Z: **Archived from Fall 2007**: American Economic History: Economics 113

Comments on White

Eugene White (1990), “The Stock Market Boom and the Crash of 1929,” Journal of Economic Perspectives 4:2 (Spring), pp. 67-83 http://www.j-bradford-delong.net/Teaching_Folder/Econ_210c_spring_2002/Readings/White_crash.pdf

Comments on Devine

W. Devine (1983), “From Shafts to Wires: Historical Perspective on Electrification,” Journal of Economic History pp. 347-72 http://www.j-bradford-delong.net/Teaching_Folder/Econ_210c_spring_2002/Readings/Devine.pdf.

Comments on DeLong

J. Bradford DeLong, “Did J.P. Morgan’s Men Add Value?” http://www.j-bradford-delong.net/Teaching_Folder/Econ_210a_f99/Readings/Morgan_Temin.pdf.

Comments on Goldin and Katz

Claudia Goldin and Lawrence Katz (1999). “Human Capital and Social Capital: The Rise of Secondary Schooling in America, 1910-1940.” Journal of Interdisciplinary History http://www.nber.org/papers/W6439.

Comments on Engerman and Sokoloff

Stanley Engerman and Kenneth Sokoloff (1994), "Factor Endowments: Institutions, and Differential Paths of Growth Among New World Economies" http://www.nber.org/papers/h0066

Comments on Sheridan

Richard B. Sheridan (1976), "Sweet Malefactor": The Social Costs of Slavery and Sugar in Jamaica and Cuba, 1807-54,” Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 29, No. 2. (May, 1976), pp. 236-257 http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-0117%28197605%292%3A29%3A2%3C236%3A%22MTSCO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-9

Comments on Goldin and Lewis

Claudia D. Goldin and Frank D. Lewis (1975), "The Economic Cost of the American Civil War: Estimates and Implications," Journal of Economic History, Vol. 35, No. 2. (Jun., 1975), pp. 299-326 http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-0507%28197506%2935%3A2%3C299%3ATECOTA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-6

Logistics: Econ 113: American Economic History: Fall 2006: U.C. Berkeley

Sections: W 8-9A, 310 HEARST MIN; M 9-10A, 71 EVANS; Tu 4-5P, 85 EVANS; Th 4-5P, 85 EVANS; F 2-3P, 5 EVANS; F 3-4P, 5 EVANS.

Course: Economics 113 is an upper-division economics course in the study of the history of the U.S. economy that satisfies the political economy historical context requirement. We will survey over three hundred years of history, but inevitably focus more intensely on those incidents that the instructor finds particularly interesting. This is an economics course: we will spend most of our time looking at events, factors, and explanations, using economics to understand history and history to understand economics. Economics 113 must be taken for a grade if it is to be used toward the requirements for the political economy or the economics major.

Adding the Course: The course is currently full. If you are not yet in the course and you wish to be in the course, be sure you are on the wait list. If you are on the wait list, I urge you to look for another class.

Prerequisite: Economics 1 (or 2) (Introduction to Microeconomics and Macroeconomics) is the only official prerequisite. Familiarity with the broad outlines of U.S. history will be presumed. There is some emphasis on statistics, graphs, and economic theory, and a little bit of emphasis on the ability to interpret econometrics results. Non-economics majors who have only taken Economics 1 may find the course difficult. People who have taken lots of previous economics will find the course easier.

Readings: The textbook for this course is Gary Walton and Hugh Rockoff (2006), History of the American Economy (10th ed.) (Mason, OH: Thomson-Southwestern: 0324259697), available at the bookstore (You will notice a tension between the largely-right-of-center textbook and the largely-left-of-center lecturer: we believe that this is a healthy tension.) A number of required auxiliary books are also at the bookstore:

• Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward
• Peter Temin, Did Monetary Forces Cause the Great Depression?
• Eichengreen, Globalizing Capital
• Baker, The United States since 1980

And there are substantial additional readings online, with URLs provided in the reading list and at http://delong.typepad.com/aeh/2007/08/american-econom.html. The online readings are available from every berkeley.edu computer, and from outside berkeley.edu if you successfully configure your computer to use the Berkeley library proxy servers.

Special Accommodation: If you require special accommodations for exams, you must speak with Brad DeLong no later than August 29. You will eventually need to obtain an evaluation form from Disabled Students' Program (230 César Chávez Student Center).

Discussion Section: Attendance and participation in section enhances your understanding of the material, and your section leader can raise your grade a step. Section meets one hour per week. You must attend the first and second section meetings, or your space in this course will be given to another student.

