This class offers a critical examination of inequalities, life stages and their intersection. In this course, we will situate issues regarding life-cycle stages in a specific historical, institutional and cultural context. In doing so, we will collaboratively explore a variety of factors that shape people's life chances and life trajectories. This approach enables us to gain a better understanding of larger social forces that shape the ways we experience and respond to life transitions. We will also explore possible policy reforms that can provide solutions to the social problems with which many of us struggle across life stages.