Empires and World Inequality (SOCI 464)

In this course students learn why some countries are deemed as “developed,” “advanced,” “industrialized,” or “affluent,” while others are labeled as “underdeveloped,” “backward,” “agrarian,” or “poor,” as well as how this state of affairs came about. We study key theories that examine why some countries are rich and others are not, as well as several historical and current case studies of how raw materials were commodified and traded from the Global South into the Global North. We also analyze the ecological degradation and human exploitation common to these episodes, as well as possible paths to transcend the asymmetric cross-national power relations characterizing the modern world. This course is Writing Advanced (“W-Adv”) as it actively addresses the writing process through peer-reviewed and Instructor revision and feedback. You can find the class syllabus here.