Seminars (392-0-20)

Topic

Finance and Inequality

Instructors

Katherine Li Copas

Meeting Info

Parkes Hall 213: Tues, Thurs 3:30PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

"Finance and Inequality"

Wealth inequality has increased exponentially since the 1970s, with the bottom 50% of US households now holding less than 3% of total wealth according to recent Federal Reserve statistics. With the disappearance of social safety nets and an increase in financialization, more people are turning to credit to make ends meet. Society is both richer than ever before, but it is also more indebted. We are familiar with student loans, 30-year mortgages, and credit cards, but do not overlook apps like Robinhood, Venmo, and BitPay. Finance is more than a tool to make payments and investments; it also plays a role in reproducing and deepening inequality in the US and globally. What impact has financial technology and regulation had on society? What is the future of "fin-tech"? In this course, we will trace financialization in the United States from a business and regulatory perspective. Most importantly, we critically examine the disparate impacts of this new financial capitalism.

Learning Objectives

1. Apply a critical and sociological lens to financial and economic trends.
2. Gain a better understanding of the complex processes of financialization, racial capitalism, and neoliberalism.
3. Identify key regulations that enabled the expansion of credit in the US.
4. Recognize how the topics we discuss in class are evident in our own interactions and communities.
5. Learn to identify and incorporate scholarly work into their own writing.
6. Engage in constructive and respectful discussion with peers and instructors.

Teaching Method

Lecture, small-group discussions

Evaluation Method

Brief open-note reading quizzes, participation, midterm essay, final paper

Class Materials (Required)

All materials for this course will be made available on Canvas - no purchase necessary.

Class Attributes

Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area