Learning Outcomes:
This is a course in applied economics. To that end, topics have been chosen to illustrate how evidence and theory are combined to further our understanding of particular historical events. The economist, by his or her training, tends to become expert in the construction and manipulation of theories and hypotheses. The historian tends to become expert on sources, evidence, and their reliability. A satisfactory social science should combine both of these aspects. Economic history presents a great opportunity to observe the use of economics as a mode of explanation across a wide range of questions and issues.The examination of these themes will combine the historical literature with the theoretical constructs of economics. This application of economic reasoning to issues often raised by non-economists should deepen your appreciation of the application of economics to the task of understanding the evolution of societies and the current global debate concerning north and south.