GEOGRAPHIES OF INEQUALITY / GEOG 410 / SHAUL COHEN
Our class will examine variations in concepts of “need” and “want”, both within the United States and in other parts of the world. Attention will be paid to issues of scale and location to highlight the nature of inequalities that can but do not necessarily correlate with “have/have not” or “advantaged/disadvantaged” metrics. Our sources for comparison will come from maps of geographic distribution, census and survey data, interview material, and fiction, and non-fiction. Theoretically we will draw upon work in geography on space and place, as well as from theorists and researchers in other disciplines. The goals of the course are to equip students to recognize and examine discourses of success and happiness that help frame culture, identity, and economics, and to assess power and agency. As such we will engage issues such as race, gender, age, educational level, occupational status, family status, location/lifestyle, spirituality, and more.