Great Transformations in American Politics

Catalog description

In the last four decades, American politics and policy have undergone a series of profound transformations that have altered the relationship between the government, the market, and the citizen. This course will consider three of these: the shift towards a pro-market economic policy; the rise of mass incarceration; and the changing welfare state. In addition to exploring these policy shifts, we will also examine the ideas that have underpinned them: liberalism, neoliberalism, and conservatism. Moreover, while many of the great transformations in American politics and policy have occurred at the federal level, there is much variation among the states and the cities. Therefore, we will also peer beneath the national level to see how these shifts have played out differently in different places. As such, our study at the subnational level will focus on two contradictory tendencies: the right-wing imposition of austerity on the states and progressive efforts to raise the minimum wage at the state and local levels. We will also consider whether the Trump presidency will herald another "great transformation." Open to Honors College students only.