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ECGE1340 - Economic history
Credits :
5
Lecturers :
Mode of delivery :
Face-to-face , first term, 30 hours of theory.
Timetable :
First term
Friday from 10:45 to 12:45 at 119 Marais 1100
Language of instruction :
English.
Learning outcomes :
This course takes up a number of big and often controversial issues in world economic history during the last millenium. The focus will be on the ways in which economic historians have approached these issues--on the economics they have used to understand them and on the evidence and the statistical and other techniques that they have used to support their interpretations. Students should take away from the course a broad knowledge of world economic history, reinforced skills in economic and quantitative reasoning, and greater ability to read scientific work critically.
Prerequisites :
 For the Bachelor : Business Engineering :
For the Bachelor in Economics and Management :
For the Bachelor of Science in Business Engineering :
Co-requisites :
For the Bachelor of Science in Business Engineering :
Course contents :
Some of the questions to be discussed include:
Was the pre-industrial world Malthusian?
What was the long-term impact of the Black Death?
How was capital mobilized in the pre-industrial world?
Why did the Industrial Revolution take place in Britain?
Why was there a "great divergence" in incomes between the West and the rest after 1800?
What was the nature of global financial integration before the First World War?
Was American economic growth exceptional?
What caused the Great Depression?
Why was economic growth and development often slow in regions such as Africa, Latin America and the Middle East?
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
The teaching approach chosen is based on the reading and the critical discussion of scientific articles. Students will prepare and present at least one article per week.
Assessment methods and criteria :
Assessment will be based on three components: 1) article presentations and general participation in class discussions (30%); 2) extended abstracts of two articles read for class (20%); and 3) a short paper analyzing critically an article in economic history chosen in collaboration with the instructors (50%).
Recommended or required reading :
The course will be based on articles from journals and books, all of which will be made available on Moodle. A useful information to the subject is Robert C. Allen, Global Economic History: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011, 192 pp).
Other information :
A fuller description of the course objectives, assessment and readings can be found at the course site on Moodle.
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