MIT OpenCourseWare
  • OCW home
  • Course List
  • about OCW
  • Help
  • Feedback
  • Support MIT OCW

Calendar

CLASS # TOPICS READINGS READING QUESTIONS ASSIGNMENTS
1 Introduction: Paradigms and Social Science Kuhn, Thomas. Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
2 Theories of the Liberal State and Politics

Locke, John. Second Treatise on Civil Government. Chap. 1-5 and 7-9.

Berlin, Isaiah. "Two Concepts of Liberty."

Federalist Paper #10.

Questions (PDF)
3 Neo-Classical Theories of the Economies

Friedman, Milton. Capitalism and Freedom. Pp. 1-55, 108-137, 161-190.

Becker, Gary. The Economic Approach to Human Behavior. Chap. 1, 8, 12 and 13.

Recommended:
Dobb, Maurice. Theories of Value and Distribution since Adam Smith.

Questions (PDF)
4 Liberal and Neo-Classical Approaches (cont'd)

Olson, Mancur. The Logic of Collective Action. Chap. 1-4.

Hayek, Frederich. Individualism and Economic Order. Chap. 1, 2, 4 and 5.

Recommended:
Harsanyi, John. "Rational-Choice Models of Political Behavior vs. Functionalist and Conformist Theories."

Questions (PDF)
5 Marxist Economics and Value Theory

Marx, Karl. Capital. Pp. 294-465.

Howard, M. C., and J. E. King. The Political Economy of Marx. Pp. 1-180.

Rubin, I. I. Essays on Marx's Theory of Value. Introduction, chap. 1, 8 and 18.

6 Marxist Politics

Marx, Karl. The Communist Manifesto. Pp. 469-500.

Marx, Karl. "Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy." In Tucker, ed., Marx-Engels Reader. Pp. 3-6

Marx, Karl. The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte. (Read in entirety, not in Tucker version)

Recommended:
Gramsci, Antonio. Prison Notebooks. Pp. 1-276.

7 Macroeconomics and Theories of Growth

Keynes, J. M. The General Theory. Chap. 1-3, 8-13 and 24.

Akerlof, George A. "Behavioral Macroeconomics and Macroeconomic Behavior."
 
Stiglitz, Joseph E. "Information and the Change in the Paradigm in Economics."

Romer, Paul. "The Origins of Endogenous Growth."

Recommended:
Mankiw, Gregory. "A Quick Refresher Course in Macroeconomics."

Solow, Robert. "Perspectives on Growth Theory."

Essay Assignment One Due (PDF)
8 Sociological Theories of Capitalism Weber, Max. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Introduction, Chap. 1-3 and 5. Questions (PDF)
9 Sociological Theories of Capitalism Polanyi, Karl. The Great Transformation. Chap. 3-14. Questions (PDF)
10 Cultural Theories of Capitalism Sahlins, Marshall. Culture and Practical Reason. Chap. 1, 3 and 5. Questions (PDF)
11 New Views on Culture Swidler, Ann. Talk of Love: How Culture Matters. Chap. 1, 2, 5, 8 and Conclusion.
Analyzing Groups in Society: New Paradigms?
12 Institutionalism

North, Douglass. Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance.

13 New Institutionalism

Dimaggio, Paul, and Walter Powell. "Introduction." In The New Institutionalism in Organizational Analysis.

Hall, Peter, and David Soskice. Varieties of Capitalism. Pp. 1-68.

Recommended:
Hall, Peter, and Rosemary Taylor. "Political Science and the Three New Institutionalisms."

Essay Assignment Two Due (PDF)