ECO202: Economics in Historical Perspective

2009-03-31T15:53:00.003-04:00

All erroneous ideas, all poisonous weeds, all ghosts and monsters, must be subjected to criticism; in no circumstance should they be allowed to spread unchecked. However, the criticism should be fully reasoned, analytical and convincing, and not rough, bureaucratic, metaphysical or dogmatic. (Mao)

Middle Ages lecture notes

2007-03-07T12:58:00.000-05:00

here they are

Middle Ages lecture notes

2007-03-06T08:56:00.000-05:00

Hi all,
We only discussed about 1/2 of this material so far.
YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REMAINDER ON THE MIDTERM.
Please remember we will have our exam in the Crummer Business School room 107.

ECO202 student blogs

2007-02-12T11:48:00.000-05:00

Here's another link (other on econ dept website/balak's stuff):
ECO202 Blogs
Please check your link & report errors with EXACT correct url. You can use a comment to this post. I managed to read some blogs with wrong emailed url by checking your profile & finding that you have 2 blogs. Delete the empty one & verify links.

btw, I saw many excellent posts :-D

Jared Diamond

2007-02-06T09:52:00.001-05:00

All ECO202 students are required to attend this Thursday, 12:30-1:30 keynote session (Knowles Memorial Chapel) .

note: class is canceled!

where's the info?

2007-02-06T09:10:00.000-05:00

If you are looking for course materials they can be found in either of 2 places:
1) this blog
2) The economics department website (follow the link on the right; then look for "Balak's stuff" on bottom left of the econ dept website)

Ancient Empires Lecture

2007-02-05T18:02:00.000-05:00

Ancient Empires Lecture

The class lectures on Ancient Empires is available here:

Sargon to Constantine

It should download/open in Microsoft PowerPoint format.

Let me know if you have problems (via comments to this post and/or in class).

>>>IMPORTANT<<<

2006-11-29T19:14:00.000-05:00

All the previous posts (below) include the essential material from the syllabus. They include detailed instructions for all the course assignments & exams.

The tentative course calendar will come shortly before the semester starts... please remind me if it doesn't ;-)

Gaming blogs (30%)

2006-11-29T19:06:00.000-05:00

Required writing:

On your blog: a substantial post at least once a week.
On others’ blogs: a thoughtful comment at least once a week.

Writing guidelines:

Don’t forget your text will be accessible to the 1,000,000,000(!) internet users around the world. Don’t embarrass yourself with shoddy work that could haunt you forever!
Your intended readers are intelligent & reasonably well educated but you cannot assume they are familiar with our specific texts & terminology.
Go deeply into specific issues as opposed to a shallow summery:

Present your arguments and insights clearly and accessibly while keeping the analysis deep.
Do not “cover” all issues; pick an issue, & explore it thoroughly.
At least one of your weekly postings must be a mini analytical paper.
Overall you will be writing a comparative analysis: How does your game(s) relate to actual historical economic events & situations?
Be specific: refer to events, processes, & changes as they are discussed in the readings, lectures, & class activities.
Use your readings and reference them (other sources optional but welcome).

Demonstrate your knowledge of economic concepts (from your readings).
Grades are not based on gaming success, only on the quality & depth of your discussion. A good discussion about why you lost would earn you a good grade.
Group work is strongly encouraged but blog posting is individual:

It’s a game! Make a party out of it… ;-).
Play together (multiplayer or around the same game & take notes).

Discuss your games, readings, & written assignments together:

Meet or use the blogs to post comments to each other.
This is a good way to generate material for the blogs, classroom questions & discussion, and to prepare for quizzes & exams.

Make sure you discuss:

Your overall strategy? Did your strategy change at any time? Why?
The important decisions and strategies you made. What choices (& other factors) produced the biggest successes? The greatest failures?
The different options you faced, the internal debates (within the group or within your mind) about policy. How did you decide whether to build a settler for expansion, a granary to accelerate the first city’s population growth, or a warrior to defend it?
Availability of resources
Major achievements
Problems encountered
The cause and dynamic of conflicts
Relations with rivals
Etc, etc, etc, …

Midterm (20%) and final (30%) exams

2006-11-29T18:56:00.000-05:00

Variety of questions drawing from all the material (readings & classroom).
Use the end-of-chapter questions in Colander & Heilbroner to prepare for the exams.
This will be particularly effective with study groups.
The final will be similar to the midterm only longer (cumulative--all semester's material) & harder.

Reading comprehension quizzes (20%)

2006-11-29T18:54:00.000-05:00

There will be frequent very short pop-quizzes on the readings.
You should clarify anything you did not understand before the session for which the reading is due.
Discuss your questions with other students and/or me in advance (use the blogs).
I strongly encourage you to prepare in groups.

Texts & Materials

2006-11-29T18:52:00.000-05:00

The Making of Economic Society, R. Heilbroner & W. Milberg (2002)
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, J. Diamond (1999)
Economics, D. Colander (2006)
Computer game: Civilization IV^® (Civilization III^® for slower computers)

Description and rational

2006-11-29T18:48:00.000-05:00

Any analysis of contemporary societies requires some degree of familiarity with the concepts, tools, assumptions, policies, and philosophical positions that together describe the economy. This is particularly important since the discourse of economics is highly influential in the political process and thus, in order to participate in the democratic process, citizens are required to evaluate competing economic interpretations of facts and proposed policies. One would be hard pressed to imagine any topic that is more pertinent to the understanding of any society at both a practical as well as an ethical level.

Economic theory has a central role in shaping the world in which we live by providing explanations & justifications for numerous social, political, & even personal actions. As you will quickly find out in this course, these concepts are complex & depend on a host of assumptions & specific circumstances. Furthermore, they are often misunderstood and/or misused by journalists, politicians, & the general public. In the words of one of my favorite economists:

"The purpose of studying economics is not to acquire a set of ready-made answers to economic questions, but to learn how to avoid being deceived by economists."

(Joan Robinson, 1955)

The course will focus less on technical models than on the way ideas are shaped by history, and how, in turn, history is shaped by ideas. Consider the following quote from the “father” of macroeconomics:

“The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else. Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influences, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist.”

(John Maynard Keynes, 1936)