Is the American Dream achievable? These students are examining its promises and pitfalls.
“Economic Realities of the American Dream” What prompted the idea for the course? One of us – Steve Fazzari – was trained as an economist, and the other – Mark Rank – as a sociologist. We’ve shared scholarly interests over the years as colleagues at Washington University in St. Louis. But our teaching partnership really began with a lecture Mark gave about his book “One Nation Underprivileged,” which explores the causes and consequences of poverty and how the reality of poverty conflicts with American values. This talk inspired Steve at a moment in his career when he sought to integrate economic inequality into his teaching. Our conversations deepened as Mark was researching his next book, “Chasing the American Dream: Understanding What Shapes Our Fortunes.” We realized that both of us could bring something unique to the table about the American Dream, and this was the spark for the class.