Throwing money at the alleged causes of poverty is like throwing a stone in a river to change its course, said David Harris, deputy provost and vice provost for the social sciences at Cornell. You will make a splash, but the river keeps on rolling.

In his role as a scholar of inequality, Harris will lead an introductory discussion, "Opportunity 101: What Affects Access" to a group of Cornell alumni in New York City on June 18.

And yes, there is homework.

Harris' presentation will be the first of four seminars for Cornell alumni he is organizing with assistance from Alumni Affairs and Development on why poverty and inequality persist in the United States and abroad despite well-meaning efforts to eradicate it. The seminars are designed to provide alumni with a sense of "why the social sciences are more important and relevant to our lives than we may know," Harris said.

In his June 18 talk, he will draw from his latest social science research, which includes material from his forthcoming book, "The Colors of Poverty: Why Racial and Ethnic Disparities Persist," a collection of essays and studies co-edited with Ann Chih Lin, associate professor of political science at the University of Michigan.

Alums who attend Harris' class have been assigned a reading from the introductory chapter to the book, as well as to take a quiz on inequality that is available on Cornell's Center for the Study of Inequality's Web site, http://inequality.cornell.edu/. A major piece of this scholarship focuses on the concept that poverty is not an event with a specific cure, so much as the end result of a "cascading process," said Harris.

"It is a process where any type of disadvantage makes one vulnerable to more disadvantages," Harris said. "That increased vulnerability reduces the probability that any single solution, however effective, will make an overall difference in a disadvantaged person's life."

The solution, Harris said, is to figure out how to reduce vulnerability, to prevent disadvantages from cumulating. That means understanding the dynamics of poverty. By showcasing this material to alumni, many of whom are engaged in philanthropic enterprises to help the disadvantaged, Harris will help to inform people who are particularly positioned to make a difference in the country's efforts to reconcile its racial and economic disparities. Future seminars to be held throughout the fall will focus on inequality in education, work and developing countries.

As a social scientist, Harris' research focuses on race and ethnicity, inequality and public policy. As vice provost for the social sciences, he is charged with providing leadership for defining and achieving goals for the social sciences on campus and providing a social science perspective on Cornell policies and priorities.

Harris earned a B.S. degree in human development and social policy in 1991 and a Ph.D. in sociology in 1997, both from Northwestern University. He is a member of the board of overseers for the national General Social Survey and was a consultant for the National Research Council Committee to Evaluate the 2000 Census. He was appointed Cornell's first deputy provost in 2007.