Economic History: The world's economic history during pre-industrial times

The course is offered as a freestanding course in Economic History.

Main field of study
Economic History

Level
G1N, First-cycle level, with only upper secondary school entry requirements

Starting from the world’s early high civilizations, from the Neolithic Revolution onward, fundamental socioeconomic conditions are examined, such as food supply, commodity production, trade, shipping, and transportation. Family and household formation and their significance for the organization of work and the recruitment of labor are also studied.

Great emphasis is placed on comparisons between different societies and on changes over time. Current research forms the basis for discussions, as do various scholars’ analyses and findings.

The course provides students with knowledge of the world’s economic history and of the conditions underlying the emergence and development of modern society, an understanding of basic terms and concepts relevant to the subject, and opportunities to develop a critical perspective.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student shall be able to demonstrate:

Knowledge and understanding

a) – provide an overview of the historical development from the Neolithic Revolution to the onset of the Industrial Breakthrough from an economic perspective;

b) – account for and critically discuss the meaning of economic institutions and how these have functioned and changed during different historical periods;

c) – describe the main features of the history of economic thought and economic policy development, and clarify differences between various economic doctrines in relation to their contemporary contexts;

Skills and abilities

d) – identify and describe the key factors explaining economic growth in the pre-industrial period, and demonstrate the ability to analyze the relationships between population development, agricultural change, and commodity production and trade;

e) – analyze and account for the social effects of economic development as manifested in distribution between and within groups, such as social classes and genders, as well as in varying standards of living and livelihood opportunities;

Judgement and approach

f) – account for sustainable development from an economic-historical perspective.

Teaching consists of recorded lectures and seminars delivered via the university’s digital learning platform, where students work with assignments published in advance. Participation in the course requires access to a computer with an internet connection.

*Language of instruction*: Swedish and English

All learning outcomes may be assessed through:

– Oral examination,
– Written submissions,
– Compulsory seminars.

A student who has failed the same assessment component twice and wishes to request a change of examiner for the next examination attempt should submit such a request in writing to the department. The request shall be granted unless there are special reasons not to do so (Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 6, Section 22).

If a student has received a recommendation for special pedagogical support from the University of Gothenburg, the examiner may decide to offer the student an adapted examination or an alternative form of assessment, provided that this is consistent with the course objectives and does not require unreasonable resources.

In cases where a course has been discontinued or has undergone major changes, students shall be guaranteed at least three examination opportunities (including the ordinary examination) over a period of at least one year, and no later than two years after the course has been discontinued or changed. For internships and work-integrated learning, corresponding provisions apply, limited to one additional examination opportunity.

The course is graded according to the following scale: Excellent (A), Very Good (B), Good (C), Satisfactory (D), Sufficient (E), and Fail (F).

To obtain a passing grade (A–E) in the course, students must achieve a passing result in all assessed components.

The results of the evaluation and any changes to the course design shall be communicated both to the students who participated in the evaluation and to the students who are about to commence the course.

The course may not be included in a degree together with the courses EHG100, EHG101, EHG110, EHG111 or EHG102