IA 351 Faces and Phases of Global Capitalism

Instructor: Pushkala Prasad
Mondays and Wednesdays: 2:30-3:50

What does it mean to live and work in a capitalist society? Is capitalism the ideal socio-economic configuration for our times or is it a super-exploitative one? Is Capitalism the same at different times and different places? Are we really experiencing a crisis of capitalism? What do capitalism's ardent admirers and equally ardent detractors have to tell us about it? This class will attempt to address these and other questions about "free markets" and their effects by examining major theorists of capitalism (Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Hayek, etc.) and tracing the history of capitalism from pre-modern times to the global financial crisis of 2008.