HIST180 History of American Business

Department of Social & Behavioral Science: History

  1. Course Number and Title

    HIST180 History of American Business

  2. Number of Credits

    3 credits

  3. Minimum Number of Instructional Minutes Per Semester

    2250 minutes

  4. Prerequisites

    None

    Corequisites

    None

  5. Other Pertinent Information

    None

  6. Catalog Course Description

    An historical survey of American business from its Colonial beginnings to the present. The main topics are the development of the business firm and the development of government-business relations. Of interest to business and history students who want to better understand the American business system.

  7. Required Course Content and Direction

    1. Learning Goals:

      1. To study the evolution of American Capitalism, the changing roles of the entrepreneur and businessmen, and the development of essential economic institutions from colonial times to the present
      2. To analyze the ongoing interrelationship among businessmen, economic institutions and government policies in shaping the American enterprise system
      3. To analyze the unique and important role which American Multinational corporate capitalism plays in an interdependent, global economy

    2. Planned Sequence of Topics and/or Learning Activities:

      1. The Stages of Capitalism and Business Techniques
      2. The Foundation of American Enterprise Capitalism in the Colonial Era
      3. The American Revolution, the Constitutional System and the Role of Free Enterprise
      4. American Enterprise in the early Nineteenth Century
      5. The Industrial Revolution
      6. The Civil War and the Second Industrial Revolution
      7. The Gilded Age, Robber Barons and Corporate Capitalism
      8. The Response of Farmers, Labor, and the Middle Class-Populism and Progressivism
      9. The Great War and the 1920’s [The Rise of a Consumer Economy]
      10. The Great Depression and the Second World War
      11. The Post-War Affluent Society, Global Economic and Military Dominance
      12. The Technological Revolution, Contemporary Corporate Capitalism, and the Global Economy

    3. Assessment Methods for Core Learning Goals:

    4. Reference, Resource, or Learning Materials to be used by Students:

      See Course Format

  8. Teaching Methods Employed

    Classroom lecture, discussion, guest speakers, projects, and written responses

Review/Approval Date -4/99