Life and Culture in the United States

Catalog description

This course explores the social institutions that make up the United States (government, family, religion, education, healthcare, economy) and the everyday experiences of living within these systems. Students explore what it means to be American, the diversity of US cultures, and the problems and particularities of life in the US, including aging, substance abuse, the decline in the family farm, poverty, political conflict, and the obsession with the automobile. Course readings draw heavily from ethnographies, which combine social theory and the stories of everyday life. Components: Class GE: SBS Social & Behavioral Sci Prereqs/Coreqs: P: Sophomore Standing Typically Offered: Spring