Middle Class on the Ropes: Exploring Challenges to the American Dream in the Age of Inequality

• In Event: 223 - Regular Session. Applied Social Research/Evaluation

Abstract

In response to the contemporary complexion of the U.S. economy, I designed a two-semester course that integrates the demographic, economic, historical, and even cultural dimensions of inequality into a coherent narrative on the content and growth of inequality in the United States. While the first semester is a traditional seminar, the second semester is based on a student-led project on inequality. My comparative study examines the intersection of classroom strategies and practices and community/student engagement by comparing two nearly identical courses I am teaching at two very different institutions. The first is a large, public research one university, while the second is a small, liberal arts teaching college. I am most interested in exploring how differences in student backgrounds, institutional resources and institutional culture shape the student projects, from inception to completion.

Author

• Julie Stewart, Westminster College