Gregory Clark
ECN
110A, Spring 2008
1137 Social Science
and
Humanities
Storer 1322, MWF 8:00-8:50
752-9242 (gclark@ucdavis.edu)
http://www.econ.ucdavis.edu/faculty/gclark/teaching.html
Office Hours: M 10-12, Tu 10-12
TA:
Yoonie Chung
Section:
M 4:10-5,
Hart 1130
120 SSH
: M 5:10-6, Hart 1130
(ykchung@ucdavis.edu)
Office Hours: M 9-10,
W 10-11
DESCRIPTION
This
course looks at the nature and development of economies in the years
before the
end of the Industrial Revolution by 1870.
It will examine how the pre-industrial economy, sometimes called
the
“Malthusian Economy,” functioned. It
will explain how this functioning was very different from modern
economies. Finally it will consider
why
the breakthrough to modern growth, the Industrial Revolution, was
delayed till
1800. Examples from all around the
world will be used, including pre-Columbian
The
text for this course is my book, A
Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History
of the
World (Princeton University Press, 2007).
This is available from the bookstore (or probably more cheaply
from
Amazon.com). There will also be
supplements on more technical material, such as growth accounting and
capital
markets, not covered in the
PROBLEM
SETS
In
order to help students master the more analytical material there will
be problem
sets that will be discussed in section and that will be posted to my
web
page. Doing the problem sets will be a
great preparation for the exams.
COURSE
REQUIREMENTS
There will two midterms and a final
exam. Anyone registered for the course
has to be available to take the midterms and final as scheduled.
|
Week
of |
Monday |
Wednesday
|
Friday |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mar
31 |
|
Chung
(section) |
|
|
Apr
7 |
|
|
Clark |
|
Apr
14 |
Clark |
|
Clark |
|
Apr
21 |
|
Clark |
Midterm
1 |
|
Apr
28 |
|
|
|
|
May 5 |
|
|
Clark |
|
May
12 |
|
|
Clark |
|
May
19 |
|
Clark |
Midterm
2 |
|
May
26 |
Memorial
Day |
|
|
|
Jun 2 |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
FINAL,
Tue 10 June, 1-3 pm |
|||
GRADING
The grades for the class will be
composed as follows:
Midterm 1: 25%
Midterm
2: 25%
Final
50%
In line with Economics
Department
policy the average GPA for the class will be 2.7.
OUTLINE
(with page numbers in
text)
|
1. |
Introduction |
1-18 |
|
|
|
|
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The
Malthusian Trap: Economic Life to 1800 |
||
|
2. |
The Logic of the Malthusian
Economy
|
19-39 |
|
3. |
Material Living Standards
|
40-70 |
|
4. |
Fertility |
71-90 |
|
5. |
Life Expectancy |
91-111 |
|
6. |
Malthus and Darwin: Survival
of the Richest |
112-132 |
|
7. |
Technological Advance |
133-144 |
|
8. |
Institutions
|
145-165 |
|
9. |
The Emergence of Modern Man |
166-192 |
|
|
|
|
|
The
Industrial Revolution |
||
|
10. |
Modern Growth: the Wealth of
Nations |
193-207 |
|
11. |
The Problem of the Industrial
Revolution |
208-229 |
|
12. |
The English Industrial
Revolution |
230-258 |
|
13 |
Why |
259-271 |
|
14 |
Social Consequences |
272-302 |