87460 - History Of Economic Thought

Learning outcomes

The course aims at the following learning objectives: a) to learn and discuss, at an advanced undergraduate level, how the economic thought has evolved over time, introducing students to the critical comparison of the contributions of the main schools of economics: the classical, the marginalist revolution and its application to the theories of general and partial equilibrium, the current macroeconomic debate between the neo-classical and the Keynesian school; b) to understand specific contributions on themes of economic analysis and concerning figures of economists still important in the international economic debate at the international level, through selected readings of their texts and linking the different positions of economic thought to philosophical foundations and political implications.

Course contents

The course will discuss how different visions of political economy and schools of economic thought have evolved over time and how they related to the social, political, economic and philosophical dimensions of their times.

By the end of the course, you will have developed critical thinking skills and will be able to analyze and discuss the fundamental characteristics of, and differences among, the principal schools of economic thought and political economy, and the contexts from which they emerged.

Readings/Bibliography

Mandatory textbook:

Roger E. Backhouse (2002), The Penguin History of Economics, available also on Kindle at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=roger+backhouse&i=digital-text&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

The syllabus and additional material will be available on IOL

Teaching methods

Lectures and class discussion. Depending on the number of students attending the course, class presentations by students on specific topics may be organized, in agreement with the instructor.

Assessment methods

Grades will be assigned on the basis of a written exam (for students attending class) or an oral exam (for non-attending students). The exam will evaluate your ability to explain and discuss critically the facts and analytical questions examined during the class lectures and in the bibliographic references.

Office hours

See the website of Michele Alacevich