Welcome! Course schedule with Hyperlinks.

Course schedule:

Note: The readings for Tuesday are set, while the readings for Thursday are to be determined. We will discuss the next week’s TBA reading each Thursday. From time to time I may move readings around or replace them to more closely coincide with the class’s current interests. Watch the blog for these updates.

Week 1 – “The Free Market”: A Floating Signifier

T Jan. 8: Introductions.

Th 10: Dean Baker, The End of Loser Liberalism. Read chapters 1-3 and 10-11 (pages 1-38, 136-156). Listen to This American Life podcast if time permits. It will help you understand some of Baker’s ideas.

Week 2 – Precursors

T 15: Read Hobbes (chapter XIII – skim other chapters if you have time), Mandeville (for some interesting background, read this, and check out the larger site more generally for good explanations of some of the concepts we cover).

Th 17: Read Hutcheson, Hume (Appendix one and two, “Concerning Moral Sentiment” and “of self-love”) and Smith (“Of licentious Systems”). Make sure you are following class blog and have started your own blog (please email me the link and I will post it on the class blog).

Week 3 – Regulation: another floating signifier.

T 22: Read Smith and Swift.

Th 24: Read Hume and Krugman.

Week 4 – Recessions as regulatory failure

T 29: Read Baker, ch. 5-6 (pages 53-84). Read Marx (Ch. 8-10) and Smith (for general information on history of money) if time permits.

Th 31: Reading TBA. Bring in rough drafts for peer editing. Read Nancy Sommers.

Week 5 – The pragmatist’s guide to utopia.

T Feb 5: Paper 1 due Wednesday by 12pm. Read Beggs, Marx and Hume.

Th 7: Reading TBA. Possible library day.

Week 6 – Utopias left and right

T 12: Read Marx, Sumner and Ackerman.

Th 14: Reading TBA. Peer editing. Bring in drafts.

Week 7 – Presentations  

T 19: Read Horwitz/Swire and Caplan. Presentations.

Th 21: Reading TBA and Presentations.

Week 8 – Presentations

T 26: Paper 2 due Wednesday by 12 pm. Read Konczal and Robin. Presentations.

Th 28: No class. Instructor away at conference. Library day or other activity TBA.

Week 9 – Spring break

T Mar. 5: No class.

Th 7: No Class.

Week 10 – Trade    

T 12: Read Ricardo and Baker, ch. 7-8 (pages 84-117).

Th 14: Read TBA.

Week 11 – Critique of finance: a conservative tradition

T 19: Read Burke (2.1.318 to 2.1.323), Mailer interview, and Baker, ch. 4 and ch. 9 (pages 38-53 and pages 117-136).

Th 21: Reading TBA. Peer Editing.

Week 12 – Death, Taxes, and Utopia

T 26: Paper 3 due Wednesday at 12pm. Smith (“Of the Effect of Utility”, chs. 1 and 2), Frank and Salam.

Th 28: Reading TBA.

Week 13 – The tragedy of the privates.

T April 2: Read Smith (“Conclusion of the Chapter,” the short section at the end) and Yglesias.

Th 4: Reading TBA. Instructor away at conference. Library day or activity TBA.  

Week 14 – Looking forward

T 9: Zizek, Sumner, and Sumner.

Th 11: Reading TBA. Peer editing/writing workshop.

Week 15 – Finishing touches

T 16: Read Conley. Writing workshop.

Th 18: Reading TBA. Writing workshop.

Week 16 – Done

T 23: Last day of class. Reading TBA. No final exam. Paper due Wednesday by 12 pm.

Th 25: Finals begin.

Week 17

Finals continue.