A Course on Elites

Catalog description

Most of the studies of inequality look at poverty and the impact of poverty. This course will be a study of those at the top of the social stratification system. We will take a broad vision of elites of to include the upper-middle-class as well as those in the top 1%. The course will examine the concentration of wealth in American society. It will examine elite families. It will also look at elite education. There will be a unit on the financial industry, the 2008 debacle, and the failure of the government to regulate this important industry. We will also study the influence of race by comparing the black upper-middle-class with white upper-middle-class families. Thus, we will also look at the power of elites in a number of spheres. Finally, we will also read theoretical perspectives including the work of C. Wright Mills, Marx, and Bourdieu. Thus, in addition to the focus on social stratification, this course cuts across sociology of the family, economic sociology, cultural sociology, and race and ethnic relations.