mike stayed) recommended his book Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America. The book is a reflection on the six months that Mike and his friend Sam spend living as homeless men in six different cities in the U.S. Mike told a story in chapel of a man they met in San Fransisco who was known among “the park people” as “The Jesus Guy.” The Jesus guy is actually George^[5]. In chapel, Mike described even more than what is found in the book. George is actually living in government housing himself, and spends much of his income on food that he brings down to the park to share with other homeless people. This stands out because it marks a clean delineation within the homeless community. This man who barely blips on the social radar of the lower class in America is actually doing well enough to be a provider to a group of homeless that live in Golden Gate Park. Instead of saving as much money as he can to propel himself higher within “normal” society, George is intentionally positioning himself in such a way to maximize what he can offer to the others who live as he recently had.

Mike also told a story of an elderly man who approached them one night with a loaf of bread. The man walked up, asked them if they had eaten, broke the loaf in two and handed them the crusty hunk of bread. Seeing that this man was frail, they insisted that he take all the bread. The man simply responded that God had provided enough for him today, and that he should share the excess with others in need. Again showing that even within the homeless community, there is a network of social support. To evaluate the effectiveness, or measure the reach of this network is not my aim here, it is simply something that is there.

Near the end of the semester in Sociology, we began to study labor markets and how they are split into two distinct echelons. The primary labor market typically being described as “white collar” and the secondary labor market as “blue collar.” We studied some of the more intricate details and some of the “why's” of this reality, but near the end Dr. Johnson spoke of “channeling” into the labor markets. I was struck in that moment that the homeless exemplify that, they are victims also of labeling. Once you are homeless, there is a what is often referred to as a “vicious cycle” of employment obtainment. Jobs are hard to find in the current economic trend, and if you don't possess the basic skills for a given job, you are out of luck. But, even when you possess the requisite skill, if you are without a permanent address or phone number, you may be denied employment as this demonstrates “unacceptable risk” on the employers part. This comes full circle when you realize that to obtain housing, one must have income.

In the end, I feel like participating in SLEx enhanced my study of sociology. You might have titled my SLEx “LIF110: Intro to Urban Problems”. The early mornings serving breakfast, and the aching legs after wandering around Chicago passing out lunches are positive memories. That along with readings from Shane Claiborne's and Mike Yankowski's books lead to true life education. I was able to experience what I was being taught. I was able to see case studies come alive before my eyes. Definitions and statistics translated into true life, theory became practice. As I have already noted, I have just begun learning about homelessness and urban problems in America, but I move on from this semester with more than a simple grade on a transcript.

Citations

1. Shane Claiborne. The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical. p. 56.

2. Matthew 14:15.

3. “http://lahsc.org/wordpress/educate/statistics/united-states-homeless-statistics/”Accessed: 06 December 2007.

4. Stark. Sociology, Tenth Edition.

5. Mike Yankowski. Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America. pp. 138 – 142.

Finals - Fall 07 Edition.

Bah.

Finals are coming in a week.

I just took my last test (so basically a final) in my Intro to Old Testament class tonight. I am supposed to be writing a couple of assignments for tomorrow now... But, I simply have no motivation.

Next Tuesday (which is actually a reading day) I have one paper, and one serious project (which has seen little headway in recent weeks) due by 5pm. And, I need to make up the articles for my Media class that I have been delaying.

That said... Tonight was a free meal (for commuters) at the cafeteria. That brings the grand total to meals eaten in the cafeteria this semester to three. It was decent, the ham was even good, but the salmon was awful. Seriously, I am getting sick just thinking about it. I hope no one ate it.

Free ice skating for commuters on Friday! haha.

After classes end I will finish getting all the written stuff up here, as well as provide the grades I receieved on each one... And eventually the course grades too. Good stuff.

I will be back in Tucson from December 19th to the 28th. Lets party.

Grades - Midterm Fall 2007

So, I only have a few weeks left in the semester, four weeks plus finals week. We also have a half a week break for Thanksgiving... Here are my grades at midterm (a little over a week ago I got these). I should already be registered for my Spring 2008 courses but, thanks to lackluster advising, I have no idea what I need to take. I was hoping to get down to the registrar today and see about sorting it myself, hopefully I can on Monday.

If you have forgotten, here is a longer description of each class, as well as the texts used for each one.

