Money!

Catalog description

“Money, it’s a crime/Share it fairly, but don’t take a slice of my pie…” So begins the end verse of Pink Floyd’s dad-rock classic “Money”. We'll explore financial literacy, class and identity, market trends, consumer demands, and alternative forms of currency—all by way of literary realism. At the beginning of the semester, you will be randomly assigned a character with their own income, assets, and debts. From week to week you will tell their story in real time, tracking their investments (if any) in state-sanctioned markets (and/or other channels). What will your single mother do with an inheritance after the untimely passing of her father? Whether coming from a hyper-capitalist or Marxist-Lacanian perspective, we'll reckon with the many ways (implicit and explicit) that money has come to define our lives—and perhaps, how and where it should never come between us.