TEACHING THE POLITICAL-GEOGRAPHY OF POVERTY

The purpose of this paper is to examine the geography of poverty in th e state of Illinois and to use these empirical results as a basis for classroom discussions and exercises intended to involve students in th e current debate on poverty. Although poverty is generally associated with inner city locations, our results indicate that poverty levels ar e higher in rural areas, particularly those that are not adjacent to m etropolitan locations. The prevalence of low-wage employment and the g rowing number of single-parent families in rural areas are closely lin ked to increased poverty. Student surveys and the presentation of data were successful in generating discussion among undergraduate students at Western Illinois University. Student comments revealed a high degr ee of concern about poverty and sensitivity to the circumstances of th e poor.