Fall 2021  |  POL 3464 Section 001: Politics Economic Inequality (33580)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
In Person Term Based
Class Attributes:
UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
09/07/2021 - 12/15/2021
Mon, Wed 08:15AM - 09:30AM
UMTC, West Bank
Anderson Hall 270
Enrollment Status:
Open (84 of 85 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
Democracy is premised on formal political equality. Yet if economic wealth can be transformed into political influence, then we have good reason to worry about the quality of democracy. In this course students engage the question of the relationship between inequality and democracy in comparative perspective. The course first explores core conceptual and normative issues: how do we measure economic inequality, and why should we care about it? We then turn to the origins of inequality and explanations of its evolution, and then consider political efforts to redress inequalities, starting with the question of why the poor do not soak the rich under democracy ? the ?Robin Hood Paradox.? We then turn to efforts to explain real-world variation in economic redistribution around the world. Finally, we explore consequences of inequality for democracy: the extent to which the rich ?win? over everyone else in terms of policy representation, and the impact of economic inequality on the long-term evolution of democracy itself.
Class Notes:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?dsamuels+POL3464+Fall2021
Class Description:
Distributional issues are at the core of the study of politics. This is because while democracy is premised on formal political equality, if wealth and property can shape political power then equal rights do not mean equal influence. This class meets the UMN "Race, Power and Justice in the US" Liberal Education theme by engaging the question of the tension between democracy and economic inequality. What policies increase or decrease inequality? What are the political consequences of rising inequality - in general and particularly for ethnic and racial minorities? The course focuses on the USA but puts American politics in global perspective. To do so, the course explores how dominant socio-economic groups in the US have historically shaped political institutions and attitudes to generate, perpetuate, and defend inequality. We will also explore the extent to which and why white and non-white citizens have bought into the concept
of the "American Dream," undermining efforts to redress social injustice.

Readings are drawn from across the social sciences, and are chosen to highlight the key questions at stake in the study of the tension between inequality and democracy.
Who Should Take This Class?:
Anyone interested in learning how scholars measure inequality and try to understand its political origins and consequences
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this course you will be able to understand and contribute to debates about
1) the tension between democracy and property
2) how social scientists measure inequality
3) why some Americans prioritize liberty over equality and others the reverse
4) the origins and evolution of inequality
5) the different ways countries respond to inequality through taxation and social-welfare spending
6) how structural inequalities of race, ethnicity and gender intersect with growing income and wealth gaps
7) how personal work and family experience shape perceptions of inequality
8) the consequences of inequality for political representation
9) how individuals can take action to support policy remedies for inequality.
Grading:
Grades will be based on 10 short assignments (2 pp each), participation in a group project/class debate, and in-class oral and online written participation
Exam Format:
There is no midterm or final in this class
Class Format:
Lecture, group discussion and activities
Workload:
Reading will *average* about 100 pages per week. Students will also frequently engage with videos and interactive websites
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/33580/1219
Past Syllabi:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/syllabi/dsamuels_POL3464_Spring2020.pdf (Spring 2020)
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
10 December 2021

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