| Location | Dwinelle 205 |
|---|---|
| Hours | Tuesday 6-7:30pm |
| Instructors | Maya Chawla, Erin Lakshmanan |
| Email Address | m[email protected], [email protected] |
| Office Hours | Email us to schedule! |
Greed is good, says Adam Smith, an oft-quoted line in the field of economics. But Smith follows this with the lesser-cited statement: “humanity, justice, generosity, and public spirit are the qualities most useful to others.” So when did the well-being of the economy become at odds with the well-being of people? Why is it that, in today’s market economy of capitalism, big corporations flourish and the top 1% grow richer while the working class suffers? This Decal explores today’s greatest societal inequalities through the lens of both economics and sociology, unpacking “middle-out” economics (an alternative to top-down economics) through various case studies and special topics presented in episodes of Nick Hanaeur’s podcast “Pitchfork Economics.” Each week will be structured around a selected podcast episode (which feature additional guests like Ingrid Robeyns, Brad DeLong, etc.), which students will listen to before class. Students will also learn about the different schools of economic and sociological thought, with an emphasis on addressing the missing perspective of sociology in college economics classes. Students will critically analyze texts and podcast episodes through written responses and in-class discussions. Students will produce their culminating project over the course of the semester: a written and recorded podcast episode of their own that explores a related topic of their choice. The final project may be completed individually or in groups of 2-3 students.
All course readings, assignments, and other important information will be available on the course website. Please make sure to check it regularly.