Sophomore Economics Tutorial: Topics in the History of Economic Thought
CSS 220
Fall 2017
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01
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This tutorial will consider alternative visions of capitalism as they have unfolded in the economic literature since Adam Smith published The Wealth of Nations in 1776. By ¿capitalism¿ is meant, loosely, an economic system based on market exchange and the private ownership of productive assets; that is, the system which arose in Western Europe roughly five hundred years ago and which now increasingly pervades human society. Necessarily this survey is somewhat selective. In particular, rudimentary knowledge of the neoclassical paradigm (the basis of modern mainstream economics) is taken for granted, and fans of such stalwarts as Thorstein Veblen and Joan Robinson are likely to be disappointed. Our strategy for dealing with severe strictures of time will be to focus our studies primarily on the work of three thinkers who have defined much of the ground for subsequent analysis and debate in political economy, i.e. Adam Smith, Karl Marx, and John Maynard Keynes. We will also study some of the contributions of Jean-Baptiste Say, Thomas Malthus, and David Ricardo to the classical school of thought, as well as the contributions of American economist John Bates Clark to the neoclassical ¿marginalist¿ framework. You are encouraged to make regular, though not exclusive, use of the analytical tools acquired in introductory microeconomics; these may serve to provide a common ground for assessing arguments emerging from vastly different conceptual and analytical frameworks. |
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| Credit: 1.5 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS ECON |
| Course Format: Discussion | Grading Mode: Credit/Unsatisfactory |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (CSS) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 - 1st Trimester |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Adam Smith, THE WEALTH OF NATIONS (WN)
Karl Marx, CAPITAL, Vols. I and III (C.I, C.III)
J. M. Keynes, THE GENERAL THEORY OF EMPLOYMENT, INTEREST, AND MONEY (GT)
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Examinations and Assignments:
Weekly papers due at the beginning of each class meeting |
| Instructor(s): Skillman,Gilbert L. Times: .....F. 02:00PM-04:00PM; Location: PAC413; |
Permission of Instructor Required
Enrollment capacity: 10 | Permission of instructor will be granted during the drop/add period. Students must submit either a ranked or unranked drop/add request for this course. |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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