Economics and MLA

Learning Objectives

• Critically analyze social problems by identifying value perspectives and applying concepts of sociology, political science, and economics;

• Use knowledge and analyses of social problems to evaluate public policy, and to suggest policy alternatives, with special reference to questions of social justice, the common good, and public and individual responsibility.

Economic Goal 3: Low Inflation

• The Government wants low levels of inflation, why?

• Measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI)

• How it has changed over time

Goal 4: A positive Balance of Trade

• A Nation Wants to Export more than it Imports

• The United States is the reverse

Our Trade Deficit

Why We have a Trade deficit

• Where it comes from

• What are the reasons

The Advantages and Disadvantages of a Trade Deficit

• Disadvantages

• Advantages

Goal 5: Sound Tax Policy

• A sound tax policy should collect as much at it spends

• A sound policy does not disrupt the functioning of the economy

Where to set the Tax Rate• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxPVyieptwA

Types of Taxes

• Regressive

• Progressive

• Sin Taxes

Our Tax Burden Is Lower than Most Nations

Who Pays Income Tax?

The National Debt: The problem of our Tax Policy

• We accumulate annual budget Deficits

• We have to Pay interest on this

• We owe roughly 14 Trillion Dollars

Everyone has a hand in it

Comparative Debt

The Debt

• Disadvantages

• Advantages

What to about it

• Raise Taxes

• Cut Spending

• Some Combination of both

Raising Taxes

• A Political Albatross

• We like Tax Cuts instead

• We Like sin taxes- but we are running out of these

Raising Taxes on Who?

• Soak The Rich

• Make the Poor Chip in

• Close Loopholes

Change How We Tax

• Add a consumption or VAT Tax

• Add a Flat Tax

• Try A “Fair Tax”

Cut Spending

• There is No Political Gain to do so

• Cut Back on Entitlements

• Reduce Discretionary Spending

We Love to Spend

Pay the Light Bill

MLAThe Way to write your paper

What is MLA?MLA (Modern Language Association) style formatting is essential for doing well in American Dilemmas

The Importance of MLA

• 16% of Submission 1• 7.5% of Submission 2• 7.5% of Submission 3Taken Together, MLA Constitutes 4.6% of your

Final Grade

What does MLA regulate?

MLA regulates:

Document Format

In-text citations

Works Cited

(a list of all sources

used in the paper)

Format: General Guidelines• Double-space everything

• Use 12 pt. Times New Roman font (or similar font)• Leave only one space after punctuation• Set all margins to 1 inch on all sides• Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch•Page Numbers on all pages

Formatting the 1st Page• No title page

• Double space everything

•In the upper left corner of the 1st page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and date

•Center the paper title

•Create a header in the upper right corner at halfinch from the top and one inch from the right of the page (include your last name and page number)

Sample 1st Page

IN THE BODY OF THE PAPER

In-Text Citations: the Basics

• MLA uses parenthetical citations

• Parenthetical citations depend on the medium (e.g. Print, Web, DVD)

• Parenthetical citations also depend on the source’s entry on the Works Cited page

How to cite an AuthorIn-text Example:

Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous

overflow of powerful feelings" (263).

Or

Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of

powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263). Wordsworth extensively

explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).

Corresponding Works Cited Entry:

Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford

U.P., 1967. Print.

How to cite an author

In-text Example:

Human beings have been described by Kenneth Burke as "symbol-using animals" (3).

Human beings have been described as "symbol-using animals" (Burke 3).

Print Source with Author

Corresponding Works Cited Entry:

Burke, Kenneth. Language as Symbolic Action: Essays

on Life, Literature, and Method. Berkeley: U of

California P, 1966. Print.

With Unknown Author

In-text Example:

We see so many global warming hotspots in North America likely because this region

has “more readily accessible climatic data and more comprehensive programs to

monitor and study environmental change . . .” (“Impact of Global Warming” 6).

With Unknown Author

Corresponding Works Cited Entry:

“The Impact of Global Warming in North America.”

GLOBAL WARMING: Early Signs. 1999. Web. 23 Mar.

2009.

Other In-Text Citations

Work by Multiple Authors

In-text Examples:

Smith, Yang, and Moore argue that tougher gun control is not needed in the

United States (76).

The authors state "Tighter gun control in the United States erodes Second

Amendment rights" (Smith, Yang, and Moore 76).

Jones et al. counter Smith, Yang, and Moore's argument by noting the current

spike in gun violence in America compels law makers to adjust gun laws (4).

