Money Changes Everything Syllabus

Overview

Money Changes Everything is a Bedford Spotlight Reader (2014) that presents a collection of articles, essays, memoir, charts, advertisements, and book chapters, all on the theme of money.

This sample syllabus is presented in 4 units, each with a set of readings, writing emphases, and major assignment.

For more course planning samples, see:

A general syllabus templates for 16-week courses.

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 Unit 1

Readings:

• “Wealth and Poverty” by Peter Singer
• “On Plumbing and the Meaning of Poverty” by Melanie Scheller
• “The Good Life” by the Roper Center
• When Spending Becomes You” by Juliet Schor
• Why I Make Terrible Decisions, or Poverty Thoughts

Writing Emphases: Argument; Analysis; Narrative; Summary; Quotation

Assignment 1:

Financial Aid Appeal Letter

Unit 2

Readings:

• “May 2011 Wage Estimates” by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics
• “Serving in Florida” by Barbara Ehrenreich
• “The Vanishing Middle Class” by Elizabeth Warren

Writing Emphases: Narrative; Argument; Summary; Description; Quotation

Assignment 2:

Wages & Worth: Letter for a Pay Raise

Unit 3

Readings:

• “The Price of Motherhood” by Ann Crittenden
• “College Sports” by Murray Sperber
• Sample set of supplemental readings in Step 2 of Assignment 3.

Writing Emphases: Narrative; Pathos; Quotation; Summary; Reflection

Assignment 3:

The Cost of Unpaid Labor Essay

Unit 4

Writing Emphasis: Reflection

Assignment 4: Money Blog Post. Students compose a narrative reflection essay that includes 3 excerpts from their previous assignments; personal reflection on what they’ve learned; a Featured Image; brief Author Bio; and optional author photo. Instructor posts their content to a public blog. Students write with awareness of a broad, public audience. See sample class money blog here.