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COURSE OUTLINE FOR ECON-2705 – ECONOMIC HISTORY OF THE U.S.:
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION TO THE PRESENT
New York City College of Technology
Social Science Department
COURSE CODE: ECON 2705
TITLE: Economic History of the U.S.: Industrial Revolution to the Present
Class Hours: 3, Credits: 3
Submitted by: Sean P. MacDonald
Catalog Description: The course examines American Economic History from the period of the Industrial
Revolution to the present. The course establishes the framework for an introduction to the forces leading to the mid
19th century industrial era, beginning with an overview of the era of colonization and the agricultural economy, and
the evolution and collapse of the plantation economy and slavery in the South during the Civil War. It then
covers the Great Depression, the Second World War and the institutional transformation of the U.S. economy
over the four-decade post war economic boom from 1945 through the mid 1970’s. Finally, the era of
deindustrialization and manufacturing decline, followed by the Internet and e-commerce-driven technology
boom, Mideast wars, housing boom-bust and the Great Recession brings us to the present. Throughout, the
evolution and influence of agriculture, trade, manufacturing, the banking system, transportation, communication,
technological change, immigration, labor unions, wars and recessions, depressions and inflation are all examined as
central to the dynamics of economic and social change.
The rationale for the proposed changes to Economic History of the U.S. is to update and to provide more
comprehensive content to this course which has not been offered/taught in several years. Its aims are to provide
a greater focus on the many social, political, economic and technological forces that contributed to the evolution
of the nation’s economic development and change. The previous course description placed a strong emphasis on
financial history to the exclusion of many of these other dimensions that have had a bearing on the direction of
the nation’s economic history. At the same time, there is a rapidly expanding interest in the discipline of
Economics. As such, this rationale includes the interest in both updating the course outline and in making a
change from the course’s current designation as a History course to an Economics course offering. This
rationale of course does not in any way overlook the inherent interdisciplinary appeal of the course, and in the
near future, an application to have it designated as an interdisciplinary course may be made.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COURSE PREREQUISITE:
Any one of the following courses: Econ 1101, Econ 1401, His 1101 or His 1110
RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOK and MATERIALS*
1. Robert L. Heilbroner and Alan Singer, The Economic Transformation of America: 1600 to the Present, Cengage
Learning; 4 edition, June 1998
2. Gary Walton and Hugh Rockoff, History of the American Economy, Thompson Southwestern, 11th edition, 2009
3. Additional assigned short articles and readings; two or three films throughout the semester
SAMPLE SEQUENCE OF TOPICS AND TIME ALLOCATIONS (number of hours)*
Week: 1
Overview of the era of colonization and the nation’s agricultural economy
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
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The emergence and evolution of the plantation-based economy and slavery in the South and its collapse in the
wake of the Civil War.
Readings:
Simon Kuznets, Two Centuries of Economic Growth: Reflections on U.S. Experience. Simon Kuznets, The
American Economic Review, Vol. 67, No. 1, Papers and Proceedings of the Eighty- ninth Annual Meeting of
the American Economic Association (Feb., 1977), pp. 1-14
D. Gale Johnson , Agriculture and the Wealth of Nations, The American Economic Review, Vol. 87, No. 2, Papers
and Proceedings of the Hundred and Fourth Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association (May, 1997),
pp. 1-12
Selected chapter from Walton
Week 2:
1860’s – 1930’s: Industrialization
 The transition from an Agricultural to a Manufacturing-centered economy
 Rapid evolution from artisan-centered production to mass production of goods
 Emergence of the consumer focused market economy
 The transition from the household as the central unit of production to the manufacturing system as the locus of
production
 Social and economic alienation
Readings: The Great Agricultural Transition: Crisis, Change, and Social Consequences of Twentieth Century
US Farming Linda Lobao and Katherine Meyer Annual Review of Sociology Vol. 27, (2001), pp. 103-124
Tucker, Barbara M. Liberty is Exploitation: The Force of Tradition in Early Manufacturing OAH Magazine of
History . May2005, Vol. 19 Issue 3, p21-24
The Industrial – Technological Revolution, Kurtz, Paul , Free Inquiry . Jun/Jul2007, Vol. 27 Issue 4, p4-7.
Stuart M. Blumin, Driven to the City. Urbanization and Industrialization in the Nineteenth Century, OAH
Magazine of History, May 2006.
