What role should money, and its pursuit, play in our lives? Is it unethical to do things “just” for the money? How does having money change someone’s character? How does it affect their relationships to others? And, does money make us happy? In this seminar, we will examine these questions from a sociological, psychological, literary and philosophical perspective. Texts for the seminar may include selections from works such as Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Marx’s “Money in Bourgeois Society,” Simmel’s Philosophy of Money, Sherman’s The Anxieties of Affluence and Bijleveld/Aarts’ The Psychological Science of Money. Through intensive class discussions, longer writing assignments and frequent peer-review, students will learn how to write and talk about ethically resonant ideas in an interdisciplinary setting.
- Instructor of record: Thimo Heisenberg