1 Week 1 Communism and social classes
We will begin with some readings on communism this week. By the end of the week, you should
- have a general idea of how communist societies and governments work
- try on the “lenses” of people from different social classes in communist countries
- understand the rationale of social classes in communism
The following are readings for this week:
- How communism works
- What was it like to grow up under communism during the Cold War?
- Voices from China’s Cultural Revolution
- Prices Wages and Income Inequalities in Everyday Life
Week 1 assignments
1. VoiceThread
2. Discussion post 1: How does communism work? Did communism work successfully according to plan? Use five examples from the readings to illustrate your views. Please interpret each of your selected passages.
Timeline:
- Thursday: VoiceThread assignments due
- Friday: Discussion essay due (500 words)
- Sunday: Two comments on others’ discussion essays due (50-100 words)