Gregory
Clark
ECN 110A, Spring 2013
1137
Social Science and Humanities
Storer 1322, MWF
8:00-8:50
Office
Hours: M, Th
1:00-2:30
TAs:
Douglas
Campbell, dolcampb@gmail.com,
Office Hours Th 3-5, 135 SSH
Kelly Erickson, kellyeerickson@gmail.com,
Office Hours Th 11:30-12:30, 4:30-6, 132 SSH
DESCRIPTION
This course
details the nature and development of economies from pre-history
to the Industrial Revolution.
It explains how this was dramatically different from
modern economies. Finally
it considers what caused the Industrial Revolution, why it was
in Europe, and why it was delayed till 1800.
SCHEDULE
Below
is the schedule for the quarter.
Because of a shortage of large lecture rooms this class
has to be offered at 8 am, not a favored time for most of you. The lectures from this
class in Spring 2009 were videotaped. These lectures are at
iTunes University,
and cover all the material for this quarter (except for one
lecture)[ go to iTunes University, and then just search under
“Gregory Clark”]. Thus
you can take the class without having to attend the 8 am
lectures. However,
to encourage you to keep up with the lectures there will be
three short midterms.
|
Date |
Day in Week |
Lecture at iTunes |
Chapter |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 1 |
Mon |
Introduction
(get on web) |
1 |
|
Apr 3 |
Wed |
Logic
of Malthusian Model |
2 |
|
Apr 5 |
Fri |
Logic
of Malthusian Model |
2 |
|
Apr 8 |
Mon |
Logic
of Malthusian Model |
2 |
|
Apr 10 |
Wed |
Logic
of Malthusian Model |
2 |
|
Apr 12 |
Fri |
Living
Standards Before 1800 |
3 |
|
Apr 15 |
Mon |
Living
Standards Before 1800 |
3 |
|
Apr 17 |
Wed |
Fertility
in the Pre-Industrial World |
4 |
|
Apr 19 |
Fri |
Fertility
in the Pre-Industrial World |
4 |
|
Apr 22 |
Mon |
Survival
of the Richest |
6 |
|
Apr 24 |
Wed |
Survival
of the Richest |
6 |
|
Apr 25 |
Thur |
Midterm
Review, 6-7 pm, room TBA |
- |
|
Apr 26 |
Fri |
MIDTERM
1 |
- |
|
Apr 29 |
Mon |
Mortality
in the Pre-Industrial World |
5 |
|
May 1 |
Wed |
Slow
Technological Advance pre 1800 |
7 |
|
May 3 |
Fri |
Institutions
and Technological Advance |
8 |
|
May 6 |
Mon |
The
Myth of Institutional Barriers |
8 |
|
May 8 |
Wed |
Social
Mobility |
- |
|
May 10 |
Fri |
The
Emergence of Modern Man |
9 |
|
May 13 |
Mon |
The
Emergence of Modern Man |
9 |
|
May 15 |
Wed |
Culture and Modern Growth |
9 |
|
May 16 |
Thur |
Midterm
Review, 5:10-6 pm,
|
- |
|
May 17 |
Fri |
MIDTERM
2 |
- |
|
May 20 |
Mon |
Modern Growth |
10 |
|
May 22 |
Wed |
Modern Growth |
10 |
|
May 24 |
Fri |
Why
was the Industrial Revolution delayed 100,000 years? |
11 |
|
May 27 |
Mon |
Theories
of the Industrial Revolution |
11 |
|
May 29 |
Wed |
The
English Industrial Revolution |
12 |
|
May 31 |
Fri |
MIDTERM
3 |
- |
|
June 3 |
Mon |
The
English Industrial Revolution |
12 |
|
June 5 |
Wed |
England
and Theories of Growth |
13 |
|
June 7 |
Fri |
Final
Review, 5:10-7 pm, 1003 Giedt |
- |
|
June 12 |
Wed |
Final,
8-10
(Sample
Final) |
- |
READINGS
The text is
my book, A Farewell to
Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World (Princeton
University Press, 2007). There
will also be weekly supplementary readings available as links to
the syllabus on my web site.
Some will be on more technical material, such as
mathematical models of growth.
Others will be case studies illustrating points in the
book.
COURSE
REQUIREMENTS
There
will be three short midterms, and a final. Anyone registered for
the course has to be available for the scheduled final. The grade for the
class will be: Midterm
1
- 20%, Midterm 2 – 20%, Midterm 3 – 20%, Final - 40%.
Each midterm score will only be counted if it
improves your final grade.
Thus if you have to miss a midterm for any reason that is
not a problem. By Economics Department policy the class average
GPA will be 2.7.
PROBLEM
SETS
Problems on each chapter will be posted through the links
below. The TAs will go over these questions as well as the
supplementary material in the review sections. OUTLINE
|
Ch |
Topic |
Pages |
|
1. |
Introduction Jared
Diamond – The
Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race |
1-18 |
|
|
|
|
|
The
Malthusian Trap: Economic Life to 1800 |
||
|
2. |
The
Logic of the Malthusian Economy Questions
on Chapter 2 |
19-39 |
|
3. |
Material
Living Standards Questions
on Chapter 3 |
40-70 |
|
4. |
Fertility Questions
on Chapter 4 |
71-90 |
|
5. |
Life
Expectancy Questions
of Chapter 5 |
91-111 |
|
6. |
Malthus
and Darwin: Survival of the Richest Questions
of Chapter 6
|
112-132 |
|
7. |
133-144 |
|
|
8. |
Institutions Malawi
vs Sweden North
and Thomas North
and Weingast
|
145-165 |
|
9. |
The
Emergence of Modern Man |
166-192 |
|
|
|
|
|
The
Industrial Revolution |
||
|
10. |
Modern
Growth: the Wealth of Nations Growth
Accounting |
193-207 |
|
11. |
The
Problem of the Industrial Revolution |
208-229 |
|
12. |
The
English Industrial Revolution |
230-258 |
|
13 |
Why
England? Why not China, Japan, or India? |
259-271 |
|
14 |
Social
Consequences of the Industrial Revolution |
272-302 |