Leonard Davis School



|Syllabus Gero 340: Policy, Values, and Power in an Aging Society |

|Spring 2008 |

|Leonard Davis School of Gerontology |

|University of Southern California |

| |

|Instructors: Jon Pynoos, Ph.D. and Bernard Steinman, M.S. (TA) |

|Phone: (213) 740-1364 | |

|E-mail: jpynoos@; bsteinma@usc.edu |

|Office Hours: Wednesdays, 1:00–2:00 p.m., or by appointment. |

|Office: GER 228 | |

|Main Classroom: GER 224 | |

|Class meets: Tue & Thurs, 2 – 3:50 p.m. | |

| | |

INTRODUCTION

The United States, like most industrialized countries, is an aging society. Currently 13% of the population is over age 65. Within 40 years this proportion is expected to increase to 20%. The current “graying of society”, which demographers refer to as population aging, is unprecedented in human history. Policy makers, faced with growing concern about containing the cost and scope of government, are being asked to re-examine the government’s social welfare role. Given the current political climate, what policy course should they chart to meet the challenges of an aging society? How will various options affect entitlements and program for current and future generations of older adults?

This course introduces students to the policies, politics and programs of an aging society. Using state and federal age-based legislation as case studies, we will examine the policy-making decisions for current and future generations of older persons. This course will also address the impacts of age-based legislation such as Social Security, Medicare, and the Older Americans Act and examine the implications of these policies for different groups in our society as we age.

OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES

The learning objectives of the course are to:

▪ Discuss the major problems and controversies in the United States surrounding the aging of the population.

▪ Analyze the social, economic, historical, legal and political contexts within which policies for an aging society exist and are proposed.

▪ Describe the key public programs and policies designed to assist older adults and their families.

▪ Evaluate the various proposals, reforms and debates surrounding policy decisions affecting the elderly.

▪ Apply in-class knowledge to case studies and other “real life” situations.

By the end of the course students are expected to be able to:

▪ Discuss the social, political, and economic implications of an aging society.

▪ Describe the public policy making process in the United States, using examples form age-based legislation.

▪ Describe the historical development of legislation and programs related to older adults.

▪ Evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, and trade-offs inherent in current age-based policy.

▪ Identify the main features of policies that affect the income, employment, housing, health, and long-term care of elders.

READINGS AND MATERIALS

During the course of the semester, it is very important that you keep up with the reading assignments for the class in order to facilitate our discussions. There are two required books for the course, which can be purchased in the university bookstore, or from online booksellers such as . The titles of the books are:

1) Moody, Harry R. (2006). Aging: Concepts and Controversies. Fifth edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.

2) Hudson, Robert B. (Ed.) (2005). The New Politics of Old Age Policy. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Press.

Electronic reserve:

In addition to the two textbooks, there are also several required journal articles and book chapters located on Docushare (). To access this cache of documents, you will need to enter the username (gero340) and the password (jon2008). From here, you can download each week’s reading assignments and controversies. Early in the semester, the TA (Bernard) will instruct you on how to access these articles.

Students may also be provided with a few handouts to help keep up with current issues and provide additional background information on the topics we discuss.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Several different measures will be used to determine your grade for the course. It will be based on:

Due Date

Internet Research Paper 10% February 12

Short paper 1 10% March 4

Term Paper Proposal 5% March 11

Short paper 2 10% March 13

Term Paper 25% April 29

Final 25% May 8

Class Participation 15% (on-going)

Internet Search Interest Group Paper

For this paper, you will search for and write about a key interest group in the field of aging. Your 3-4 page paper should cover the history, purposes (missions, goals, objectives) of the organization, size, location, source(s) of power, particular areas of interest, and relevant activities, such as newsletters, policy or research units. You may need to use other readings, such as encyclopedias or newspapers, and/or various other online resources (see page 423 of the Moody book).

A listing of the many interest groups on aging may be found at the website for the Leadership Council on Aging Organizations. It is preferred (but not mandatory) that you pick one of the following: AARP, Alzheimer's Association, American Association of Housing and Services for the Aging, American Society on Aging, Gerontological Society of America, National Council on Aging, National Association of Home Care, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, National Association of State Units on Aging, or Older Women's League. The paper is due on February 12.

Short Paper 1 – Guidelines will be handed out on January 29. The paper is due on March 4.

Short Paper 2 – Report on site visit. Guidelines will be handed out on the week of the site visit. The paper is due on March 13.

