IFCO 5055 - History of Capitalism in the United States

The aim of this course is to provide students an introduction to the history of capitalism in the United States, from its seventeenth-century origins as the North American colonies of the British Empire up through the twenty-first century. The course will begin by considering “capitalism,” as a perspective on the past and present of the United States. It will then proceed to survey the “rise” of capitalism in North America; the significance of chattel slavery; industrialization; the American Civil War; Fordism; the Great Depression and the New Deal; the character of post-WWII US global hegemony; post-1980 financialization and neoliberalism; origins of Trumpism; the current and future trajectory of US capitalism and its relationship to the wider world. Throughout, the course will use capitalism to achieve a broad historical perspective on the United States, spanning economy, politics, culture, society, environment, and more.

Jonathan LEVY,Ebunoluwa IYAMU

Cours magistral seul

English

Approximately thirty pages of reading per week. Typically, students will need to spend 1-2 hours per week on the readings and on reviewing lecture notes and slides.

This is an introductory course. This course does not require any prior knowledge of the United States, of the history of capitalism, or training in economics.

Autumn 2025-2026

1) An onsite, two-hour midterm exam that will focus on an essay question, which will account for 40% of the final grade. 2) An onsite, two-hour final exam that will focus on an essay question, which will account for 60% of the final grade.

This is a lecture course, but time will be reserved for student participation and discussion, which will be expected.