History of the Global Economy

History of the Global Economy is a Social Science course taught by Noah Enelow.

This course satisfies Division I requirements.

Course Description
This course will take a broad look at the history and development of the global economy from the mercantile period to the current period of neoliberal globalization. It will begin by introducing three competing paradigms for examining the global economy: the liberal, classical Marxist, and world-systems approaches. The course will then examine four historical periods of global economic expansion in some depth. First, we will examine the mercantile era and the trading empires that characterized it. Second, we will examine the colonial export economy and the slave trade, focusing on the interactions between Europe, the Americas, and Africa. Third, we will examine the rise of the British Empire, the gold standard, and the partitioning of Africa under a nominally liberal world economy based around free trade and foreign investment. After briefly reviewing the breakdown of the gold standard, the rise of isolationist protectionism, and the period of world wars, we will conclude by examining the basic features of the contemporary period of neoliberal globalization in light of what we have learned about its antecedents. Though this course will introduce concepts from economics, no background in economics will be necessary. Required readings will consist primarily of historical and journalistic sources, with economistic sources included as suggested readings.

Learning Goals

 * Multi-Cultural
 * Reading
 * Writing