Term Paper

This assignment consists of an in-depth analysis of an aging policy or program of your choice. This should not be a paper you are doing or have done for another class. It should be based on multiple sources (books, journals, newspaper/news magazine articles, and/or the internet). Students will trace the historical development of the selected program or policy, identify key actors and stakeholders in the development of the policy, and discuss the implications of the policy for current and future older adults.

For this paper, you should select a public policy or program in which you have a particular interest that affects the elderly (e.g., driving, older women and pensions, guardianship, nursing home regulation, Social Security privatization, Medicare prescription drug costs, adult day care, geriatric training programs, Section 202 housing, assisted living, Title V of the Older Americans Act, senior centers, family care giving). Papers should be well-focused, so avoid topics that are too broad.

The purpose of the paper is to describe and analyze an aging issue. The paper should be 10-12 pages in length, typed, and double-spaced. Use a 12-pitch type and one inch margins on each side. In addition, please include a list of references, using appropriate (APA, 5th edition) bibliographic form. Refer to Moody, pages 419-427 for a very useful section on how to research a term paper in gerontology. Abstract/proposal due March 11. Final paper due on April 29.

Term Paper Guidelines

Drawing on several sources of information, including the assigned readings, lectures, and class discussions, your paper should incorporate the following features if relevant to the policy issue:

1) NATURE OF THE PROBLEM: Most policies start out as attempted solutions to problems or needs. Describe the problem or need. What are the human impacts?

2) DEMOGRAPHICS AND ECONOMICS: Provide any quantitative analysis that is possible. How many people, in what categories, are affected in what ways? What are the economic costs, and who pays what?

3) HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROBLEM: What is the history of the problem or need? How was it handled before? How is it related to trends in the U.S. or world history? Is the problem becoming more severe?

4) THE POLICY ‘STATUS QUO’: What is the current means of handling the problem or need. That is, what is the current policy? Is the policy “explicit”, “implicit”, or aspects of both? What laws or administrative institutions (i.e. agencies), and/or what organizations or business firms, are involved with the problem and with attempted solutions or implicit action in connection with the problem? Are any of these entities working at cross-purposes or making the problem worse?

5) POLICY EVALUATION: What are the intended and actual impacts of the policy/program? Is it effective given the costs to society? What incentives and disincentives are created and maintained by the policy?

6) POLICY DEBATE AND PUBLIC OPINION: What are the points of public discussion or controversy? Does the public discussion of the issue accurately or adequately represent its complexity? Are certain facets of the issue hidden or avoided?

7) POWER AND POLITICS: Who are the contending groups? What are the powerful groups and forces?

8) THE AGENDA FOR CHANGE OR REFORM: What policy innovations or changes are in order? What reforms are being discussed? Does your evaluation of the policy/program indicate it should be eliminated, overhauled, fine-tuned, left as it is, better financed, etc.? Will these issues remain as important policies or programs for older adults in the 21st century (use 2020 as the reference year)?

Grading Criteria for Term Paper

Your paper will be graded on the following criteria:

COMPREHENSIVENESS: Is your paper comprehensive? Have you addressed the stated guidelines?

EXECUTION: Is your paper well written, presentable, and well organized? Is it grammatically correct, with correct spelling and punctuation?

DOCUMENTATION: Have you included references to the literature (especially the readings from class) and a bibliography? Use parenthetical references, e.g. (Moody, 1998). Do you appear to understand the concepts and cite the readings appropriately?

CRITICAL THOUGHT: Do you bring anything new or original to your discussion? Do you look at issues in a new light or suggest new ideas in your paper?

Final Exam

The final exam will be a closed-book, in-class test with both objective and essay questions covering course material presented in the readings, and class lectures. FINAL EXAM: Thursday, May 8, 2:00-4:00pm in GER 224.

Class Participation

Student participation is a critical factor in learning. It is expected that you will have read all assigned readings for a particular class meeting before you come to class. A good participation score is dependent on your regular attendance, and participation in our discussions of various topics in gerontology.

Over the course of the semester, students will lead discussions about “controversial topics”. In addition, you will give several brief presentations of your own work (i.e., synopses of your short papers and your term paper).

More generally, final participation scores are based on your contributions of interesting insights and/or thoughtful questions about the subject matter, your demonstrated familiarity with assigned readings and understanding of key concepts developed during the semester.

