Advanced Seminar in Personality, Clinical, or Social Psychology (390-0-1)
Topic
Psychology of Inequality
Instructors
Michael Kraus
Meeting Info
Swift Hall 210: Tues 12:30PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
In our world, resources and opportunities have been distributed unequally across time and context. Why does inequality so fundamentally shape our social reality?; why does it seem to persist against efforts to bring about equity and justice?; and how is our psychology involved in this process? This seminar is designed to accomplish two goals: (1) to provide an empirical and historical knowledge base that will help you generate your answers to these questions; and (2) to better understand how social psychologists study inequality. To accomplish these two goals, we will use readings, discussions, activities, and brief written assignments to develop our understanding of inequality, and its roots in fundamental aspects of our lives and psychology.
Registration Requirements
Psych 205 required, Psych 204 recommended but not required
Learning Objectives
At the end of the course, students will have a clearer sense of:
• The reasons why inequality is interlocking and pervasive in our social systems
• How inequality shapes human potential across the life course
• The cognitive, motivational, and affective states that are shaped by inequality
• How the production of psychological science is rooted in inequalities
• How inequality defines the challenges of our past, present, and future
• Psychological processes involved in solidarity, resistance, and collective action
• How researchers have studied the psychology of inequality in the past, as well as how they might study it in the future
In practical terms, students who complete this course will be topic experts on this subject and will be prepared to explore how inequality shapes the world and their lives with greater clarity and depth in the future.
Teaching Method
Class will be a dynamic, mixing discussion, lecture, group work, and short writing/reflection assignments
Evaluation Method
25% (prework exercises to apply what we're reading)
Class Materials (Required)
All reading materials will have active download links, no costs to students
Class Notes
Total workload for the course should be ~2-3 hours per week outside of class and the Tuesday class session.
Class Attributes
Attendance at 1st class mandatory
Prerequisites apply, see description
No Freshmen
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration -- Reserved for Psychology students.
Prerequisite: Students must complete Psych 205-0 before taking this course.