Getting Started
Welcome to the course page of Introduction to Modern and Contemporary History. You will find here the basic information on the contents of the course and how to successfully complete it.
The purpose of the course is to give a general perspective on how modern economic growth made Western countries so prosperous today.
Understanding the prosperity of the West also helps to understand the poverty or incomplete development of most countries of the world, as they
do not share the same level of prosperity. This will then lead us to understand inequality around the world. The subjects to be addressed range
from growth theory to technical change, human capital formation and demographic change, linking them to their underlying institutional,
cultural and geographical conditions
We will base our study on Oded Galor's book The Journey of Humanity, which we will discuss thoroughly in class with student groups that will prepare each of its chapters. You should thus prepare to read the book and work in a group.
The course mixes brief lectures, mostly dedicated to raise the main issues to be discussed in class, and actual discussions in class of the topics presented in the lectures and explained in the book and extra material.
Navigate through the menu on your right to select the relevant pedagogical information of the course.