OUTLINE OF CLASS SESSIONS

|SECTION 1: AGING, GOVERNMENT, AND HISTORY OF AGE-BASED POLICY |

|Week 1 |

| |

|January 15, Tuesday |

|Introductions, overview of course and expectations. Aging Quiz. Challenges of an aging society, diversity of older persons (race/ethnicity, |

|gender, social and economic class), health and long-term care, income. An overview of policies/programs affecting elders. |

| |

|January 17, Thursday |

|Discussion of American values. Defining power, influence, public policy, and politics. Social and economic outlook for an aging society. |

| |

|Video: 1995 White House Conference on Aging Summary Video (23 min) |

| |

|Readings: |

|Reserve #1: Achenbaum, pp. 3 – 24 |

|Reserve #2: Gelfand, pp. 3 – 8 |

|Week 2 |

| |

|January 22, Tues. |

|The United States Congress: How a bill becomes a law and why most bills fail to become law. The dynamics of congressional politics. Typical path|

|of legislation, authorization vs. appropriations, advocacy, mark-up. |

| |

|Guest Lecturer – Jorge Lambrinos, Lecturer, Leonard Davis School |

| |

|Readings: |

|Reserve #3: Generations, 28 (1): 36-41. |

|Reserve #4: Generations, 28 (1) 41-47. |

| |

|January 24, Thurs. Sign-up to lead controversy discussions. |

|American politics and public policy. The U.S. Constitution as a framework—the three branches of government and the policy process. Who sets the |

|public policy agenda? The role of the President. |

| |

|Readings: |

|Reserve #5: Birkland, pp. 52 – 78. |

| |

|Week 3 |

| |

|January 29, Tues.; Guidelines, short paper #1 handed out. |

|Workshop on use of AgeLine and other resources. Bernard will lead a mandatory session on accessing online information pertaining to aging, |

|including AgeLine (a key resource for your term paper) and other data sources. |

| |

|Later, you should explore the internet on your own to find out about the interest group you selected for your first written assignment, due on |

|February 12, 2008. Also, be sure to search AgeLine (and other resources) for the topic you have chosen for the term paper or any other area in |

|which you are interested. This will help you prepare for the preliminary term paper proposal that you will be submitting on March 11, 2008. |

| |

|Readings: |

|Moody, Prologue. pp. xxi - xxix. |

|Moody, A Life-Course Perspective on Aging. pp. 1-39. |

| |

|January 31, Thurs. |

|The Aging Network: The role and structure of the state (SUA) and local government (AAA), aging programs and services. Layman’s Guide to the |

|Older American’s Act— Nutrition Assistance for Older Americans; Older Americans Act Network/State-Level Services in California/Department of |

|Health and Human Service; The Food Stamp Program and older people. |

| |

|Readings: |

|Moody, pp. 157 |

|Reserve #6: Gelfand, pp. 9-23 |

|Week 4 |

| |

|February 5, Tues. |

|The Aging Network (cont.): Senior Centers yesterday and today. Merging models of Senior Centers. |

|Film: “Number Our Days” |

| |

|Readings: |

|Reserve #7: Evanshwick, pp. 313-325 |

|Reserve #8: Gelfand, pp. 145- 159 |

| |

|February 7, Thurs. |

|Political theories and the politics of aging; interest groups, political advocacy |

| |

|Readings: |

|Reserve #9: Reserve #12: Generations, 28 (1), 9-16. |

|Reserve #10: Birkland, pp. 200 -213, & 224-232 |

| |

|CONTROVERSY #1 |

|“Should the Aging Network be Dismantled?” |

|Scharlach and Kaye: Controversial Issues in Aging, pp. 22-33. |

|Week 5 |

| |

|February 12, Tues.; Internet exercise on interest groups DUE. |

|Students present internet exercises. |

|Guest Lecturer: Marvin Schachter, Executive Council Member, AARP California. |

| |

|Readings: |

|Reserve #11: Generations, 28 (1), 17-24. |

|Reserve #12: Generations, 28 (1), 25-30. |

| |

|February 14, Thurs. |

|Aging and voting behavior, attitudes of current presidential candidates. |

| |

|Readings: |

|Reserve #13: The Gerontologist, 40 (1), 18 - 31 |

| |

|CONTROVERSY #2 |

|“Do the Elderly Really Have Political Clout?” |

|Scharlach and Kaye, Controversial Issues in Aging, pp. 81-91 |

|Week 6 |

| |

|February 19, Tues. |

|Age-based policy-social issue or public policy problem? Policy approaches to aging: |

