Prof Smitka: 1720 Japan as a "modern" economy

Week I	Fri Sep 9	Introduction: The power of compound growth	The Malthusian Paradigm
	Mon Sep 12	Adam Smith and Modernity: The Classical Conception of an Economy	Read Smith, Chapters 1-3 (about 15 pages)
	Wed Sep 14	What constitutes a "modern" economy?	Begin reading Pomeranz, The Great Divergence
	Fri Sep 16	Big themes, small themes: Burke video	Write 1-2 pages on key claims of Burke's Connections
Week II	Mon Sep 19	Background on China and the Yangtze River Delta	continue reading Pomeranz
	Wed Sep 21	Key claims of Pomeranz (I)	Hand in 1-page paper on key claims
	Fri Sep 23	Key evidence of Pomeranz	Hand in 1-page paper on key evidence
Week III	Mon Sep 26	Discussion of Pomeranz: Is his argument compelling?
	Wed Sep 28	Conclusion: The limits of Smithian growth	Paper due: Review of The Great Divergence
	Fri Sep 30	Other models of growth: Formalization of Malthus	Handout: readings of Malthus himself
Week IV	Mon Oct 3	Malthusian theory: positive and negative checks	The social biology of populations (my term)
	Wed Oct 5	Comparative Historical Demography: Social Science Research in Practice	Handouts from Life Under Pressure (mortality)
	Fri Oct 7	Marriage and Fertility	continued discussion of handouts
Week V	Mon Oct 10	The Fertility Transition: From History to Modernity	Short paper on demography due
	Wed Oct 12	Contemporary Implications of Demography	Begin reading Defoe's Robinson Crusoe
	Fri Oct 14	No Class (Reading Days)
Week VI	Mon Oct 17	Opportunity costs and output: Crusoe and technology
	Wed Oct 19	Ethos and output: Crusoe's values
	Fri Oct 21	Ultimate causes, Round I	short paper on Crusoe due
Read Marx and Engels, The Communist Manifesto
Week VII	Mon Oct 24	Revolutions: Marx's view of the source of the industrial revolution
	Wed Oct 26	Revolutions are messy: Marx's diagnosis of the costs of the industrial revolution	Paper of 2-3 pages due on Marx
	Fri Oct 28	Weber's Protestant Ethic: Background on Weber	Read!
Week VIII	Mon Oct 31	Weber's Thesis
	Wed Nov 2	Weber's Evidence
	Fri Nov 4	How does religion affect society?	Short paper due on Weber
Week IX	Mon Nov 7	Industry, part II: Technology and its sources	Start reading Brooke &: Hindle, Engines of Change
	Wed Nov 9	Inventions and inventors
	Fri Nov 11	Patents? Networks? Ethos? Education?	Hand in 2-3 page paper on B&H
Week X	Mon Nov 14	Mokyr and technology: Sources of our "free" lunch	read selected chapters TBA
	Wed Nov 16	Technology and technical change: key claims
	Fri Nov 18	Tenative class cancellation for conference in DC
Thanksgiving Break
Week XI	Mon Nov 28	Special topics: presentation of research projects
	Wed Nov 30	Student presentations, round I
	Fri Dec 2	Student presentations, round II
Week XII	Mon Dec 5	Student presentations, round III
	Wed Dec 7	Looking toward the Future: Technology and Diffusion
	Fri Dec 9	Looking toward the Future: Population and Growth
Exam period		Final Paper on Project Due	Exam Period
Sat Dec 10 Rockbridge Choral Society Christmas Concert