POL 331 - Money, Finance, and Empire

The 2008 financial crisis reinvigorated debates about money, finance, and empire. This course places the evolution of finance, the rise of empires, and the power of the dollar in historical perspective. We will situate ourselves in the field by engaging with theories of money, the anatomy of finance, and the history of financialization. We will investigate the dynamic interaction between imperial power and monetary dominance, and explore how colonial financial arrangements strengthened empires and their currencies, how struggles between major powers shaped international financial arrangements, how such arrangements continue to reinforce hierarchy in the global economy, and how countries of the global South are challenging dollar dominance today. Throughout the course we will connect theories of money and finance to the histories of financialization and empire.

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group II
Prerequisite(s): POL 220, POL 230, POL 240, POL 260, or POL 326
Instructional Method: Conference
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Not offered: 2024-25
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Evaluate data and/or sources.
Analyze institutions, formations, languages, structures, or processes, whether social, political, religious, economic, cultural, intellectual or other.
Think in sophisticated ways about causation, social and/or historical change, human cognition, or the relationship between individuals and society, or engage with social, political, religious or economic theory in other areas.