FYS: The Great Divide: Income and Wealth Inequality in the United States

3 Credits.

How do we measure inequalities in income and wealth? What do the historical and comparative trends look like and how do economists explain them? Is economic inequality a significant problem in the United States today? If not, why not? If so, why? And what tools do we have in the policy arsenal to deal with it? In sharing our different perspectives we will have to wrestle with concepts you may be curious about, such as “supply-side economics” “technological change” “free trade” “the top 1%” and “the k-shaped economy,” concepts that will hopefully prove useful in your understanding of other current economic issues. As an added twist, we will pair short vignettes from literature with economics readings to provide a historical and philosophical perspective, and to motivate our weekly discussions. You will have the opportunity to exchange ideas with fellow classmates in presenting group research and leading class discussions. Your final, individual presentation will explore some aspect of economic inequality, broadly defined, inspired by your own selection from literature, poetry, art, music, or film.