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.