Week 3:
The growth of immigration from central and Eastern Europe
 Immigration provides the workforce for the rapidly industrializing economy
 The emergence of movements for the 8-hour workday
 The Haymarket uprising
 Early union organizing and labor organizations
Readings: Charles Hirschman and Elizabeth Mogford, Immigration and the American industrial
revolution from 1880 to 1920, Social Science Research . Dec2009, Vol. 38 Issue 4, p897-920. 24p.
Jeffrey G. Williamson, Globalization, Convergence and History, The Journal of Economic History /
Volume 56 / Issue 02 / June 1996, pp 277-306
Kevin H. O’Rourke, Globalization and Inequality: Historical Trends, NBER Working Paper No. 8339
Issued in June 2001
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D. Brody, The Old Labor History and the New: In Search of an American Working Class, Labor History, vol.
20, #1, 1979.
Week 4:
The banking system and panics: mid19th century through 1929-30
 The stabilizing impact of the creation of a central banking system on the American financial system and
economy
 The Panic of 1913 and the role JP Morgan as a central bank that restored temporary stability
 How did the lack of a central banking system contribute to the ongoing instability in the U.S. economy?
 The emergence and goals of the "Greenback" movement
 The origins and functioning of the Federal Reserve System; The Federal Reserve Act of 1913
Reading: Hanes, C. "Harvests and Financial Crises in Gold Standard America." The journal of Economic
History 73.1 (2013): 201-246
Kevin J. Cahill, The U.S. Bank Panic of 1907 and the Mexican Depression of 1908–1909 The Historian, vol.
60, #4, 795–811, June 1998
Ron Chernow, The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance
Grove Press, 2001(selected readings)
Carlos D. Ramirez, Did J. P. Morgan's Men Add Liquidity? Corporate Investment, Cash Flow, and Financial
Structure at the Turn of the Twentieth Century The Journal of Finance, Volume 50, Issue 2, pages 661–678,
June 1995
Week 5:
Late 19th – early 20th century emergence of industrial concentration
 The growth of monopolies in the railroad, oil, and other industries
 Emergence of first measures to rein in monopoly: The Sherman Anti-Trust Act
 Anti-trust laws applied to labor organizations in an effort to make organizing illegal
Readings: William Letwin, Law and Economic Policy in America: The Evolution of the Sherman Antitrust
Act, University of Chicago Press, Jun 1, 1981
Selected chapter from Walton
Week 6:
The Gilded Era: the growth of extreme inequality of income and wealth within the U.S. and the emerging
conditions for the banking/financial system collapse
 The lack of regulation in the securities exchange sector leads to excessive risk-taking in securities markets
and the banking system
 Inequality in the distribution of income and wealth expands significantly
 The stock market crash of 1929 and beginnings of the Great Depression
 Collapse of the banking system; the freezing of credit; U.S. capitalism on the brink of collapse
William J. Barber From New Era to New Deal: Herbert Hoover, the Economists, and American Economic
Policy, 1921-1933 Cambridge University Press, 1988
John Kenneth Galbraith, The Great Crash of 1929 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Sep 10, 2009
Film: PBS video:”The Crash of 1929” www.pbs.org
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Weeks 7 & 8:
The Great Depression: 1930 – 1939
 The New Deal era establishes the foundation for recovery and the post-WW II economic boom that follows
 John Maynard Keynes and other economists’ challenge the prevailing neoclassical economic theory that
dominates social policy and beliefs about the direction and role of government in the market economy.
 Keynes’ influence on New Deal Economic and Social policy and legislation
 Legalization of the right to organize and engage in collective bargaining – the National Labor Relations Act
 The rapid growth of organizing during the Depression era; emergence of formal labor organizations; anti-trust
laws as applied to unions come to an end.
 Stabilization of the banking system: new banking and financial legislation creates stability in the early to mid
20thcentury financial system: the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation (FDIC); the Glass-Steagall Act; Commodities Futures Trading Commission (?)
