Professor John H. Munro
Department of Economics
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G7
CANADA
e-mail: john.munro@utoronto.ca
Updated: 5 September 2008
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON MY LECTURE COURSES IN EUROPEAN ECONOMIC HISTORY:
On Studying and Teaching Economic History:
Since I began university teaching in the Fall of 1964 (at the University of B.C., my alma mater), I have taught virtually nothing but European economic history (except for one course in medieval French history, at UBC, in 1967-68): and nothing but economic history at the University of Toronto, since coming here in 1968.
What is the allure of economic history, to which I have devoted my entire academic life (and hope to continue doing so)?
Since my mandatory retirement in June 2003, I have been offering the following two undergraduate courses in European economic history, but in this current academic year (2008-2009), I am offering only one of these courses: ECO 303Y. Next year (2009 - 2010) I will offer the other course: ECO 301Y
ECO 301Y1: The Economic History of Later-Medieval and Early Modern Europe, 1250 - 1750(formerly ECO 201Y1).
(a) how western Europe, from about the thirteenth-century, caught up with and then surpassed other previously more advanced (more advanced in both economic and military power) regions in the world: namely, the Byzantine Empire, the Islamic world (from the Atlantic to the Pacific), India, and China;
(b) how, by the 17th century, Europe's economic centre of gravity shifted from the Mediterranean basin to north-west Europe (at the expense of eastern Europe);
(c) how, during this era, western Europe, beginning with 15th-century Portugal), engaged in overseas (maritime) expansion, colonialism, and imperialism: i.e., in Europe's economic and military relations with Africa, Asia, and the Americas -- in effect, establishing its economic hegemony over them; and (d) how Great Britain became the homeland of the modern Industrial Revolution.
(1) Socio-political economic structures: feudalism, manorialism, and serfdom; the Church; town governments and urban guilds
(2)Macro-economic trends involving demography (population changes), money, prices;
(3)In each term, that will be followed by an examination of European economic development by following major sectors: agriculture, commerce, banking & finance, industry.
(4) Economic philosophies: e.g., the Church, especially the usury doctrine; bullionism and other monetary policies; the state and Mercantilism; imperialism.
ECO 303Y1 : The Economic History of Modern Europe to 1914: i.e., to the eve of World War I.