Welcome! Here is our online course schedule.

Course schedule:

Note: The readings for Tuesday are set, while the readings for Thursday are to be determined after the first few weeks. 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 Aug. 27: Introductions.

Th 29: No class. Read Dean Baker, The End of Loser Liberalism (Focus on chs. 1-3, 5-7, 10-11) and Matt Yglesias.

Listen to This American Life and the sequel if time permits. It will help you understand some of Baker’s ideas.

Please read the syllabus (available on Moodle). Please also set up your blog, email me the link, and post the following plagiarism exercise on your blog. Write a post that plagiarizes in four different ways: by directly copying text without proper citation, by directly copying text but citing as if you are paraphrasing, by paraphrasing without proper citation, and by using someone’s idea without proper citation. Don't identify which is which. Just number each. 

Finally, use any extra time from class being cancelled to read ahead.

Week 2 – Precursors

T Sept. 3: Read Hobbes (chapters XIII-XV – skim other chapters if you have time) and 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 5: Read Hutcheson, Hume (Appendix one and two, “Concerning Moral Sentiment” and “of self-love”) and Smith (“Of licentious Systems”).

Week 3 – Feeling, value, and the invisible hand

T 10: Read Hutcheson (section 5) and Smith (“Of Sympathy”)

Th 12: Read Smith (“Of the Effect of Utility”, chs. 1 and 2) and Smith (ch. 2)

Week 4 – Mercantilism, morality, and regulation

T 17: Read Smith, Smith (ch. IV - "How the Towns..."), and Swift.

Th 19: Reading TBA. Bring in rough drafts for peer editing. Read Nancy Sommers.

Week 5 – Marx as a reader of Smith

T 24: Paper 1 due Wednesday by 12pm. Read Marx, Marx (section 5), Smith (conclusion of the chapter) and this.

Th 26: Reading TBA. Possible library day.

Week 6 – Money and social order

T Oct. 1: Read Marx (Ch. 8-10) and Ackerman (if time permits, read this very interesting historical explanation of the gold standard from Smith)

Th 3: Reading TBA. Peer editing. Bring in drafts.

Week 7 – Presentations  

T 8: Presentations. Paper 2 due Wednesday by 12 pm.

Th 10: Reading TBA and Presentations.

Week 8 – Presentations cont’d.

T 15: No class. Fall Break.

Th 17: Reading TBA.

Week 9 – Money and economic crisis

T 22: Read Marx, Hume and Krugman.

Th 24: Reading TBA. Peer Editing.

Week 10 –  Money and utopia

T 29: Read Conley and Sumner

Th 31: Read TBA. Peer Editing.

Week 11 – Alternative conservatisms

T Nov. 5: Paper 3 due Wednesday at 12pm. Read Marx, Burke (2.1.313 to 2.1.327) and Mailer interview.

Th 7: Reading TBA.

Week 12 – Death, Taxes, and Utopia

T 12: Read Frank and Salam.

Th 14: Reading TBA.

Week 13 – Labor and the minimum wage

T 19: Read Marx and Freakonomics

Th 21: Reading TBA.

Week 14 – Looking forward

T 26: Zizek, Sumner, and Sumner.

Th 28: No class. Thanksgiving break.

Week 15 – Finishing touches

T Dec. 3: Read Ricardo. Writing workshop.

Th 5: Reading TBA. Writing workshop.

Week 16 – Done

T Dec. 10: Last day of class. Reading TBA. No final exam. Paper due Friday by 12 pm.

Th 12: Finals begin.

Week 17

Finals continue.