Midterm Fall 2007:
MED240 (Writing for the media) - B
SOC151 (Intro to Sociology) - NR (not reported) but, I would guess low A on a test grade, paper grade, and work that I have gotten back.
HIS480 (History of the U.S. since 1945) - B
HIS262 (History of Civilization II) - A-
BST101 (Intro to Old Testament) - NR, but just got test back, which is the only grade we have received, 93%. So, A.

Assignments I turned in Thursday, Nov 8th 2007:
ARE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS OUT OF CONTROL? (HIS480)
Holiday Memories (MED240)

Yankowski - What are you doing NOW?

Its been three months (and a few days) since I moved to Elgin. It has been a good three months... I've been in school, reading a ton, writing a ton, and learning a ton. (And working a fair clip too!)

I had approached this time as a time of training, a time for education, a time to prepare myself for service.

But - I've had that view challenged.

Mike Yankowski can to speak at Judson University last week for our Spiritual Enrichment Week which is a focused time of sequential chapels. Mike was here speaking about his experience on the streets of America as a homeless man. He spoke of the obstacles he had to deal with, and the experiences that came out of that - the obstacles that were sometimes places there by Christians, experiences that were sometimes made negative by Christians.

However, one of Mike's main themes for the week was "what are you doing now to serve Christ?" This thought echoed in my brain all week.

"The only appropriate place for us to manifest our theology is the present." - Mike Yankowski.

Matthew 25:14 is the parable of the talents. The Master has given us resources to use today. Those who use what they have earn return, and are rewarded... But, the one who simply hides his talent away while the Master is away is rebuked for at least not earning interest on the money entrusted to him. We cannot wait for tomorrow.

NOW. Yes, while you are in school.
NOW. Yes, while you are learning.
NOW. Not in the future, not next year, not next week or even tomorrow.
NOW. What are you doing today to live out your faith.


Heaven help me... Am I doing enough?

The assignments I promised (and the reasons I am sleeping in the picture above):
Essay 2 FINAL "The Effect of Colonization on the New World" (HIS262) Thanks to Stacie, Deb, and Jake who helped edit the final draft for me. I didn't get it out in enough time for a serious edit.
Article Outline - Berkowitz, "Television" (HIS480)

Same thing, two weeks later...

Ha.

I was no good at updating the last couple of weeks. Even after I was critical on another's blog! Guilty. Flog me in the street!

Random:
Last week or ealier:
- Worked the PlanetWisdom Conference while it was in town. (I flirted with some girls from Bethany College of Missions, they tried to recruit me... I decided I am very happy at Judson - now, if I could just work out that flirting thing at JU... hmmm)
- House sat for my boss, she has three dogs, one of which requires medication 3 times daily. I am allergic to one of those dogs at least. More reason I don't like pets.
- Fall Break came and went.
- Got Under The Overpass by Mike Yankowski. He was here at Judson for "Spiritual Enrichment Week." More on that to come... I guarantee.
- Finished up Exiles by Michael Frost. << href="http://www.bungie.net/Stats/Halo3/Default.aspx?player=djjubei1">Here is the proof (although, my actual exp is way behind on the interwebz. Bungie! My stats are borked - again!).

Today:
- Ate at a greasy fast food restaurant called "Jester's" - Got a haircut, and got 4 bucks off the haircut (because it was monday, not because they made an 'accident').
- Learned NEVER to say "Large" at McDonald's. (This also marks the first McDonald's I have had since seeing Super Size Me... I only ordered iced coffee... and it was still wayyyyy more then I was expecting.)
- Got rejected for a library card... For the second time. Thx Gail Borden.
- "Getting an abortion is easier then getting a library card, seriously!" D. Schlager.

Assignments!! Cuz itz THURZDAY... wait... TUEZDAY!

STUDENTS STRUGGLE WITH ALCOHOL (MED240)

The next one I worked really hard on... and I hope I get a good grade. The link will be updated after final edits, but here it is for review (its due in 13 hours). I better get an A! ... erm... I think my work is worthy of high marks professor... :)
Essay 2 FOR REVIEW "Colonization's Effect on the New World" (HIS262) Essay 2 FINAL.

I missed a few this past week. I have one more for tomorrow. I will get them all caught up tomorrow night - and maybe a picture of my not-so-new new haircut if you are lucky. I'm tired.

Its Thursday - That means a couple of one page papers. Woot.

