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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2019/2020

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of History, Classics and Archaeology : Economic and Social History

Undergraduate Course: The Global Economy since 1750 (ECSH08043)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of History, Classics and Archaeology CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryIn the Nineteenth Century the world economy underwent decisive changes with the emergence of modern industrialisation and modern forms of economic development. We consider the question "what made it all happen - in some economies to a far greater extent that in others?" What, for example, were the mechanisms which assisted or hindered the diffusion of the new technologies and what sort of institutional changes were required to support the forces of industrialisation? Did trade, and the movements of peoples and capital, promote income growth and convergence, or, in some cases did the forces of globalization lead to income inequalities?
Course description The initial focus is on the emergence of the industrial core and its relationship with the wider world. By 1914 the USA was the world industrial leader, with industrial output equal to that of France, Germany and Britain combined. Accordingly the case of US economic development is considered in some detail. Global economic history is not just a history of the industrial core, though, and accordingly Chinese and Japanese economic history are also studied in some detail. In the twentieth century, elements of the world economy disintegrated during the 1920s and 1930s, most especially the networks of trade and the international monetary system. The led to widespread depression, including in the USA, and we seek to understand what went wrong. The course concludes with a discussion of a second era of global economic expansion since 1945.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting students must have at least 1 introductory level History course at grade B or above for entry to this course. We will only consider University/College level courses.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2019/20, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  103
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 22, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 162 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 60 %, Coursework 40 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Coursework: 2,500 word essay (26%), and
1 x short assignment (14%)
Exam: 2 hour paper (60%)
Feedback Students will receive written feedback on their coursework, and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the tutor/Course Organiser during their published office hours or by appointment.
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)2:00
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, a sound knowledge of the subject considered in the course.
  2. Demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, an ability to assimilate a variety of sources and formulate critical opinions on them.
  3. Demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, an ability to research, structure and complete written work of a specified length, or within a specified time.
  4. Demonstrate an ability to make informed contributions to class discussion and give an oral presentation as required.
  5. Demonstrate an ability to organise their own learning, manage their workload, and work to a timetable.
Reading List
J. Atack and P. Passell, A New Economic View of American History: from Colonial Times to 1940, 2nd ed. (1994).
S. Broadberry and K.H. O'Rourke (eds.), The Cambridge Economic History of Modern Europe, Volume 2: (2010).
R. Findlay & K. H. O'Rourke, Power and Plenty: Trade, War, and the World Economy in the Second Millennium (2007).
J. Foreman-Peck A History of the World Economy: International Economic Relations since 1850 (1995).
M. Graff, A.G. Kenwood and A.L. Lougheed, The Growth of the International Economy, 1820-2015: an Introductory Text (2013)
K.G. Persson, An Economic History of Europe: Knowledge, Institutions and Growth, 600 to the Present (2010).
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Felix Boecking
Tel:
Email: felix.boecking@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Katherine Perry
Tel:
Email: kperry2@ed.ac.uk
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