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Because the field of business history is a broad one, the course will concentrate on manufacturers, individuals and firms who made things, and on the evolution of their particular entrepreneurial activity, manufacturing and the marketing of their wares. (This does not mean, however, that we will neglect general topics in economic history.) In this particular iteration of the course, we’ll begin with a tour through the economic history of the nation and finish by concentrating on two special topics: US vs. Microsoft and the rise and fall of the dot.coms. The 80s (the “greed is good” decade) and 90s (the “if we build, they will come” decade) also spawned a number of “business” films, and we’ll take a look at business as popular culture. This course, in short, is designed as an intensive reading and thinking course to acquaint you with the major themes in the development of corporate America. (A scholar once remarked, “A readings course is the process of stuffing oneself on books until one is done up like a Thanksgiving turkey.”) The turkey business aside, this is an “old timey” graduate seminar, in which the emphasis is on discussion and the exchange of ideas.
 Download (975.20 K) HIST 615 in RTF
Download (323.88 K) HIST 615 in PDF |
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The following books are required for the course. They are available in the Campus Bookstore and from various online vendors.
Robert Whaples & Dianne C. Betts, eds.
Historical Perspectives on the American Economy
Peter Temin
The Jacksonian Economy
Glenn Porter & Harold Livesay
Merchants and Manufacturers
Alfred Chandler
The Visible Hand
Richard Tedlow
New and Improved
Susan Strasser
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Philip Scranton
Endless Novelty
Roland Marchand
Creating the Corporate Soul
Edward Chase Kirkland
Dream and Thought in the Business Community
Gretchen Ritter
Goldbugs and Greenbacks
Ken Auletta
World War 3.0: Microsoft vs. the U.S.
Michael Lewis
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