|Success or excess? Alternatives to age as a policy criterion, means-testing vs. entitlement. |

| |

|Readings: |

|Moody, pp. 163-176 |

|Hudson, pp. 23 - 41. |

| |

|February 21, Thurs. |

|Intergenerational politics in an aging society: dependency ratios, poverty rates, generational |

|accounting, targeting scarce resources, intergenerational transfers. |

| |

|Readings: |

|Reserve #14: Schulz and Binstock, pp. 25 – 41. |

| |

|CONTROVERSY #3: |

|“Should Age be Abandoned as a Basis for Program and Service Eligibility?” |

|Scharlach and Kaye: Controversial Issues in Aging, pp. 58-68. |

|SECTION 2: HOUSING, HEALTH , AND ECONOMIC ISSUES |

|Week 7 |

| |

|February 26, Tues. |

|Housing policy for older adults; Section 8; Section 202; Fair |

|Housing Act of 1968; Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988. |

| |

|Readings: |

|Hudson, pp. 244 – 262. |

| |

|February 28, Thurs. |

|Aging in place, Naturally occurring retirement communities; Continuing-care retirement |

|communities, congregate housing, shared housing; Assisted living facilities. |

| |

|Readings: |

|Reserve #15: Pynoos & Nishita, pp. 185 -198 |

|Week 8 |

| |

|March 4, Tues.; Short Paper #1 Due |

|Tuesday, 3/4/08 **Field Trip at St. John of God**: We will meet at the facility located at 2035 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, during our |

|class time (be at the facility at 2:00 p.m.). Since the second short paper about the field trip is due next week, you may want to bring a |

|scratchpad and pencil to make notes about your observations. The entire tour of the facility should take between one and a half and two hours. |

| |

|March 6, Thurs. |

|Field-trip debriefing. |

|Senior Housing; Aging in community—new strategies for elder-friendly communities |

| |

|Guest Lecturer: Victor Regnier— Professor: School of Architecture; Leonard Davis School |

|Trends in Northern European Housing and Service Environments for the Elderly |

| |

|Readings: |

|To be announced |

|Week 9 |

| |

|March 11, Tues. , Term Paper Proposal due |

| |

|Home Modification—senior/disabled-friendly environments; “visitability”; Universal Design. Health promotion for fall-prevention. Nursing homes. |

| |

|Readings: |

|Reserve #16: Evashwick, pp. 143 -162 |

|Reserve #17: Messecar et al., pp. 357 – 370 |

| |

|Week 9 (continued) |

| |

|March 13, Thurs.; Short Paper #2 Due |

|Guest Lecturer, Fernando Torres-Gil, Director, Center for Policy Research on Aging; Acting Dean, School of Public Affairs; Professor, Social |

|Welfare and Public Policy, University of California, Los Angeles |

| |

|Readings: |

|Reserve #18: Evashwick, pp. 69 - 86 |

| |

|March 18 & 20, No Class—Spring Break!! |

| |

|Week 10 |

| |

|March 25, Tues. |

|Long-Term Care: What is it? Who provides it? Who needs it? Who pays for it? Home- |

|and community-based services: History, benefits, issues. Services in the continuum of |

|care. Major government programs supporting Home- and Community-Based Care for |

|older adults. |

| |

|Readings: |

|Moody, pp. 282 – 293 |

|Hudson, pp. 156-167 |

| |

|March 27, Thurs. |

|Care-giving. |

|Guest Lecturer: Shawn Herz, Director of Program Development, Los Angeles Caregiver Resource Center |

|Film: “Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter” |

| |

|Readings: |

|Reserve #19: Generations, 25(1), 7-11. |

|Reserve #20: Generations, 25(1), 85-91. |

|Week 11 |

| |

|April 1, Tues. |

|Acute care and Medicare-Parts A-D, how financed, how delivered. Medicare as national health insurance: aged and long-term disabled |

| |

|Guest Lecturer: Freddi Segal-Gidan, Physician Assistant, Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center. |

| |

|Readings: |

|Reserve #21: Generations 29 (1), 30-34. |

|Hudson, pp. 205 – 218 |

| |

| |

|Week 11 (continued) |

| |

|April 3, Thurs. |

|Medicare Part D: Prescription drug coverage: issues |

| |

|Readings: |

|Moody, pp. 277-282 |

|Reserve #22: Generations, 29 (1), 91 – 93 |

| |

|CONTROVERSY #4 |

|“Should Eligibility for Medicare Be Means-Tested?” |

|Scharlach and Kaye: Controversial Issues in Aging, pp. 13-21. |

|Week 12 |

| |

|April 8, Tues. |

|Income status: variations by age, race/ethnicity, and gender. Overview of Social Security, SSI, pensions-history, benefits, issues. |

