Seminars (392-0-21)
Topic
Money, Power & Society
Instructors
Jack Christian Votava
Jack Votava is a PhD student in the Northwestern Department of Sociology with prior graduate work at the University of Chicago. Jack’s research focuses on money, banking, and financial crises, with substantial additional expertise in social theory, histories of capitalism, archival work, and political sociology. Jack loves teaching and is very enthusiastic to see you in class this quarter!
Meeting Info
University Hall 318: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
"Money, Power, and Society"
What is money? How is the US dollar different from other forms of money in the past or present? Can the government simply print as much money as it needs to do what it wants? In this seminar, we will explore the nature and history of money from antiquity to cryptocurrency. Because our intuitions about money often rest on many myths and false assumptions, the history of money is usually shocking and fascinating even to people familiar with basic economic sociology. Furthermore, careful study of money helps us shine new light on big questions about politics, inequality, and government which will be of immense practical interest to students.
Course material will be interdisciplinary and students of all backgrounds are welcome. Each week readings will be divided between a new theoretical perspective on the first meeting, and a new empirical case on the second meeting. The empirical material will embrace the spirit of comparative historical research in sociology by introducing students to a wide range of cases including money in colonial America, Reconstruction, renaissance Florence, ancient Rome, cryptocurrency, and Sub-Saharan Africa. These cases will be carefully paired with new perspectives on money that will allow us to interrogate both the case and the theory in a structured, easy-to-follow way.
Learning Objectives
Students will confront big ideas about money, history, and social power, and be asked to take critical stances on controversial questions. By the end of the quarter, students will be familiar with a variety of perspectives and cases.
Teaching Method
This is a seminar-based course revolving around readings and discussions.
Evaluation Method
Assessment will occur via short and long paper writing opportunities, with flexible prompts and student selected due dates.
Class Materials (Required)
This course will have required books/other materials.
Feinig, Jakob. Moral Economies of Money. Stanford University Press, 2022. ISBN: 978-1503633445
Graeber, David. Debt: The First 5,000 Years. Melville House, 2012. ISBN: 978-1612191294
Class Attributes
Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area