SOAN 265 - Structured Inequalities

This course explores the dimensions and dynamics of structured inequalities over time and across societies, with a particular emphasis on the growing gap between rich and poor in the US and worldwide. Some questions to be considered: Is inequality necessary or beneficial? What constitutes a social class, and how do classes form? How are structures of inequality shaped by race, ethnicity, and gender? What role do key social institutions, including the family, the labor market, the media, and the school system play in generating and maintaining inequality and lack of mobility? How can we address the challenges of poverty and unequal access to jobs, education, housing, and political and personal power? As a 200-level class in the sociology track of the major, it is also designed to build skills for analyzing arguments and working with data.

Credits: 3
When Offered: (spring only)
NOTE: This course fulfills the Social Scientific Mode of Inquiry and the Intercultural Interconnecting Perspective of the Liberal Studies Program.
NOTE: This course counts toward the 63-credit Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) graduation requirement.