 Stabilization of income in the U.S. economy: National unemployment insurance; Social Security System; the
Works Progress Administration; the minimum wage and the 40-hour workday (NLRA)
 Slow recovery of export markets, business investment and consumer spending
Readings: Ben S. Bernanke NON—MONETARY EFFECTS OF THE FINANCIAL CRISIS IN THE
PROPAGATION OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION, NBER Working Paper No. 10514, January 1983
Peter Temin, The Great Depression NBER, Historical Paper no. 62, 1994 New Era , New Deal and Victory:
The American Economy 1920-1945
Peter Fearon, New Era, New Deal and Victory: The American Economy 1920-1945, 1994, London: Hodder
Headline, Hodder and Stoughton Educational in association with the Open University Database
Macey, Jonathan R. ; Marr, M. Wayne ; Young, S. David, The Glass Steagall Act and the Riskiness of
Financial Intermediaries, Research in Law and Economics , 1991, v. 14, pp. 19-30
J. Craig Jenkins and Barbara G. Brents, Social Protest, Hegemonic Competition, and Social Reform: A
Political Struggle Interpretation of the Origins of the American Welfare State, American Sociological Review
Vol. 54, No. 6 (Dec., 1989), pp. 891-909
Week 9:
Midterm exam
Week 10:
The Second World War and the return to full employment: 1940 - 1945
 Women enter workforce in large numbers for the first time in nation’s history.
 The nation’s manufacturing sector revived and re-tooled for war production
The Post-War economic boom: 1945 - 1970
 The emergence of the ‘Capital-Labor Accord’ (Gordon); growth of the U.S. middle class
 Rising incomes create an expanding middle class and a rapidly expanding consumer-oriented economy
 The peak of manufacturing in late 1960’s – early 1970’s
Readings: PBS, “The Rise of American Consumerism”, www.pbs.org
PBS Documentary film: “Tupperware!,” American Experience, www.pbs.org
Selected chapters from Walton
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Week 11:
The decline of the U.S. manufacturing base: deindustrialization and outsourcing: 1970’s – 1990’s:
 The decline of manufacturing and expansion of the service based economy
 Stagflation and the OPEC oil embargo
 The Federal Reserve intervenes directly to tame inflation through high short-term borrowing rates
 Thirty years of income stagnation and decline of real income: 1980 – 2010’s
 Rising trade deficits, growth of ‘free trade’; globalization’s impact on U.S. economy
 Shrinking of the social safety net and its role in rising income inequality: 1980 - present
 Reaganomics, tax cuts, “trickle down” economics
 Deregulation of the financial sector begins: the Savings and Loan Associations; S&L’s feed a commercial real
estate boom
 The failure of the S&L’s following the collapse of the commercial real estate boom in 1999
 The Resolution Trust Corporation created to liquidate and close hundreds of failed savings and loans at a
$200 B cost to taxpayers
Readings: Richard L. Florida, The Political Economy of Financial Deregulation and the Reorganization of
Housing Finance in the United States, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, June 1986,
207-231.
DAVID LEONHARDT Washington’s Invisible Hand New York Times, September 26, 2008
Selected chapter from Walton
Week 12:
Emergence of economic booms fueled by asset price bubbles, followed by increasingly longer “jobless”
recoveries: 1985 – 2113
 Commercial Real Estate boom and bust: early 1980’s – 1989
 The technology boom of the 1990’s: The Internet opens to public and commercial interests; fuels a boom in
technology, software development, tech-based companies and e-commerce
 Return of robust job growth; technology-led stock market boom and rising incomes peak in late 1990’s; tech
stock collapse in 1999
 Repeal of Glass-Steagall Act in 1999 opens up opportunities for investment and sales of risky financial assets;
boom and bust in technology followed by housing- and credit-market led recovery
 The housing boom and bubble: 1998 – 2007
 Mortgage market boom; growth of the subprime market; subprime mortgage backed securities fuels another
stock market boom
 Consumer spending fueled by increasing levels of by debt and tapping of home equity
 Collapse of the subprime mortgage market; delinquencies and foreclosure rates escalate rapidly in subprime
sector and in bubble markets; collapse of subprime MBS and CDO’s and the broader housing market rapidly
follows
Readings: G. Wood, Great crashes in history: have they lessons for today? Oxford Review of Economic
Policy 1999) 15 (3): 98-109.
