Course Description

Prior to the 1960s the United States was a relatively fluid society in that people could move up the income ladder. The United States has now developed a highly unequal distribution of income and fairly rigid social class structure. We will study the history of income and wealth inequality in the United States to isolate the causes of these changes.

---

Athena Title

Politics of Income Inequality

---

Prerequisite

POLS 1101 or POLS 1101E or POLS 1105H

---

Grading System

A - F (Traditional)

---

Course Objectives

To show students how income inequality affects the political and economic systems. Left unaddressed, structural inequality eventually causes serious political instability and class conflict.

---

Topical Outline

1. Congressional Polarization: 1970-2014 2. The Basics of Income Inequality in the U.S. Since the End of WW2 3. The Financial Crisis of 2008-09 and the Great Recession 4. Immigration, Education, Job Skills, and Globalization 5. Money, Organized Interests, and American Politics 6. The Influence of Affluent Citizens on Public Policy 7. The Public Policy Consequences of Polarization and Inequality

---