LABR 332

About this course

This course examines three persistent axes of inequality in the U.S. today; race, gender, and class. While these categories aredistinct, they are also interconnected. Indeed, it is impossible to analyze how they shape American society withoutunderstanding their Intersectionality: the ways that they overlap and interact with each other.This course is organized around the notion that race, gender, and class are socially constructed categories. Although in the casesof race and gender they build on biological differences, in contemporary society these categories are the products of humanchoices, actions, and decisions.Students will learn about the leading theories explaining race, class and gender inequalities and the ways in which they shape theexperiences of individuals and communities in regard to education, health, and criminal justice, and the labor market, as well asthe ways in which mass media and other cultural phenomena reflect and reinforce these inequalities. Social movements thatchallenge these inequalities will also be explored.