BMET 25A18 - Reading Economic History: Sources, Tools, and Approaches

This course examines the history of international economic relations from a global and critical perspective, questioning traditional Eurocentric narratives. It investigates how economic connections — formal and informal, coercive and cooperative — have influenced the making of the modern world economy.

Through the critical reading and analysis of diverse primary sources students will explore how different actors experienced and represented economic interactions across borders. The course encourages a reflexive approach to sources, foregrounding issues of voice, perspective, and archival silences.

Combining lectures, seminars, and hands-on work with archival materials, this course aims to equip students with the analytical tools necessary to study the economic dimensions of international relations and to understand how past global connections continue to shape contemporary interdependencies.

Group Presentation 40%

Each student will participate in a group presentation on a topic agreed with the Professors. Students may choose to present on either the first or the second part of the course, but their presentation topic must not coincide with the part they choose for their individual assignment. This ensures balanced engagement with the entire course.

Individual Source-Analysis Assignment 40%

Each student will submit an individual written analysis of a primary or secondary source, selected in consultation with the Professors. Students may choose a topic drawn from either part of the course, provided it is different from the section on which they presented. This guarantees that every student completes substantive work on both halves of the syllabus.

Participation and Engagement 20%

Active participation is an essential component of evaluation. Engagement will be assessed through contributions to class discussions, the ability to ask informed questions, and, importantly, the proposal and the analysis of additional readings or sources. This allows the Professors to evaluate students’ capacity for bibliographical research and their critical interaction with the course materials. Precise indications on how in-class participation will be assessed during each session will be clearly explained at the beginning of the course.