This course introduces students to the ideas of great economists. Those ideas shape how economists think today, and determine how policy is made worldwide.

The course starts with the contributions of classical economists such as Adam Smith and his contemporaries. All modern economic theories measure themselves against that classical yardstick. Think of it as a debate, with some thinkers opposing classical economics (Marxian economics) while others try to reform it (Georgism) or re-adapt it to modern circumstances (Neoclassical school).

Instructor: Ron Rubin