EGMT 1520: Analyzing Inequalities

How do you assess the credibility of claims people make about inequality in the United States? How do researchers study the nature, extent, causes, experiences, and effects of economic inequality? This course will introduce you to common methods used in social science research to analyze economic inequality in the United States. You will read about issues such as racial wealth gaps, housing insecurity, and gendered workplace experiences with a focus on the process used to produce the research. Through interactive activities and short assignments, you will practice developing questions, evaluating sources, examining data, thinking through research ethics, and planning research. We will weigh the strengths and weaknesses of various qualitative and quantitative methods, and you will get acquainted with resources available to UVA students for doing research. This course will give you tools and experiences to more carefully assess information you receive and questions that are asked about inequality in your academic work, your future career, and your everyday life.