Course Description
Examination of the history of American business and
entrepreneurship in the United States from the colonial era to
the present. Topics covered include the history of the
corporation, the evolution of managerial practices, business
relations with government and labor, business and technology, as
well as business and the law.
Athena Title
History of American Business
Prerequisite
Any HIST course or ENGL 1101 or ENGL 1101E or ENGL 1101S or ENGL 1102 or ENGL 1102E or ENGL 1102S or POLS 1101 or POLS 1101E or POLS 1101H or POLS 1101S
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
- By the end of this course, students will be able to arrive at conclusions about the history of American business by gathering and weighing evidence, logical argument, and listening to counter argument.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to write stylistically appropriate papers and essays. Students will be able to analyze ideas and evidence, organize their thoughts, and revise and edit their finished essays.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to identify how the history of American business has shaped social, class, and racial identities, encouraging them to understand diverse worldviews and experiences.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to apply appropriate methodological approaches to their analysis of primary sources and to organize their evidence to show historical continuities and discontinuities.
Topical Outline
- Section One examines the changing nature of business and free enterprise in the colonial era through the early nineteenth century, with a focus on how patterns of immigration, the legal structure (particular with the ratification of the Constitution), and the adoption of the corporate form fostered business in the United States.
- Section Two surveys the first and second industrial revolutions of the nineteenth century, ranging from the first stirring of technological innovation in the northeast to the explosive growth of technical innovation that turned the United States into the largest economy in the world by the 1870s.
- Section Three reviews at some of the problems that business faced in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, from ruinous competition to monopolistic practices to growing calls for reform. This section of the course also examines labor relations and the rise of significant, national regulations governing business.
- Section Four looks at the apotheosis of business in the 1920s, its tumultuous relationship to the federal government during the New Deal, and its redemption during World War II, when it helped turn the United States into the most powerful military power on the planet.
- Section Five contemplates the profound transformations in business in the postwar era. Topics covered include postwar prosperity, overseas markets during the Cold War, deindustrialization, the rise of the service economy, and what is often called the third industrial revolution: the rise of computing and other high-tech industries.
Institutional Competencies Learning Outcomes
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
Communication
The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, interpersonal, or visual form.
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
