Scribner Seminar Program
Course Decription
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Capitalism: Free market societies in practice and imagination
Instructor(s): Pushkala Prasad, Management & Business
Description: What is capitalism and where is it headed? Not only do we live in a society
that is held up as a model of capitalism and free market society, but the entire world
seems to be increasingly enchanted with the capitalist way of life. In the midst of
capitalism’s apparent unrivalled triumph, however, a chorus of critical voices also
prophesies its destructive capacities and its uncertain future. Who are we to believe?
Capitalism’s advocates or its detractors? What are the more lasting effects of capitalism
on crucial dimensions of society including personhood, family and identity; the nature
of work; the democratic process; race, gender and ethnicity; the biospheric environment
and so on ? What are some of the different ways capitalism gets enacted across the
globe? The seminar addresses some of this questions by drawing on a wide range of
texts and case studies from multiple academic fields and sources of popular culture.
Course Offered