SOCY1072 · Sociology

Inequality in America

Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences

This course examines class inequalityin American society. It not only describes how the rich, the poor, and the middle classes live, but also how they relate to one another. Topics include the strategies used by the rich for maintaining the status quo, the hopes cherished by the middle class for improving their position, and the obstacles that keep the poor in their place. The class is writing intensive, with half the papers focused on readings that emphasize the dynamics of inequality as they are enacted by men and women, and by people of color and Caucasians, and the other half focused on diverse research experiences: simulations, interviews, observations, documentary analysis, fiction writing, etc.