Nouriel Roubini and Stephen Mihm, Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance. The
Penguin Press, 2010 (selected chapter/section)
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Joseph E. Stiglitz, Freefall: America, Free Markets and the Sinking of the World Economy. W.W. Norton and
Company, 2010 (selected chapters)
Video: D. J. C. Smant,( Rotterdam School of Economics) Famous First Bubbles: The Stock Market
Crash of 1929http://people.few.eur.nl/smant/m-economics/bubbles/crash1929.htm
Week 13:
Systemic Risk and the Near-Collapse of the U.S. Financial System: 2008 -2009
 The near collapse of Bear Stearns, AIG, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: The Federal Reserve, Treasury
Department and Congress intervene on both the monetary and fiscal policy sides
 The critical decision to let Lehman Brothers enter bankruptcy in September 2008
 The Troubled Asset Relief Program, capital injections, and efforts to unfreeze credit markets
 Nationalization of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; partial government buy-in of AIG, commercial bank, and
GM shares to stabilize broader economy and reduce systemic risk
Readings: Paul Krugman. The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008. W. W. Norton &
Company, 2009 (selected sections/chapter)
Film: “Inside Job” (documentary) or “Inside the Meltdown.”(documentary)
Week 14:
The ‘Great Recession’ and stagnant economic recovery: 2008 – 2013
 Uneven recovery at opposite ends of the income spectrum
 Jobless recovery, growth of inequality of income and wealth distribution as ‘recovery’ gains traction.
 Pace of growth in income inequality increases with the economic ‘recovery.’
Readings:PAUL KRUGMAN Gilded Once More, April 27, 2007
Paul Krugman. The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008. W. W. Norton & Company, 2009
(selected chapter)
Week 15:
Final Exam
COURSE INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES/ASSESSMENT METHODS
LEARNING OUTCOMES1
1. To develop an understanding of the economic and social
dynamics and the forces of technological change that drove
the U.S. economy’s transition from an agricultural to a
market based industrial economy, and finally to a service
based ‘post industrial’ service based system .
2.To be able to demonstrate a knowledge of the importance
of changing economic conditions and the social and
economic forces that have led to changes in the behavior of
consumers, businesses, government and the rest of the
world
3.To be able to employ a range of methods of inquiry from
an historical perspective to an understanding of the policy
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ASSESSMENT METHODS
1. Focused short written assignments; class discussions of
readings and films; using Open Lab for postings of
thoughts/etc. related to readings and films.
2. Class discussions of assigned articles and other
supplementary readings; contributing to blog posts on Open
Lab; define and select a topic that will form the basis for an
end of semester research project/case study.
3. Contribute current articles to class discussions; exams
that focus on critical analysis and essays on selected topics
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choices, competitive pressures, and technological
innovations that have contributed to the direction of
economic change in the U.S. from the colonial era to the
present.
4. To develop a breadth and depth of knowledge relating to
the U.S. economy and the unique forces that contributed to
its evolution.
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in U.S. economic history.
4. Through the written research project and/or case study,
students will focus on a problem/issue, the challenges
posed by that issue and critically examine the historical
dynamics leading to various outcomes.
GENERAL EDUCATION LEARNING OUTCOMES/ASSESSMENT METHODS
LEARNING OUTCOMES
ASSESSMENT METHODS
1. class and group discussions, Quizzes that both
concepts that relate to the historical evolution of the U.S. test an understanding of basic concepts and that
economy, the central topics and theories that relate to an require students to express their understanding in
writing (short essay quizzes)
understanding of the forces that shaped the historical
evolution of U.S. economy. .
2.Completion of essay questions on exams; class
2. SKILLS: Develop and apply the tools of historical
analysis and macroeconomic theory and principles to be discussions of questions tied to topics covered in
class and to supplemental short readings and
able to critically question, analyze, and discuss
articles on timely relevant issues; students analyze,
economic problems and issues; Develop and strengthen
evaluate and consider policy options
the ability to discuss concepts and thoughts in writing.
3. INTEGRATION: Apply the tools acquired in the course 3. Research project which requires students to
select and define a topic, problem or issue in U.S/
to strengthen the ability to build upon an understanding
Economic History and examine possible solutions
of economic change and development; apply the
drawing upon and employing the tools of related
knowledge acquired about technological change, the
disciplines; design and preparation of a poster
evolution of competitive forces, and social and
presentation (optional) but encouraged.
economic policy over time across disciplines, in the
social sciences and other disciplines.
