Undergraduate Course: The Global Economy since 1750 (ECSH08043)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | In 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.
Content note: The study of History inevitably involves the study of difficult topics that we encourage students to approach in a respectful, scholarly, and sensitive manner. The course organiser has not identified any sensitive content within this course's focus, however course organisers cannot entirely predict the directions discussions may take in tutorials or seminars, or through the wider reading that students may conduct for the course.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting 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
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 72 |
| 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 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
40 %,
Coursework
60 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework:
1,500-word data assignment (20%)
2,500-word essay (40%)
Exam:
Two-hour final exam (40%) |
| 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. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a sound knowledge of the subject considered in the course.
- Assimilate a variety of sources and formulate critical opinions on them.
- Research, structure and complete written work of a specified length, or within a specified time.
- Organise their own learning, manage their workload, and work to a timetable.
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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 |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Paul Kosmetatos
Tel: (0131 6)50 3838
Email: Paul.Kosmetatos@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Lauren Smith
Tel:
Email: Lauren.N.Smith@ed.ac.uk |
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