The requirements for this course are three 5 to 8 page papers due over the course of the semester.  The papers will follow the three parts of the course -- before the nineteenth century, the nineteenth century, and the twentieth century (and after).

For each paper you will pick an author (or very small group of authors) from the relevant period.  (I will consider other topics if you can make a case.)  Citing both primary sources (the works of the author you have chosen) and secondary sources, your paper will address the internalist and externalist questions: (1) how did this work fit in with the theoretical conversation of economics at the time and (2) how did it fit in with the economic history of the time?  Unless I specifically agree otherwise, you will pick an author we do not cover (or do not cover in great detail) in class.  This means that you need to look beyond the syllabus to other sources in the history of economic thought. There are many books on the history of economic thought, available in the library, which may be useful.  Especially for your first paper (on the early period), I urge you to take advantage of The Making of the Modern World, an online version of the Goldsmith's-Kress collection of early manuscripts in economic thought.

In order to keep things focused, I will ask you to submit a proposal for each paper:  only a page, describing who and what you want to write about and giving two or three sources.  In order to maintain proper incentives, I will consider the proposal part of the paper, and if you fail to turn in a creditable proposal, that may weigh in the grade for the paper.  I should also say that I consider attendance a requirement for the course: you should show up almost all the time.

Paper 1: before the nineteenth century.

Proposal due: January 28

Paper due: February 18

Paper 2: the nineteenth century

Proposal due: March 3

Paper due: March 24

Paper 3: the twentieth century (and after).

Proposal due: April 7

Paper due: April 28

N. B. I will be out of the country (so there will be no class) the week of April 4.