Throughout the history of the world, the development of money and banking has been a catalyst for the advancement of civilization. It can be demonstrated that on the whole, most people in the English-speaking world are woefully ignorant of things financial.

Using readings, videos, photos and discussion, this course will address the rise of money and the histories of credit, the bond market, the stock market, insurance, the real-estate market and international finance from a social-science, rather than technical, prospective.

Students should leave this course with an understanding of how our current fiscal meltdown fits into the bigger historical picture and laments humanity’s perennial inability to learn from this history.

Required Text:
The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson