College Seminar (101-7-20)

Topic

Reality Bites: Politics, Culture, & Society in the

Instructors

Anthony S Chen
847/467-0515
1808 Chicago Ave., Room 105
Anthony S. Chen is Associate Professor of Sociology and Political Science.

Meeting Info

Harris Hall L04: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

"Reality Bites: The Nineties and the Origins of Our Unequal and Polarized Times"

Today, key aspects of American politics are characterized by the highest levels of polarization that have been witnessed for nearly a century. A similar statement can be made about the American economy. Income and wealth are more unequally distributed these days than they have been since the earliest decades of the twentieth century. We live in an age of extremes.

What happened? How and why did we get here?

This course draws on a selection of academic and popular readings as well as music, film, and television to explore idea that key dimensions of our unequal and polarized times can be traced to the social struggles, political conflicts, and economic dilemmas that played out during the period of time that goes under the aegis of "The Nineties."

Learning Objectives

This course aims to help students develop their reading, writing, and oral communication skills. It also aims to introduce them to the ways that sociologists and other social scientists think about inequality and polarization. Lastly, it strives to help students develop some basic intuitions for thinking about how certain features of contemporary society may be rooted in the developments and events of the recent past.

Class Attributes

WCAS College Seminar