Universität Wien

070052 UE Guided Reading Economic and Social History - (2025W)

History of World Economy, 1800 - 2020

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 7 - Geschichte
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

The course begins on 06.11.2025 (no classes in October). There will be blocked classes at the end of the semester,

  • Thursday 06.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum WISO 1 (ZG1O2.28) Hauptgebäude, Stiege 6 Zwischengeschoß
  • Thursday 13.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum WISO 1 (ZG1O2.28) Hauptgebäude, Stiege 6 Zwischengeschoß
  • Thursday 20.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum WISO 1 (ZG1O2.28) Hauptgebäude, Stiege 6 Zwischengeschoß
  • Thursday 27.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum WISO 1 (ZG1O2.28) Hauptgebäude, Stiege 6 Zwischengeschoß
  • Thursday 04.12. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum WISO 1 (ZG1O2.28) Hauptgebäude, Stiege 6 Zwischengeschoß
  • Thursday 11.12. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum WISO 1 (ZG1O2.28) Hauptgebäude, Stiege 6 Zwischengeschoß
  • Thursday 18.12. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum WISO 1 (ZG1O2.28) Hauptgebäude, Stiege 6 Zwischengeschoß
  • Thursday 08.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum WISO 1 (ZG1O2.28) Hauptgebäude, Stiege 6 Zwischengeschoß
  • Thursday 08.01. 16:45 - 18:15 Seminarraum 8 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Thursday 15.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum WISO 1 (ZG1O2.28) Hauptgebäude, Stiege 6 Zwischengeschoß
  • Thursday 15.01. 16:45 - 18:15 Seminarraum 8 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Thursday 22.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum WISO 1 (ZG1O2.28) Hauptgebäude, Stiege 6 Zwischengeschoß
  • Thursday 22.01. 16:45 - 18:15 Seminarraum 1 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 3
  • Thursday 29.01. 15:00 - 18:15 Seminarraum 8 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Perhaps the most important historical fact today is that people live much longer and healthier lives than they did 200 years ago, let alone 2,000 years ago. We also have far higher incomes and use them to consume a far greater number of different goods and services than our ancestors did, while working fewer hours. In general, our material lives have changed for the better in ways that are hard to imagine. This rapid increase in living standards over the past 200 years was achieved by sustained economic growth. Economic growth, however, was highly uneven across countries, which resulted in big differences in living standards around the world today. As such, at a global level, whether you are rich or poor largely depends on which country you were born in (e.g., Spain vs Senegal), rather than the class you belong to (student vs university professor).

The course is based on reading material and short introductory presentations by the responsible teacher, where we will uncover the origins of economic growth and development in the past. We will also uncover the obstacles that economic growth faced along the way, and the challenges it will likely face in the future. Since sustained economic growth is a relatively modern phenomenon, we will mostly focus on the period over the past 200 years, starting with circa the year 1,800. We will put a particular emphasis on global comparative studies to understand why regions like Europe, the US, and East Asia became rich, while regions like Africa and South America fell behind.

Assessment and permitted materials

- Class participation (30%)
- One mid-term essay (30%)
- One final essay (40%)

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

1. Class participation:
Participation will be graded by rewarding the students' willingness to engage in class discussion with constructive arguments.

2. Mid-term and Final essay:
The essays will evaluate whether the students:
- demonstrate the ability to read and interpret research papers and book chapters;
- demonstrate a good understanding of the literature and of its historical context;
- can identify and explore the connections between the readings and topics;
- can express themselves clearly and construct convincing and consistent arguments.

The mid-term and final essays will be based on topic-specific readings and presentation slides by the course convenor.

Grading scale:
1 (very good) 100-90%;
2 (good) 89-80%;
3 (satisfactory) 79-70%;
4 (sufficient) 69-60%;
5 (not sufficient) 59-0%.

Examination topics

Students will develop their understanding of the process of economic growth and development across different regions of the world, and be assessed accordingly.

Reading list

A comprehensive reading list will be distributed at the beginning of the course over moodle.

Association in the course directory

BA Geschichte (Version 2019): PM5 Vertiefung, UE Guided Reading (5 ECTS).
BEd UF GP (Version 2014): UF GP 03 Aspekte und Räume 1, Guided Reading zu einem Fach (4 ECTS).
EC Wirtschafts- und Sozialgeschichte (Version 2021): UE Guided Reading aus den spezifischen Themenfeldern der Wirtschafts- und Sozialgeschichte (5ECTS).

Last modified: Tu 20.01.2026 11:26