Course Description:
The scholarship of many historians suggests that trade and commerce are among the most important factors that have influenced the evolution and direction of human civilizations. Accordingly, this course examines how economic developments have served as a catalyst for change throughout the development and spread of Western Civilization. In order to understand the distinctive features of the history, institutions, society, culture, and politics of Western Civilization, students will be introduced to Western philosophies or theorizations of "economy" in terms of history and civilization, and examine different expressions of such theory through the analysis of labor systems, imperialism, industrialization, urbanization, trade, distribution of income, and agricultural expansion. They will follow the evolution of such theories and consider how they have shaped historical developments from antiquity to the present. Students will illustrate connections between economic, social, cultural, and political developments within the context of the historical and contemporary West. In short, students will engage with "the economic" as a particularly useful lens for understanding Western Civilization.
This course fully meets the General Education requirement in Western Civilization.
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