SOC 480CJustice & Housing in America

Catalog

Using their sociological imagination, students will learn how everyday aspects of housing shape our social world--from the physical structures to the relationships that one's housing situation creates. Students will be exposed to both the current and historic mechanisms that shape inequality in housing, including homeownership attainment, public housing, and local housing policies that reinforce racial hierarchies, exclude marginalized groups, and shape the racial wealth gap. Students are exposed to U.S. policies meant to provide justice for Americans but have both remedied inequality and shaped those inequalities. This course covers housing instability, insecurity, and precariousness (e.g., evictions), and how insecurity impacts social networks, communities, and social life. The course further looks at housing markets, landlords, and real estate professionals who facilitate access to the markets. Finally, this course ties sociological studies of housing to important social and policy issues, including racial segregation, criminal justice, and social networks.