History and Political Economy: Issues and Methods

Module description

This module introduces students to the study of History and Political Economy. We consider the difficulties related to data collection and the use of proxies in historical contexts. We review the main methodological approaches used by scholars in this field. And we probe the advantages and limits of History and Political Economy as a discipline in answering some of the most challenging questions of our time: Why do humans cooperate? What are the origins of democracy and the rule of law? Why are some countries more developed than others? And what lessons can we draw from historical institutions to redesign our own? 

Assessment details

Participation (10%), presentation (10%) & 3,000-word essay (80%)

Educational aims & objectives

• To understand the relation among questions, data, and methods in historical research
• To explore the main methodological approaches in the field of historical political economy
• To examine some of the main problems in the field, including the rise of inequality, the sources of development, and the origins of democracy
• To understand the main contributions of HPE approaches to current social scientific issues: including understanding the origins of modern institutions; drawing lessons from the past to redesign current institutions; grasping the role of long-term patterns of development for development today; articulating how past patterns of development may help us predict future patterns of development

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to

• Demonstrate a command of the principal issues and methods in the field of historical political economy
• Evaluate critically the design and results of contributions to the field
• Assess the implications of past patterns of development to shed light on current societal problems
• Formulate reasoned and factually supported arguments in class discussions and oral presentations based on the weekly readings and compose coursework essays and examination essays, using the available scholarship.

Module description disclaimer

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Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

Please note that the module descriptions above are related to the current academic year and are subject to change.