Social Isolation Pub Policy

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

A growing number of individuals live alone, dine alone, work remotely, have no close friends or spouse, and do not participate in local associations. Social isolation is more lethal than smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It lurks behind today’s anxiety epidemic, plays a prominent role in deaths of despair, and is the lived experience of most mass shooters. The lack of social capital predicts lower social mobility. And atomized societies, with reduced capacity for collective action, are more susceptible to authoritarianism. Social isolation has been called “the most important social fact of the 21st century” and “one of the defining challenges of our time.” We begin this seminar attempting to bring into focus what scholars worry we are losing—friendship, social glue, social capital, strong/weak ties, fraternity, solidarity, community. We then take an interdisciplinary approach to diagnosing social isolation, reading accounts from different disciplines that (a) identify distinct causes, (b) offer distinct reasons to care, and (c) propose distinct remedies. The seminar culminates in each participant developing and defending a policy proposal aimed at alleviating social isolation. This course will appeal to students concerned about social isolation and to anyone drawn to the challenge of comprehending a complex social ailment and using public policy to remedy it.