[Draft Course Description] The United States certainly has an upper class, but does it have a ruling class? And if the country does have a ruling class, how does it rule  in what is ostensibly a democracy?  In this course we will examine the identity, politics, and social role of the American upper class.  We’ll begin by considering how scholars have variously conceptualized the upper class: is the upper class defined by money, power, prestige, pedigree or something else? Next we will address the question of whether the so-called ruling class actually rules: is our putative democracy really under the control of a small group of elites?  Then we’ll turn to the question of elite socialization and how the upper class is shaped by elite education (at places like Harvard). Finally, we’ll examine how elites understand their privileged positions in a society that (at least officially) celebrates ideals of democracy and equality.  The course readings are mainly drawn from sociology, anthropology, and history.