ECO 518—U.S. Economic History Since 1865
Spring 2015
Overview
Economic history is the study of the development of the economy. This is the history of
the primary activity of ordinary people—the types of work they did and their standard of
living. Much of that information can best be gleaned from historical data. The study of
economic history is conducted by both historians and economists. Economists generally
bring to that study a greater familiarity with and appreciation of data analysis, although
such data cannot be intelligently analyzed without a good understanding of the historical
context in which it was collected. The history of the U.S. economy since 1865 covers the
period when the United States experienced very rapid development and technological
change leading to its position as the dominant national economy in the world. Rather than
a complete survey of all possible topics, this course will concentrate on a few. In addition
to providing insight into the nation’s history, an understanding of these topics will deepen
an understanding of economic theory by seeing its applications in environments very
different from our own.
For undergraduates, this course is both writing-intensive and speaking intensive.
Instructor
Professor John Neufeld
Office:
449 Bryan Building
telephone:
(336) 334-4869
e-mail:
john_neufeld@uncg.edu
Office Hours Open. I am generally in my office during the day when not in class,
although there are exceptions. If my door is closed, knock. To be sure I
will be available, e-mail me for a specific appointment time.
Required Materials
Atack and Passell, A New Economic View of American History. This is a relatively short
textbook that attempts to cover all of the nation’s economic history, including the
period before 1865, not covered in this course.
Dighe, The Historian’s Wizard of Oz. This well-known children’s book has been
interpreted as an allegory of a major economic issue that had a major impact on
politics during the latter part of the 19th century. The book includes the entire Wizard
of Oz book that has been annotated in addition to essays and other original source
material. In 1939 a famous film version of the story was made, and that film is easily
available today. Note, however, that the film story diverges from that in the book in
ways that compromise some of the most important allegorical elements.
Ransom and Sutch, One Kind of Freedom. This is a well-written description of the
economy of the South following the Civil War. It presents a hypothesis on the reasons
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the South failed to participate in the rapid economic development experienced by the
rest of the economy.
Additional readings posted on Blackboard
Grading
Undergraduates:
3 Short papers
Presentations and Class Discussions
Final Examination
20% each (60% total)
25%
15%
Graduates:
3 Short papers
2 Additional writing assignments:
Class discussion
Final Examination
15% each (45% total)
15% each (30% total)
10%
15%
Class Attendance
Class attendance is essential. If you must miss a class, notify me in advance and provide
an explanation. If it is impossible to notify me in advance, notify me as soon as possible,
explain both your absence and why you were not able to notify me in advance. Absences
will affect your class discussion grade. Excessive absences may lead to your being
administratively dropped from the course with the grade of W or WF depending on
whether you are dropped before or after the drop date.
Short Papers
Three short papers will be assigned. A topic, or a set of topics (from which you would
choose one) will be provided. The finished papers should be between approximately 800
and 1,900 words (roughly three to five pages). You must submit an initial rough draft,
and I return with comments. You will then prepare and submit a final draft taking my
comments into account. You should strive for your initial draft to be as close to final
form as possible. If your initial draft warrants it, you may be assigned to consult once or
twice with UNCG writing center before completing your final draft. Writing tips are
posted on Blackboard. Be sure a copy of that, your assignment, and the draft of your
paper to the writing center when you go. Use of the writing center is encouraged even
when not required.
Papers are to be submitted to me by e-mail by midnight of the due date. Check with me if
you are unable to submit your papers in Word format (.doc or .docx) .
Graduate Student Papers
In addition to the required three short papers, graduate students will be assigned two
somewhat longer papers. Generally these papers will evaluate one or more journal
articles, although I am willing to consider topics proposed by the student.
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Classroom Discussion
I expect you to participate in informal classroom discussions. During those discussions I
may call on a specific student. Be prepared! If, for some reason, you do not wish to be
called upon during a particular class because of unusual circumstances, let me know
before class starts—in person or by e-mail. If you find it particularly difficult to involve
yourself in this type of participation because of shyness, a general lack of selfconfidence, or some other factor that would be present every day, you must discuss this
with me in my office.
Several times during the semester the class will be devoted to group discussions. Those
will generally concern readings and you will be given a set of questions to guide your
discussions. Each person in a group will evaluate the contribution of the others in the
group. At the end of the class period an individual from each group may be asked to
participate in a panel to discuss the most important ideas that arose within the individual
groups.
Presentations
Undergraduates will make a formal oral presentation to the other undergraduates and me
during the course’s scheduled final exam time (Thursday, May 2, 3:30–6:30). Graduate
students do not have this assignment.
Final Exams
The final exam will consist entirely of essay questions. Undergraduates will have a 1
hour 15 minute exam on the last regularly scheduled class meeting day (April 25).
Graduate students are excused from class that day. Graduate students will have a three
hour exam Thursday, May 2, 3:30–6:30, when undergraduates are making their oral
presentations.
Academic Integrity Policy
Students are expected to know and abide by the Honor Code in all matters pertaining to
this course. Violations of this code will be pursued in accordance with the code. The link
to UNCG’s academic integrity policy is: http://sa.uncg.edu/dean/academic-integrity/.
Faculty and Student Guidelines
Please familiarize yourself with the Bryan School’s Faculty and Student Guidelines. The
link for this document is http://bae.uncg.edu/assets/faculty_student_guidelines.pdf.