Unequal America

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Although America is world's richest nation, it has the most unequal distribution of wealth and income in the industrialized world. In this course, we will examine why this is so. In particular, we will examine the following questions: What social forces create inequality in society? Is inequality inevitable? Is there such a thing as "social class"? Who gets ahead and why? Why is race/ethnicity and gender still related to social status, wealth, and income? Does America have a "ruling elite?" Who are "the poor" and what explains their poverty? Are there social policies that can create more equality in American society -- is that what Americans really want?