First-Year Writing Seminar (101-8-21)

Topic

Why are Some Countries Richer than Others

Instructors

James Mahoney
847/491-2626
Scott Hall, Room 402, Evanston Campus
Office Hours: http://www.polisci.northwestern.edu/people/core-faculty/james-mahoney.html
James Mahoney is a comparative-historical researcher with interests in socioeconomic development, political regimes, and methodology. His most recent books are Colonialism and Postcolonial Development: Spanish America in Comparative Perspective (2010) and Explaining Institutional Change: Ambiguity, Agency, and Power (2010; co-edited with Kathleen Thelen). He is also the author of The Legacies of Liberalism: Path Dependence and Political Regimes in Central America (2001) and co-editor of Comparative-Historical Analysis in the Social Sciences (2003; with Dietrich Rueschemeyer). His article publications feature work on political and socioeconomic development in Latin America, path dependence in historical sociology, and causal inference in small-N analysis. Mahoney is a past President of the APSA Section for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research, and he is Chair of the ASA Section for Comparative and Historical Sociology.

Meeting Info

University Library 4670: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

"Why Are Some Countries Richer than Others?"

Why have some countries witnessed repeated industrial transformations, whereas others have economies that remain significantly non-industrial and agricultural? When and how did certain countries "get ahead" of others in the global economy? To what extent can less-developed countries "catch up" with more developed ones? How does "globalization" affect these chances? These are some of the questions that we will explore in this class. The goal of the seminar is to enhance our understanding of differences in levels of development among countries of the world, and to explore competing hypotheses designed to explain those differences. We will examine both the contemporary global economy and the historical processes that brought the current situation into being.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, students should have developed the following skills:
--An understanding of core concepts used in the field of development studies.
--An understanding of major theories of development.
--An ability to discuss the causes of development outcomes across time and space.
--Special knowledge of the developmental experiences of one country of the student's own choosing.

Teaching Method

Seminar Course

Evaluation Method

Papers, Quizzes, and Oral Presentations

Class Materials (Required)

This course will have required books/other materials.

Wright, Robert. 1999. Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny. New York: Pantheon Books. ISBN‑10: 0679442529; ISBN‑13: 978‑0679442523.

Class Attributes

WCAS Writing Seminar

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Weinberg First Year Seminars are only available to first-year students.
Add Consent: Department Consent Required