This survey course focus on three major themes of the contemporary United States: government, resources, and cities. Stress on the importance of transition from the 1960's. Examination of how each sector is influenced by policy currents, economic trends, and social conflicts.

This course invites students to consider the ways in which capitalist economies and particular forms of social life are indelibly bound up with one another. It offers a social and political perspective on economics in five parts. The first introduces theoretical approaches to the study of markets formulated by classical and neoclassical economists before examining critiques of both liberal economic thought and capitalism as a social formation. The second examines market economies as social constructions and probes how “the economy” emerged as a discrete object of technical analysis. The third turns toward neoliberalism and the way activities previously considered non-economic have become valorized along market lines. The fourth engages with processes of globalization and the rise of finance as a primary engine of capital. The course’s concluding section reflects on the possibility of alternative models of economic organization with an eye toward social, environmental, and economic justice.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills