Applications Now Closed

Dates: 27 January to 31 March, 2025 ((excluding 3 February and 17 March) 

Time: 7pm-9pm

Venue: Room G04, Western Gateway Building, UCC

Fee: €250

Course Overview: 

Ireland's housing crisis is a complex issue with far-reaching consequences. This course delves into the economic and political factors that have fueled this crisis, aiming to understand its root causes and potential solutions. 

We'll explore how economic interests, like venture capital investments, have contributed to the housing shortage. We'll also examine the role of political parties in either exacerbating or mitigating the problem. By understanding the intersection of politics and economics, we can gain a clearer picture of the crisis's origins. 

The course is designed to be accessible to all, using simple sociological concepts to explain complex issues. We'll discuss how power structures, political decisions, and the media influence the crisis. Through shared experiences and class discussions, students will analyze social issues and develop critical thinking skills. 

Ultimately, this course aims to empower students to engage with the housing crisis and broader societal challenges. By understanding the connections between housing policies, economic interests, and politics, we can work towards a more just and equitable society. 

Course Schedule:

Week 1: A Short Guide to Approach Social Problems 

We’ll kick things off by looking at C. Wright Mills’ idea of the sociological imagination, which helps us think critically about social issues. We’ll also tackle the idea that “numbers don’t lie” by learning how to read and interpret information and data handed to us —whether they come from the media, social media, or anywhere else. The goal is to understand numbers tell different stories depending on how they’re used.  

Week 2: Class Conflicts I 

This week, we’ll dive into Karl Marx’s ideas and critiques of capitalism to see how class conflicts play into the housing crisis. What role do different class interests have in shaping the crisis? 

Week 3: Class Conflicts II 

Building on last week, we’ll explore Wolfgang Streeck’s work to get a better handle on how economic and political forces are keeping the crisis going. We’ll look at how competing interests have shaped the situation. 

Week 4: Social Structures and Power 

This session focuses on Pierre Bourdieu’s ideas about social, economic, and cultural capital. We’ll look at how these influence political and economic decisions, offering a new way to think about power and its role in the housing crisis. 

Week 5: Mainstream Media 

We’ll take a closer look at how traditional media shapes public understanding of the housing crisis. Drawing on Noam Chomsky’s ideas, we’ll discuss whether media coverage makes the crisis feel more or less urgent and how it affects public perception. 

Week 6: Social Media 

This week, we’ll shift to social media and explore how it’s influencing people’s views on the housing crisis. We’ll ask questions like: Does social media build trust in political institutions, or does it amplify frustration? 

Week 7: Populism and Democracy 

We’ll watch Harlan County, USA (1976), a documentary about a miners’ strike, to see how labor movements can drive political change. We’ll connect the lessons from this story to Ireland’s housing crisis and discuss what it takes to create real change. 

Week 8: Do We Still Trust Our Politicians? 

In our final session, we will watch and discuss Robert Reich’s documentary Inequality for All and explore whether the housing crisis could erode trust in politics. Does inequality undermine democracy, and how is that connected to the crisis we’re facing?

Course Lecturer : 

Dr. Andrew Kloppe-Santamaria is an economic sociologist with over ten years of practical and theoretical experience in developing quantitative and qualitative research on democratic representation and economic interpretations of political communication.

He holds a PhD in Economic and Political Sociology from the New School for Social Research in New York. His award-winning dissertation analyzed the political and economic factors influencing judicial discourses and actions related to electioneering integrity, democratic representation, and political communication.

Entry Requirements:

Applicants must be at least 18 years old at course commencement. 

Contact Details for Further Information: 

Email: shortcourses@ucc.ie  

Please note our refund policy as follows: 

100% refund if student cancels 1 week prior to course commencement, less €50 processing fee.

100% refund if student's course is cancelled due to insufficient numbers.