Course code:



IM - Introductory/Intermediate

Class size limit:


Typically offered:


Is having debt good or bad? Is having credit card debt worse than having student loans, and if so why? Why are home mortgages usually set up over the course of 30 years? If a country paid to educate you, do you “owe” them? Are you indebted to your parents, and if you are, should you pay them back in money or in some other way? These are some of the questions that will be explored in this class. This course will cover interpretations of the rise of money, the social power of debt (both monetary and other), and the disconnect between the ways in which people think about debt and the way households and companies actually use it and the function debt plays in the economy. This course will use both sociological and anthropological readings to inform your understanding of the connections between money and meaning. Successful completion of this course will depend heavily on completing the weekly readings. Evaluation will be based on course participation and three short papers.


