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Roosevelt University To Offer Course On Occupy Movement

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Roosevelt University is set to offer a course all about the Occupy movement.

The new course, Political Science 390: Occupy Everywhere, is being held for the first time this semester. Associate professor and social movement expert Jeff Edwards will teach the course.

In a news release on the Roosevelt Web site, Edwards said he got the idea for the class after observing the ongoing debate in political science circles about the effect that economic inequality is having on democracy in America.

Students taking the course will review literature, essays and articles about the Occupy movement, as well as additional research on democracy and economic inequality. Students will also conduct original research on elements of the Occupy movement.

The students will compare the Occupy movement to other social movements throughout history, examine the racial dynamics of the movement, look at the Occupy movement as a global phenomenon, and examine the future of the movement and its possible impact on the 2012 presidential election.

There are other similar cultures being taught at other universities across the country, including the New York University course titled, "Cultures and Economies: Why Occupy Wall Street? The History and Politics of Debt and Finance." Meanwhile, Columbia University in New York planned, but decided not to offer, a course called, "Occupy the Field: Global Finance, Inequality and Social Movement."

Also at Roosevelt, Columbia University journalism and sociology professor Todd Gitlin is set to deliver a lecture, "Occupy and the Future of American Politics," at 3 p.m. Feb. 23.

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