requirements

The requirements for the course are as follows: (1) Reading Summary and Seminar Participation (10%); 2) leadership of one or more seminar discussion (10%); (3) Blog & Comment (40%); and (4) Final Paper (40%); (5) a self-evaluation (one-page, typed, single-spaced) assessing your performance in the course (not graded but required).

reading summary & seminar participation (10%)

For one week you are expected to turn in a 500–700-word summary (as well as photocopies for the rest of the class) of the reading for that week. My copy must be emailed to me in RTF or MS Word format before class or handed to me in class. Like a book review, these summaries should recapitulate the readings thesis, articulate the kind of evidence that the author draws on, and make some critical comment or connection. These will, in all candor, drive you nuts, but they will hone your writing skills and prove invaluable when the time comes for your exams/orals. Seminar participation means lively and engaged discussion of the readings. You cannot hope to derive the most from the course if you sit on the sidelines and listen to the play-by-play.

seminar discussion leadership (10%)

Each class member (or team of two) will be responsible for leading at least one class discussion. The leader (or leaders) are responsible for initiating and maintaining the discussion. How you do this is up to you: presentations, handouts, a quiz, ancillary discussion items, polls; you are limited only by your creativity. I will be on hand to facilitate the process, but the leader (or leaders) will be responsible for setting the agenda for the class.

blog (40%)

Each week you are responsible for an entry some aspect of American business or economics as well as a comment on a classmate’s entry. You are, for example, encouraged to find either textural, visual, or video sources add some commentary, to write a short entry connecting the reading to a current economic situation, or to take off your own with observations or collections. The key is to be interesting, thoughtful, and creative in presenting your “find” or argument. A slavish summary of the readings is probably not a successful approach.

final paper (40%)

Your paper will be an analytical essay (12–15 pages) discussing the literature on a particular topic in the history of business in America. Your paper should reflect the most recent scholarship and include a critical discussion of the central arguments. Be careful in selecting your topic to choose one that is feasible within the time constraints of the semester. I am flexible on choice of topic. A short corporate history is a good bet; a historiographic essay on a particular topic is another. We will be discussing topics and strategies in class.

film resources

Wall Street (1987)
Boiler Room (2000)
Other People’s Money (1991)
Rogue Trader (1998)
Barbarians at the Gate (1993)
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
The Insider (1999)
Office Space (1999)
Other People's Money (1991)
Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)
Rollover (1981)
Tin Men (1987)
Syriana (2005)		 The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)
Desk Set (1957)
The Apartment (1960)
How to Succeed in Business Without…Trying (1967)
Working Girl (1988)
Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Michael Clayton (2007)
Flash of Genius (2008)
Mad Men (TV 2007–2009)