Social Justice and the US Economy

"The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying but the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear." ~Antonio Gramsci

“Only a crisis - actual or perceived - produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes the politically inevitable.” ~ Milton Friedman

This one-quarter program invites students to study US political economy from the mid- 19th century onwards. We will examine how US capitalism has been organized, and reorganized over time, its effects, with a particular emphasis on its relation to the dynamics of race and racism, patriarchy and sexism, as well as class relations. Our studies will draw on analytical frameworks such as Marxian and Neoclassical Economics, Feminist Economics and Social Reproduction Theory, to explore the way historical developments in the economy have transformed our lives, our communities and our environment. In tandem with our exploration of theoretical frameworks, we will read about the ways in which communities are collectively contesting structures of oppression, enacting and fighting for their visions of a more just and equitable society.

Within the context of this program students are invited to register for either 12 or 16 credits.
Students enrolled in the program for 16 credits have the opportunity to do the following in addition to the work above:
Option a) develop a research proposal, carry out work on an independent research project or work. Students will work closely with each other and with faculty on developing the independent component of their studies through a series of scaffolded assignments. Option a) work on developing a research project of your choice using conceptual tools from feminist theory and political economy to develop race, class and gender as intersectional lenses of analysis. Some topics you might explore include: the housing market and struggles for housing justice; the labor market and workers’ movements; the global food system and movements for food sovereignty; mass incarceration and movements for abolition, economic democracy and anti-oppression work in a context of emboldened racism and patriarchy; participatory economics, degrowth and the solidarity economy, as well as feminist, queer and anti-racist ideas as seedbeds for envisioning alternative, liberatory future societies. 

OR

Option b) set up an internship/community-based learning opportunity for up to ten hours per week [200 hours of community-based/independent project work (10 weeks x 20 hrs.)]  Option b) students interested in internships/volunteer work are encouraged to consult with the faculty about their proposed internship towards the end of winter quarter; please send an email specifying the community organizations you may be interested in working with - or that you are already volunteering with et

If you are interested in option b please reach out to Savvina Chowdhury at chowdhus@evergreen.edu and everyone is encouraged meet with the faculty during the Spring Academic Fair. 

Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:

4 - Theories in Political Economy

4 - US Economic History

4 - Foundations of Economics

4 - Independent Research Project or internship