The history of Capitalism has often been portrayed as having a singular origin in the process of enclosures in the English countryside and the rise of factories in English cities. This course explores the antecedents of institutions and instruments which have been widely associated with Capitalism but were in use in various part of the globe prior to the Industrial revolution in England. In examining these histories students get to understand our shared economic past and more critically appreciate the present.

Liars' Economics will introduce students to skeptical and effective consumption and production of information in the era of big data. Students will learn how to spot and avoid statistical pitfalls, irrational decisions, fake news, information out of context, and blind faith. The course will draw from historical examples and current events and from contemporary debates in economics and political economy. Students will practice interpreting, visualizing, and writing about big data.

The Equity Lab course uses economic research and thinking to propose solutions to important social and economic equity problems, including inequality based on race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disabilities. To design those interventions, we will also draw on ideas about fairness, as well as data analysis, communication strategies, and policy methods.

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In this course, we will look at the legal system as an economic system, where penalties and damages act as prices for various activities. We will ask whether the enforcement of legal rules leads to an efficient allocation of resources. Much of the focus of the course will be on property, contract and tort law. Satisfies the Integrative Experience requirement for BA-Econ majors.

Have we entered a new Era of Social Organization: the Era of Financialization? Financialization is the increasing role of financial motives, financial markets, financial actors, and financial institutions in the operations of domestic and international economies. We could add, that financialization also increases all of these roles in the interaction with society more broadly. If we have have entered a new era of financialization: what does this mean about the way our economy works? Does it mean that the economy serves finance instead of finance serving the economy?

Students will be asked to retrospectively analyze their experiences as workers and consumers, evaluating the impact of organizational forms and industry structure. How do cooperative enterprises (including those on campus such as the People's Market, Earthfoods, and Campus Design and Copy) differ from other enterprises? Students will also be asked to explicitly bring material they have learned in other classes to bear on these issues.

Evaluation and comparison of the structure and performance of alternative economic systems. Topics include: mechanisms of resource allocation and pricing, institutions of government policy, organization of work and labor relations, international trade and finance, and income distribution. Prerequisite: ECON 103 or RESECON 102.