The class will introduce students with basic concepts for understanding social structure and inequalities, as starting point for poverty and social exclusion. Alongside the historical overview of terms and processes of poverty and exclusion, special attention is given to theories of poverty. Understanding basic concepts of poverty (absolute and relative) serves as a introduction to case studies - analyzing and explaining poverty and social exclusion in larger social groups - unemployed, homeless, minorities, senior citizens. Comprehension of social processes and context is achieved through comparing different cases, and groups.

to distinguish general theoretical and empirical approaches to poverty, to distinguish and compare main mechanisms that produce poverty, to analyze and compare mechanisms that influence social exclusion, to analyze the impact of broader social changes on poverty and exclusion, to analyze and compare consequences of poverty and exclusion, to analyze the position of individual and social groups,