4. VALUES, ETHICS, AND RELATIONSHIPS: Develop 4.Weekly class and small group discussions and
assignments; assignments encourage student
an understanding of and ability to apply diverse
discussion and sharing of ideas and
perspectives to the understanding of U.S. Economic
perspectives; focused discussions that encourage
History; work creatively and collaboratively with others
students to question and think critically to
in group discussions of critical issues and problems;
develop their own perspectives on issues
develop a respect for diverse viewpoints and apply the
covered in the class .
skills and concepts covered in the course to the analysis
of related issues and concepts across other disciplines
(such as Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science,
History of Technology)
1. KNOWLEDGE: Develop a understanding of the key
From: Important General Education Learning Goals (6/1/11) DRAFT
SCOPE OF ASSIGNMENTS and other course requirements*
Students in this course will be required to complete a written research project resulting in a final paper of approximately 5
pages. This will consist of a topic chosen from issues/topics covered in the course tied to the student’s particular area of
interest. There will also be a midterm and final exam, both of which will place an emphasis on a written understanding of
key concepts covered in the course and readings; Contributing to posts on the course’s Open Lab site which will consist of
a discussion board and blogs; class discussions of assigned readings – students will be expected to be prepared to discuss
assigned questions based on the readings. The course will be writing intensive.
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METHOD OF GRADING – elements and weight of factors determining the students’ grade*
Midterm exam:
25%
Final exam:
25%
Semester research project
25%
Class/group discussions
10%
Contributing posts to blog set up on Open Lab (response to readings, films,etc.)
15%
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY STATEMENT
Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions, and other
intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing
sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility for
providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and
responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty
is prohibited in The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and is
punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. The complete text of the College
policy on Academic Integrity may be found in the catalog.
COLLEGE POLICY ON ABSENCE/LATENESS
The college policy on absence/lateness states that a student may be absent without penalty for 10% of the
number of scheduled class meetings during the semester as follows:
Class Meets
1 time/week
2 times/week
3 times/week
Allowable Absence**
2 classes
3 classes
4 classes
**Each department and program may specify in writing a different attendance policy for courses with laboratory, clinical or field work. If the department does not have
a written attendance policy concerning courses with laboratory, clinical or field work, the College policy shall govern.
*guidelines from which instructors may select or adapt
Reviewed/Revised by: Prof. Sean P. MacDonald
Feb. 24, 2014
Selected (partial) Bibliography: Economic History of the U.S.: Late 19th Century to the Present
1. Nelson Lichtenstein. American Capitalism: Social Thought and Political Economy in the Twentieth Century. University
of Pennsylvania Press, 2006
2. Nelson Lichtenstein. State of the Union: A Century of American Labor, Princeton University Press, Aug 1, 2003
3. Robert L. Heilbroner, 21st Century Capitalism, W. W. Norton & Company, Aug 17, 1994
4. Gary B. Gorton. Slapped by the Invisible Hand: The Panic of 2007, Oxford University Press, 2010
5. Neil Shafer, Tom Sheehan. Panic Scrip of 1839, 1907, and 1914: An Illustrated Catalog of Emergency Monetary
Issues, McFarland and Company, 2013.
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6. Michael Bordo, Claudia Goldin, and Eugene N. White, eds. The Defining Moment: The Great Depression and the
American Economy in the Twentieth Century. University of Chicago Press, 1998
7. Alexander J. Field. A Great Leap Forward: 1930’s Economic Depression and U.S. Economic Growth. Yale University
Press, 2011
8. Daniel E. Saros. Labor, Industry and Regulation During the Progressive Era. Routledge, 2009
9. Paul Krugman. The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008. W. W. Norton & Company, 2009
10. Nouriel Roubini and Stephen Mihm, Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance. The Penguin Press,
2010
11. Joseph E. Stiglitz, Freefall: America, Free Markets and the Sinking of the World Economy. W.W. Norton and
Company, 2010
12. Robert M. Hardaway, The Great American Housing Bubble: The Road to Collapse, Praeger, 2011
13. Robert H. Frank, Falling Behind: How Rising Inequality Harms the Middle Class. University of California Press, 2007
**14. Michael Lind, Land of Promise: An Economic History of the United States. Harper Collins 2012
**15. John M. Murrin, et. al., Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People, 5th ed., Thomson, Wadsworth,
2008
16. Lawrence J. White, The S & L Debacle: Public Policy Lessons for Bank and Thrift Regulations.
17. Thomas Mark Karier, Great Experiments in American Economic Policy: From Kennedy to Reagan, Greenwood
Publishing Group, 1997
18. James J. O’Leary, Stagnation or Healthy Growth? The Economic Challenge to the United States in the nineties.
University Press of America, 1992
19. Aart Kraay (the World Bank), and Jaume Ventura (CREI and the Universitat Pompeau Fabra). The Dot-Com Bubble,
the Bush Deficits, and the U.S. Current Account. World bank Policy Research Working Paper 3672, August 2005
**20. Donald Rapp, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: The Rise and Fall of Financial Assets. Springer, June 12, 2009.