Here are a couple of assignments due for today. If you read my HIS480 Analysis Paper from last week, this week's is a bit more objective, and less crazy. But, hey, crazy worked. I got a 9/10 on it last week... Although, Dr. Kaplowitz did suggest a new approach. :)

CRONKITE LOSES FAITH IN LBJ AND VIETNAM (HIS480)

Document Assignment - Chapter 6 (HIS262)

I am almost done reading Michael Frost's Exiles. And, I can see why a good friend of mine really liked the first two parts, but didn't stomach the next two as well. I will put a mini-review up when I am finished. I've read too much for one week, and I still have one more article (don't think 3 paragraphs, think 15 pages) to read for tomorrow. I have been reading since about 5pm, stopping only to write the two above assignments. I love being in school! Leave me a comment... I like them!

IT BEGINS WITH BREAKFAST

I gulped down the last of my lukewarm coffee, it was sickly sweet with an earthy after taste. It had too much sugar, but it was the only way to stomach the weak, bitter liquid. “Would you like an egg with that?” Was the line repeated 44 times. “Yessir please,” “With extra pepper,” or a simple nod were the most common replies. I stuffed an egg and a couple of tiny packs of salt and pepper into a brown bag and passed it to the left. [read the rest here]

I have to turn in the first of three analytical papers for my "service learning experience," or SLEx, that is part of my sociology class. The above excerpt is the opening paragraph of the first one, due Thursday. It has some of my thoughts so far on serving breakfast once a week to the homeless here in Elgin.

It Begins With Breakfast, SLEx 1 of 3 (SOC 151)

I have a few more assignments that I should have written up for Thursday. I got my first test back today, for sociology, I got an 80% on it. A little lower than I hoped for, but I am happy with that result. I needed to study more for it, but I didn't have time.

Here is one I turned in last week for Media that I forgot about:
The Student Life of a Commuter is Hard (MED240)

I have a few new photos up over on flickr. Some from my city immersion last weekend. Oh yeah, if I look sad in that second photo - its cause I am. The first photo is looking into "the bean" at Chicago's Millennium Park.

Hey... Homework!

Wow... Its been a week. I'm tired. Simply put.

Last weekend I spent in the city with some students up from John Brown University. Saturday night I spent in a gay bar learning about the homosexual community and the problem of male prostitution. Sunday I went to an all Spanish speaking church, learned about the Hispanic community over lunch. Sunday night we talked about racial reconciliation between whites and blacks... I had some misconeceptions shattered. Namely... How whites think we have made progress toward real reconciliation, but blacks think we have not made very much progress. Monday I learned about Muslims and Hindus living in America, that they are here, and they have an agenda that is eerily similar to Christians. I also bought a Dostoyevsky book at a Russian bookstore.

I haven't really caught up yet... Here are a couple of assignments turned in this week.

Globalization in the Modern World: An Introduction (HIS262)

Document Assignment - Chap 5 (HIS 262)

JOHNSON PLAYS ON SENATE'S GRIEF (HIS480)

I got a grade back on my "Facade of Consensus." I got a B+

I am happy with that. Ok... Sleep now. Maybe after school tomorrow I can finally feel caught up a bit on homework... Wait... Sleep will have to wait a little longer... I have a Sociology test at 9:30am...

Yay for school work!

Here is a couple of assignments due Thursday afternoon.

I have an upcoming media article (expect it by Tuesday), as well as an essay for my History of Civ II (HIS262) class.

FAIR PLAY FOR THE US ECONOMY (HIS480)

Document Assignment - Chap 4 (HIS262)

And... I swear to get something about the homeless breakfast up this Friday. I swear it. I have just been distracted.

History Papers - And a photo.

I have written my first tougher paper of the semester for my History of US since 1945 class (HIS480). It's about 1500 words, entitled: The Facade of Postwar American Consensus.

Here is the thesis:

In the late 1940's and 1950's, America showed signs of growing popular consensus regarding what was good for the nation. This consensus, or general agreement, was shared by many flocking to suburban America and, although policy implementation among parties differed; shared by many national leaders. This is true - however, consensus was not shared by all, most notably, the impoverished, African Americans. This era of consensus would not last long. [read the rest of the paper on Google Docs by clicking here].

As this paper marks a real attempt to write a quality paper, I would appreciate all feedback. I wish it wasn't due for a week so I could revise it based on critique, but alas... It is due at 1pm, today (and I already emailed it to my Prof. haha).

I also had a primary source document assignment for History of Civ II (HIS262).

Document Assignment - Chapter 3 (HIS262)

Re: The picture. I whipped up a little Gimp/Picasa magic last night as a creative response to feeling the pressure of the paper. Stop the Traffik has been on my mind a lot lately... I have a cool story about a recruit I talked to earlier this week too... So I hope I can get that up soon.

