History of Capitalism

3 credits · Undergraduate

This seminar examines the global history of capitalism from the Atlantic slave trade to the Great Depression. Topics include the commodification of people, goods, land, and labour; the rise of corporations, industrial production, and financial markets; and the ecological and social consequences of capitalist expansion. Engaging with diverse perspectives, from economic historians and postcolonial scholars to political economists and environmental historians, students grapple with a central question: how has capitalism endured and reinvented itself despite regular crises?