Course Overview
We all live and work under this thing called “capitalism,” but what is it? How does it determine nearly all aspects of our daily lives? How has capitalism changed over time? What came before capitalism and what might come after? Why are so many poor while so few are extremely rich? Why are jobs getting worse? How come debt is rising? Where do the everyday objects of consumption come from? Why do some geographical places/regions have more wealth than others? What caused the financial crisis of 2008 and how has the COVID pandemic shifted the economic landscape? What should be the role of the state in regulating a capitalist economy? How does capitalism produce racism, sexism, and xenophobia?
These are the sorts of questions we will explore in this class. We will examine the geographies of finance (including the 2008 financial meltdown), industrial production (including the industrialization of China), and consumer culture. We will pay particular attention to the consequences of these integrated capitalist geographies for people and societies in a variety of contexts. The goal of this class is to begin to think critically about the processes underlying global capitalism. You will learn key concepts used to understand capitalism as not only an economic system, but also a political, cultural, and geographical system. You will not only be asked to demonstrate that you understand these concepts, but also, that you are developing your own unique perspective for explaining how capitalism works.
All students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion and have the opportunity to request a Syracuse University credit or noncredit transcript.
Learning Objectives
From this course, students will be able to:
- Comprehend the economic dimensions of their lives
- Explain how and why capitalism functions as it does
- Understand the economic causes of inequality and social oppression
- Situate capitalism historically and geographically
- Appreciate how capitalism affects ideas and culture
- Know how capitalism started and consider how it will end
Course Information
Course Prefix and Number: GEO 273 / SCN TBD
Format: On Campus (at Syracuse University)
Eligibility: Students must be of rising high school junior or senior status – or a 2025 high school graduate.
Credit: 3 credits or noncredit
Grading:
- Credit: A-F
- Noncredit: Pass/Fail
Cost:
3 Credits:
- Residential: $4,895
- Commuter: $3,919
Noncredit:
- Residential: $4,295
- Commuter: $3,318
Program rates are subject to change and will be approved by the board of trustees. Discounts and scholarships are also available.
Program Information
Summer College – On Campus: Experience what college is really like: take a college-level course, live in a residence hall, have meals with friends in a dining hall, and participate in activities and events on campus.
Course Dates and Details
| Program | Course Dates | Class Time (Eastern Time) | Credit/Noncredit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer College – On Campus | 2-Week Session II: Sunday, July 20 – Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 | MTWThF; 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. | 3 credits or Noncredit |
To see if this course is ‘open,’ refer to the full course catalog.
Required Materials
Required Textbooks
Required Textbooks TBD.
Please know that any supply purchases are not included in the overall tuition fee. Students will need to budget for additional course supplies, textbooks, supply kits, etc.
*If you are a sponsored student, you do not need to purchase your textbooks.*
Typical Day
Tentative Schedule
Each class will typically consist of two lectures, each followed by a wide variety of in-class activities and robust group discussions on key issues and those students find most compelling.
- 9 – 10 a.m.: Lecture 1
- 10 – 10:50 a.m.: Discussion and/or in-class activity
- 10:50 – 11 a.m.: Break
- 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Lecture 2
- 12 – 1 p.m.: Discussion and/or in-class activity
When class is over, and on weekends, students can look forward to various Summer College – On Campus activities to meet and connect with other students! Check out our On Campus Experience page for more information!
Faculty Bios
Brian Hennigan
Dr. Brian Hennigan earned his PhD in 2022 from the Department of Geography & the Environment in the Maxwell School for Citizenship & Public Affairs at Syracuse University. After graduation, Hennigan worked as a union organizer with Service Employees International Union, successfully unionizing Syracuse University’s graduate workers and clerical staff. The following year, Hennigan worked with the Massachusetts Teachers Association representing faculty and librarians at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst before returning to Syracuse University as an Instructor of Geography.
Prior to working as a union organizer, Hennigan undertook three major research projects focused on the intersection of the housing and labor markets: homelessness policy in Phoenix, AZ; welfare-to-work programs in Syracuse, NY; and the rise of the so-called “tiny house movement” across the United States. Across these varied projects, Hennigan’s findings show how the “American Dream” of homeownership and a good job is more and more an unrealizable relic of a bygone era. In lieu of effective political resistance to these economic trends, the downwardly mobile working- and middle-class confront and find cultural compensation within discourses that rebrand budget-housing as eco-friendly minimalism, bad jobs as tests of moral fortitude, and anti-social government policies as entrepreneurial self-reliance.
Dr. Hennigan’s teaching challenges students to actively struggle with and make sense of course material, facilitating such learning by devising activities that engage them in the tasks of evaluating, analyzing, synthesizing, and using this knowledge. Among other strategies to accomplish these teaching goals, Hennigan incorporates robust role playing-based discussions and reflections into lesson plans. Through playing their role, students do not just learn concepts. Rather, these concepts and ideas become tools, the raw material that they must use to achieve their individual and collective goals.