Social Inequality

Undergraduate credit

The United States has higher inequality - the gap between the rich and the poor - than any of the other industrialized democracies. Further, that gap has increased dramatically since 1980. This course examines inequality in U.S. society from a sociological perspective, incorporating insights from other fields, including demography, psychology, and economics. We will explore contemporary debates and issues, with an emphasis on research evidence. A goal of the course is to encourage students to critically evaluate their own assumptions about the rich and the poor in U.S society.