Global Development (317-0-20)

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

Kresge Cent. Hall 2-380 Kaplan: Mon, Wed 9:30AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

This course focuses on the historical causes and consequences of socioeconomic development at a macroscopic level. An introductory part examines different definitions of the concept "development" and explores their relationship to contrasting value systems. Three substantive parts follow. Part 1 focuses on different modes of organizing human societies up to about 1500. A central concern is understanding why state formation occurred first on the Eurasian continent (as opposed to Africa, North America, and South America). Part 2 of the course focuses on the emergence of worldwide capitalism during the period from 1500 to 1800. We examine different theories to explain why capitalism and industrialization occurred first in Western Europe (and specifically England). We consider whether the African slave trade and colonialism in the Americas contributed to European wealth and political dominance. Part 3 of the course focuses on the effects of European colonialism in the Global South. We scrutinize the hypothesis that variations in colonialism caused persistent differences in levels of development. This part of the course adopts a regional focus, with separate units on the Americas, Africa, and Asia. A key goal is to explain why some countries are richer than others today.

This course is taught with POLI_SCI 352-0-20

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, students should have developed the following skills:
--An understanding of the core concepts used in the field of development;
--An understanding of several theories of development;
--An ability to discuss the causes of major development outcomes across time and space; and
--An ability to carry out case study analyses of development in particular countries.

Teaching Method

Lecture

Evaluation Method

Midterm exam 1, midterm exam 2, and final exam. Attendance at lecture is required. Attendance at final exam is required. No exceptions.

Class Materials (Required)

This course will have required books/other materials.

Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (New York: Harper, 2015). ISBN: 978-0062316097

Class Attributes

Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration is reserved for Sociology Majors and Minors.