| |

|Readings: |

|Reserve #23: Generations, 29 (1), 23 - 26 |

|Reserve #24: Generations, 29 (1), 97 - 99 |

| |

|April 10, Thurs. |

|Social Security: What is the best solution for ‘fixing’ it? Privatization, personal security accounts, issue of inequity for women and |

|minorities. |

| |

|Readings: |

|Moody, pp. 199 -228 |

|Reserve #25: Generations, 29 (1), 53 - 58 |

| |

|CONTROVERSY #5 |

|“Should Social Security Benefits Be Reduced for High-Income Individuals?” |

|Scharlach and Kaye: Controversial Issues in Aging, pp. 1-12. |

|Week 13 |

| |

|April 15, Tues. |

|Aging and disability policy. Demographics of disability. Models of disability. The disability network; Independent Living programs. Americans |

|with Disabilities Act of 1990; Olmstead decision. |

| |

|Readings: |

|Reserve #26: Evashwick, pp. 295 - 311 |

| |

| |

| |

| |

| |

|Week 13 (continued) |

| |

|April 17, Thurs. |

|Partnerships and coalitions between aging and disability networks. The relationship between aging and disability networks. |

| |

|Readings: |

|Reserve #27: Putnam, pp. 135 - 159 |

| |

|Week 14 |

| |

|April 22, Tues. |

|Retirement: Does it make sense today and in the future? History of retirement, an aging |

|work force, older workers, social policy approaches. |

|Guest Lecturer: Helen Dennis, Specialist in Aging, Retirement, and Employment, Leonard |

|Davis School of Gerontology |

| |

|Readings: |

|Reserve #28: Generations, 31 (1), 84-89 |

|Reserve #29: Generations, 31 (1), 31-36. |

| |

|April 24, Thurs. |

|Retirement (cont.) |

| |

|Readings: |

|Moody, pp. 231-246 |

|Reserve #30: Generations, 31 (1), 23-30. |

| |

|CONTROVERSY #6 |

|“Should There Be an Affirmative Action Policy for Hiring Older Persons?” |

|Scharlach and Kaye: Controversial Issues in Aging, pp. 34-44. |

|Week 15 |

| |

|April 29, Tues. |

|Paper Presentations TERM PAPER DUE |

| |

|May 1, Thurs. |

|Review for Final Exam: LAST DAY OF CLASSES. |

FINAL EXAM, May 8, 2008 in GERO rm. 224, 2:00 to 4:00 pm.

Accommodations for students with disabilities

Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 AM-5:00PM, Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.

Behavior Violating University Standards and Appropriate Sanctions (from SCampus)

General principles of academic honesty include and incorporate the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles.

11.11 PLAGIARISM

A. The submission of material authored by another person but represented as the student’s own work, whether that material is paraphrased or copied in verbatim or near-verbatim form.

B. The submission of material subjected to editorial revision by another person that results in substantive changes in content or major alteration of writing style.

C. Improper acknowledgment of sources in essays or papers.

Note: Culpability is not diminished when plagiarism occurs in drafts which are not the final version. Also, if any material is prepared or submitted by another person on the student’s behalf, the student is expected to proofread the results and is responsible for all particulars of the final draft.

For more information, consult SCampus.

Journals and Other Resources

The following materials in the Gerontology Library may be useful to you:

Journal of Aging and Social Policy, Generations, The Gerontologist

Certain Generations articles are available online for reading at

Depending on your interests, you should look at other journals that deal with particular topics such as health care and long-term care. Other topics such as employment and housing may be covered in journals elsewhere on campus (business, VKC, Doheny).

You should also look for information on a database called AgeLine, which can be found at . Bernard will be running the special session in week three as noted and will be available if you need further assistance. Other databases can help you track legislation (e.g. LegisLate). Government Documents in Doheny also is a good source for resources such as the U.S. General Accounting Office reports. Many of the latter can also be found on the Internet.

The topics we are discussing have received considerable press coverage in the last several years. You’ll be able to find a lot of information in “regular” news journals, such as Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, newspapers such as the LA Times, NY Times, and Wall Street Journal, and special news journals such as The National Journal. These can be found in VKC library, Leavey, Doheny, and on line.

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