SOAN 320 | Living in America: Societal Crisis and Imperial Decline

This course grounds an understanding of many of our social and cultural conflicts within two dominant systems: First, a political-economy that has operated largely in the interests of the elite and thereby produced a level of economic inequality not seen in the United States in at least a century; second, an American empire that, despite continuing displays of force and the stationing of troops across the globe, is showing clear signs of overreach and decline. Beyond manifestations of coercive power, the course explores the system of propaganda and disinformation that seeks to maintain legitimacy and consent. What does it mean for the individual to live in times of such strain? How do these conditions interact with a cultural system that increasingly puts Americans into hostile camps divided by politics, race, gender, education, generation, location, and other factors? In short, a major concern of the course is with what Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to as the "Three Evils": racism, materialism (especially poverty and exploitation), and militarism. But just as MLK Jr. did not call for despair, we recognize that resistance is not futile, and the course explores a vision for a hopeful future based on social movements and social change.