This course is a seminar on how our identities shape and are shaped by political institutions, with a particular emphasis placed on how this interplay affects the distribution of social, political and economic resources. Over the course of the semester we will explore: how identities become important constructs in political spaces, and how they shape public opinion and political behavior, and theories on how to disrupt harmful patterns of prejudice. Drawing from these materials, students will develop and test their own theory about how to reduce the identity-based biases that impede the achievement of ideal policy and political outcomes.