21. Bennett Harrison and Barry Bluestone, The Great U-Turn: Corporate Restructuring and the Polarizing of America,
Basic Books Inc. 1988
22. Gary Walton and Hugh Rockoff, History of the American Economy, 11th Edition, 2009, Thompson Southwestern
23. Robert L. Heilbroner and Alan Singer, The Economic Transformation of America: 1600 to the Present, Cengage
Learning; 4 edition, June 1998
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2,3. Chancellor’s Report Template for Modification of Existing Courses (also used for minor changes)
Please fill out one chart for each course. Remove any row that is not being changed with the exception of the Prerequisite, Corequisite,
Pre/Corequisite rows: if any ONE of these is modified, then leave all three.
Section AV: Changes in Existing Courses
AV.1. Department Name : Social Science
Existing Course Number and Course Title: Economic History of the U.S. ECON 2705
From:
To:
Course Number:
HIS 205
Course
Number:
Course Title:
ECON 2705 & HIS 2205
The course covers the study of American
Economic History from the period of
colonization to the present. Beginning with a
brief discussion of the goals and objectives of the
economic historian and brief background to the
period of colonization, the course includes in
topical format, the influence and interrelationship of such items as agriculture, trade,
and commerce, the factory system, the banking
system, transportation and communication,
technology, immigration, labor unions, wars and
recessions, depressions and inflation on the
American nation. Stress is placed on the
education and development of American
economic institutions and how they affected the
lives of our ancestors and continue to influence
our own lives
Description:
The course examines American Economic History from
the period of the Industrial Revolution to the present.
The course establishes the framework for an introduction
to the forces leading to the mid 19th century industrial era,
beginning with an overview of the era of colonization
and the agricultural economy, and the evolution and
collapse of the plantation economy and slavery in the
South during the Civil War. It then covers the Great
Depression, the Second World War and the institutional
transformation of the U.S. economy over the fourdecade post war economic boom from 1945 through the
mid 1970’s. Finally, the era of deindustrialization and
manufacturing decline, followed by the Internet and ecommerce-driven technology boom, Mideast wars,
housing boom-bust and the Great Recession brings us
to the present. Throughout, the evolution and influence
of agriculture, trade, manufacturing, the banking system,
transportation, communication, technological change,
immigration, labor unions, wars and recessions,
depressions and inflation are all examined as central to
the dynamics of economic and social change.
Course Title:
Description:
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Prerequisite:
ECON 1101
Prerequisite:
Corequisites:
Corequisites:
Pre- or
corequisites:
Pre- or
corequisites:
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Any one of the following: ECON 1101; ECON 1401;
HIS1101; HIS 1110
Rationale: 1. The proposal updates and provides more comprehensive content to this course. Its aims are to provide a focus on the social,
political, economic and technological forces that have shaped the evolution of the nation’s economy from the late colonial era to the present.
2. The proposal seeks to have this course formally designated as an Economics course; the course has been housed in the History discipline’s
offerings, but has not been offered for some time. There is growing interest in the discipline of Economics, thus, the interest in both updating
the course outline and in including it among the Economics discipline’s course offerings (currently the course is listed as HIS 2205).
3. The course would be cross-listed with History 2205 as the subject matter has many connections across the disciplines of History and
Economics. A search of similar course offerings at other CUNY colleges yielded several matches. A search of TIPPS indicated that the course is
equivalent to similar Economic history courses offered as either History or Economics courses, depending upon the institution.
An application will also be made for the course to be offered as an interdisciplinary course very shortly.
The rational is to update and to provide more comprehensive content to this course which has not been offered/taught in several years. Its
aims are to provide a more comprehensive focus on the factors contributing to the evolution of the nation’s social, political, and economic
development and change.
There is growing interest in the discipline of Economics. Thus, this rationale includes the interest in both updating the course outline and
including the course among the Economics discipline’s course offerings.
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