Other In-Text CitationsMiscellaneous Non-Print Sources

In-text Example:

Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo stars Herzog's long-time film partner, Klaus Kinski.

During the shooting of Fitzcarraldo, Herzog and Kinski were often at odds, but their

explosive relationship fostered a memorable and influential film.

Corresponding Works Cited Entry:

Herzog, Werner, dir. Fitzcarraldo. Perf. Klaus Kinski.

Filmverlag der Autoren, 1982. Film.

Other In-Text Citations

Sources from the Internet

In-text Example:

One online film critic stated that Fitzcarraldo is "...a beautiful and terrifying critique of

obsession and colonialism" (Garcia, “Herzog: a Life”).

Corresponding Works Cited Entry:

Garcia, Elizabeth. "Herzog: a Life." Online Film Critics

Corner. The Film School of New Hampshire, 2 May

2002. Web. 8 Jan. 2009.

Formatting Short QuotationsIn-text Examples:

According to some, dreams express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184),

though others disagree.

According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express "profound aspects of personality"

(184).

Is it possible that dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184)?

Cullen concludes, "Of all the things that happened there / That's all I remember" (11-

12).

Formatting Long QuotationsIn-text Example:

Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her

narration:

They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room,

and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping

it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else attracted by hearing

his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on

quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got there; I was

obliged to confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and

inhumanity was sent out of the house. (Bronte 78)

WORKS CITED

Works Cited vs. Bibliography

• Works Cited– Includes only things cited or appearing in the text

• Bibliography– Everything you used for the paper– Even stuff that didn’t make the final cut

Works Cited Page: The BasicsSample Works Cited page:

Works Cited Page: BooksBasic Format:

Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication:

Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.

Examples:

Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York:

Penguin, 1987. Print.

Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to

Peer Tutoring. Boston: Allyn, 2000. Print.

Palmer, William J. Dickens and New Historicism. New York: St.

Martin's, 1997. Print.

---. The Films of the Eighties: A Social History. Carbondale:

Southern Illinois UP, 1993. Print.

Works Cited Page: PeriodicalsArticle in a Magazine Format:

Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Day Month Year:

pages. Medium of publication.

Example:

Buchman, Dana. "A Special Education." Good Housekeeping

Mar. 2006: 143-8. Print.

Article in Scholarly Journal Format:

Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume.Issue (Year):

pages. Medium of publication.

Example:

Duvall, John N. "The (Super)Marketplace of Images: Television

as Unmediated Mediation in DeLillo's White Noise." Arizona

Quarterly 50.3 (1994): 127- 53. Print.

Works Cited Page: WebWeb Source Format:

Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). “Article

Name.” Name of Site. Version number. Name of

institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor

or publisher). Date of last update. Medium of publication.

Date of access.

Works Cited Page: WebExamples:

Bernstein, Mark. "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web.”

A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites. A

List Apart Mag., 16 Aug. 2002. Web. 4 May 2009.

Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory.

Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003. Web. 10 May 2006.

"How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow.com. eHow,

n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2009.

Economic Inequality

AKA Poverty

What is Poverty• Absolute Deprivation

• Relative Deprivation

The Role of Social Class

• What is Social Class

• How the United States compares to other nations

• Why social class is not as important in the United States

The Components of Social Class

• Wealth

• Status

• Political Power

The Wealthy

• About 3% of the Population

• Old vs. New Money

• An Endogamous culture

The Middle Class

• Most of us claim to be in here

• Upper-Middle

• Lower Middle

Working Class• About 30% of the

Population

• Not as identifiable in the United States as other Nations

• Tend to be Hourly rather than salaried

The Poor

• Between 12-13% of the Population

• Low Wage Jobs or do not Work full time

SOCIAL CLASSThe Political Impact

Why not social class

• The Parties do not try to exploit social class

• We have never had an appreciable socialist movement

• People identify with other groups before class

Measuring Social Class

• We ask people which class they belong to– We are very likely to say middle class

• Within Social classes there are great variations in income

• Our partisanship doesn’t change with rising or lowering class.

Social Class and Partisanship

Republicans• Do better with poor whites in

the South

• Do better with Upper Middle Class voters

• Historically have done better with Middle Class voters

Democrats• Do better with poor and

working class

• Do better with the very wealthiest

• Do better with Union Members

Social Class and Voting

• Wealthy people vote at higher Rates

• Related to education

• Lower Information Costs

The Wealthy are More Likely to join Interest Groups