Course Overview

This class is taught in English. The two semesters are independent and can be taken separately. The first semester deals with early economic history (pre-1900) and focuses primarily on Asia. During this semester we will deal with broad issues concerning how the human race came to dominate the planet using increasingly complex means of cooperation. The second semester covers the 20th-century. The focus will remain primarily on Asia. The second semester will have a more practical orientation. We will primarily discuss what has been causing modern economic growth. Given the broad subject matter, the course will only be able to offer a general overview of the periods and economic regions covered. The course will meet three hours, one day a week. Generally, the first two hours will be lectures with question & answer periods. Then, the third hour will be devoted to group work. Students will generally be randomly assigned to small groups and required to read one English-language paper or book chapter to prepare for this work. By the end of the class, the group should e-mail me a two page paper. Grades will be based on group work (40%), a midterm quiz (15%) and a final exam (45%). There is no text, but you will be responsible for the weekly readings, lecture material and notes posted on line.

Learning Achievement

Learn a little about how the world grew more populous and prosperous, and how we investigate this growth. Also, learn to work in small groups with people from other countries.

Competence

Course prerequisites

Grading Philosophy

Course schedule

Course type

Online Course Requirement

Instructor

Kelly Barton Olds

Other information

Department of Economics

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