Photo: Please bring a (labeled) photo of yourself to your first or second section meeting.

Grading: is covered here.

Syllabus: is here.

Grading: Econ 113: American Economic History: Fall 2006: U.C. Berkeley

Grades will be based on the following:

• 15% from a first Midterm Exam to be given October 1. (I find that it is important to give a midterm exam early in the course to serve as a reality check: so that students in trouble can figure out how much trouble they are in, and also--more important--so that at least one of us (DeLong) can figure out how unrealistic and detached from reality his beliefs about his teaching effectiveness are.)
• 15% from a second Midterm Exam to be given October 24.
• 15% from a (short: two hours long) Final Exam to be given December 18.

No makeup exams will be offered. Students who do not hand in one of the three exams will have their scores for the other exams boosted to add up to 45%. Students who miss two of the three exams should not expect to pass the course.

Exams will be closed book, closed note. Exams will focus mostly on the textbook, to police your reading of it and make sure you undertake the survey of American economic history that the textbook provides.

• 10% from section participation.
• 18% from 9 web assignments plus occasional in-class exercises.
• 12% from 4 problem sets.
• 15% from 3 papers.

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Web assignment 1: go to one of the "comments" pages for the assigned readings for the first class--Diamond's "Why Did Human History Unfold Differently...?", Diamond's "How to Get Rich", Mann's "1491", or Yeager's ["Encomienda or Slavery"])(http://delong.typepad.com/aeh/2007/08/comments-on-yea.html)--and leave a fifty-word (or more) comment adding something to the discussion already there. Do this before noon on August 29.

Web assignment 2: go to one of the "comments" pages for the assigned readings for the second class--Temin's "Labor Scarcity" or Nelson's "Alexander Hamilton"--and leave a fifty-word (or more) comment adding something to the discussion already there. Do this before noon on September 3.

Web assignment 3: go to one of these three "questions" pages--Migration or Numbers or Resources--and leave a fifty-word (or more) comment giving your guess as to the answer to the question and adding something to the discussion already there. Do this before noon on September 5.

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Cheating: Instances of cheating produce a grade of zero on that particular assignment and will be reported to the Student Judicial Affairs for additional punishment.

Web Assignment Index: Econ 113: American Economic History: Fall 2007: U.C. Berkeley

Web assignment 1: Diamond or Mann or Yeager: go to one of the "comments" pages for the assigned readings for the first class--Diamond's "Why Did Human History Unfold Differently...?", Diamond's "How to Get Rich", Mann's "1491", or Yeager's "Encomienda or Slavery"--and leave a fifty-word (or more) comment adding something to the discussion already there. Do this before noon on August 29.

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Web assignment 2: Temin or Nelson: go to one of the "comments" pages for the assigned readings for the second class--Temin's "Labor Scarcity" or Nelson's "Alexander Hamilton"--and leave a fifty-word (or more) comment adding something to the discussion already there. Do this before noon on September 3.

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Web assignment 3: Questions: go to one of these three "questions" pages--Migration or Numbers or Resources--and leave a fifty-word (or more) comment giving your guess as to the answer to the question and adding something to the discussion already there. Do this before noon on September 5.

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Web assignment 4: Sheridan or Goldin and Lewis: go to one of these two "questions" pages--Goldin and Lewis or Sheridan--and leave a hundred-word (or more) comment adding something to the discussion already there. Do this before noon on September 12.

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Web assignment 5: Engerman and Sokoloff: Leave a hundred-word (or more) comment adding something to the discussion on Engerman and Sokoloff. Do this before noon on September 19.

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Web assignment 6: Goldin and Katz or DeLong or Devine: One article on labor, one article on capital, and one article on technology. Please leave a hundred-word (or more) comment adding something to the discussion on whichever article interests you most. Do this before noon on September 24.

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Web assignment 7: White or Romer or Olney: Eugene White writes about the stock market crash, Marty Olney writes about why the stock market crash and associated recession was a big deal, and Christina Romer provides an overview of the Great Depression. Please leave a hundred-word (or more) comment adding something to the discussion on whichever article interests you most. Do this before noon on October 3.

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Web assignment 8: Wright or Bowden and Offer: Please leave a hundred-word (or more) comment adding something to the discussion on whichever article interests you most. Do this before noon on October 29.

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Web assignment 9: DeLong or DeLong and Eichengreen: Please leave a hundred-word (or more) comment adding something to the discussion on whichever article interests you most. Do this before noon on November 14.