Media Homework

The only writing I had to do for Tuesday. For my Media class.

Lead/Open Paragraphs 10-20 (MED240)

Another assignment that kinda seems out of context... Mostly just an exercise.

Forgot a couple...

Here are some more assignments from my MED240 Class... Writing for the Media.

Lead/Open Summaries 2-9 (MED240)
*Examining how print writers use leads and opening paragraphs. We have been given a packet of 20 stories, mostly in detail form. We use the existing details to craft an opener.

... Well... I guess only one more... as the other document is having issues. Oh well, its the same as above... only paragraph 1.

On School...

In my last post I put forth and responded to a question of poverty. It was required for my Intro to Sociology class... I wanted to post it here, and I decided to... But, that got me to thinking... I am beginning to write a lot for my various classes. So, that lead me to decide that I am going to publish anything that I write up for a class on Google Docs. Some things are trivial, some things will seem disconnected unless I explain the context of the assignment. I have chosen to publish everything in an ongoing effort to be transparent in all I do, but more importantly... I want your feedback.

Feedback. Below are links to all the articles/papers I've written in the first three weeks of class. Most of them are outlines and one pagers. I have my first extended history paper due in a week. But, I love interaction. You have a viewpoint that is different than my own... but is valuable. Maybe I missed something huge, tell me. Maybe something struck you as funny, tell me. Maybe I am flat out wrong, I pray you tell me.

Out of the six documents below, by far the Poverty one seems the most important one for a discussion. The others are either outlines, or written "as a columnist," which may or may not truly represent me. One specifically (Sept 13th Analysis Paper for HIS480) was written from the perspective of a happily married columnist in the mid-1950's.

In the future, I will put links to new articles/papers in their own posts for easy feedback commenting.

Edgar Outline (HIS480)

Sept 13th Analysis Paper (HIS480)

Sept 6th Document Assignment Chapter 12 (HIS262)

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Report (MED240)

Edgar Article (MED240)

Poverty Question (SOC151)

In my next post... I promise I will tell you something real. Like... What school I am attending, how things are going, and what the heck HIS480 is and why I am in it. Promise.

Poverty?

Below is copied in full a short write up I turned in for my Intro to Sociology class Thursday morning. Here is the link to the same article on Google Docs.

Warren, Christopher M
Dr. Johnson, Tim
SOC151 T/Th 0930 – 1045
September 13, 2007
Q: Poverty?

Q: If poverty exists, does it have a positive effect on society?

Poverty does exist in our world today, its effects are undeniable. What if your newspaper headlines read “15,000 dead in one day,” what if they read “30,000 in one day?” The startling truth is, these headlines could appear in your paper today. Its saddening that they do not. In the second paragraph of his introduction Dr. Jeffery Sachs writes that: “Every morning our newspapers could report, 'More than 20,000 people perished yesterday of extreme poverty'” (Sachs 1).

But, our question today is not just, “Does poverty exist?” It is “If poverty exists, does it have a positive effect on society?” This is hard. Identifying poverty is simple enough, data from the World Bank shows us that there are many places in the world that live in “Extreme Poverty” on less than $2 a day (less than 750 $/yr). The majority of poor people live in three regions East Asia, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. (Sachs 21). Does it have a positive effect on society?

Without a doubt, the existence of developing nations helps under gird the economy of the United States of America. The US has increasingly been involved in the world economy since the end of WWII, and the end of an era of isolationalism. Southeast Asia is the primary location of textile factories, the cheap labor in this area directly translates into a lower price point for imported clothing. Check your t-shirt, where does it come from? Many have campaigned against these aptly named “sweat shops,” but Sachs instead says that these jobs offer an important step in the economic ladder out of poverty. Instead of closing down the sweat shops, we should campaign for better wages and benefits for these workers. As the world explores Globalization more and more everyday, we see the positive effects that poverty has on the world economy. It is cheaper for workers in Mexico to manufacture cars than it is to pay a union worker in Detroit. It is cheaper for Swiss Air to send all their paper documents to India, have them sorted and translated into spreadsheets then sent electronically back to Zurich, than it is to pay a worker in Switzerland to do a simple data entry job (Sachs 179).

Poverty creates the existence of social classes by forcing divisions along economic lines, is it right that we exploit these differences? I think one could argue 'yes' if he says that we are bringing the economically lagging societies along. But I resolutely say 'no' if they are being left behind, as this only perpetuates the existence of poverty.

Cited: Sachs, Dr. Jeffery D; The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time. The Penguin Press, New York, 2005.