21A.461 | Fall 2021 | Undergraduate

What is Capitalism?

Course Description

This course introduces academic debates on the nature of capitalism, drawing upon the ideas of scholars as diverse as Adam Smith and Karl Marx. It examines anthropological studies of how contemporary capitalism plays out in people’s daily lives in a range of geographic and social settings, and implications for …
This course introduces academic debates on the nature of capitalism, drawing upon the ideas of scholars as diverse as Adam Smith and Karl Marx. It examines anthropological studies of how contemporary capitalism plays out in people’s daily lives in a range of geographic and social settings, and implications for how we understand capitalism today. Settings range from Wall Street investment banks to auto assembly plants, from family businesses to consumer shopping malls.
Learning Resource Types
Lecture Notes
Written Assignments
Readings
A tall, stately building with an American flag draped across six pillars.
The New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street in New York City, the largest stock exchange in the world. (Image by Yi Zhao on Flickr. License CC BY-NC.)