This course will introduce students to fundamental perspectives of political economy. It will provide a survey of the history of political economy, examining the free market perspective of Adam Smith, the free trade argument of David Ricardo, Karl Marx’s critiques of capitalism, Veblen’s focus on conspicuous consumption andthe leisure class, Keynes’s ideas to bring capitalist economies out of the Great Depression, and more recent neoclassical and neo-Marxist perspectives.

CILO-1: Demonstrate proficiency in fundamental political economy and economics concepts. CILO-2: Identify the political determinants of economic development and the economic effects on political institutions. CILO-3: Apply theories of political economy to explain the variation in economic growth. CILO-4: Formulate and assess critical causal arguments pertaining to significant political economy topics.