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Economists Harvard

Harvard. 24 Ph.D. candidates examined 1926-27

In one box at the Harvard Archives (Harvard University/Examinations for the Ph.D. [HUC7000.70]), I found an incomplete run of published Ph.D. examination announcements for the Division of History and Political Science [later Division of History, Government, and Economics] from 1903-04 through 1926-27. Earlier I transcribed the announcement for 1915-16. Today’s posting gives us (1) the date of the scheduled general or special Ph.D. examinations (2) the names of the examination committee (3) the subjects of the general examination, and (4) the academic history of the examinees for two dozen economics Ph.D. candidates examined during the academic year 1926-27.

The largest shadows cast by members of this cohort belong to the (later) Harvard economics professor Edward H. Chamberlin and the co-author of The Modern Corporation and Private Property, Gardiner C. MeansLaughlin Currie and Harry Dexter White also belonged to this cohort of examinees.

Fun fact: Richard Vincent Gilbert was the father of Walter Myron Gilbert, Nobel laureate in Chemistry, 1980.

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DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS

EXAMINATIONS FOR THE DEGREE OF PH.D.
1926-27

Notice of hour and place will be sent out three days in advance of each examination.
The hour will ordinarily be 4 p.m.

James Ackley Maxwell.

Special Examination in Economics, Monday, October 25, 1926.
General Examination passed, October 30, 1923.
Academic History: Dalhousie University, 1919-21; Harvard College, 1921-23; Harvard Graduate School, 1923-27. B.A., Dalhousie, 1921; A.M., Harvard, 1923. Assistant Professor of Economics, Clark University, 1925-.
General Subjects: 1. Money and Banking. 2. Economic Theory and its History. 3. Economic History to 1750. 4. Statistics. 5. History of Political Theory. 6. Public Finance.
Special Subject: Public Finance.
Committee: Professors Bullock (chairman), Burbank, A. H. Cole, and Usher.
Thesis Subject: A Financial History of Nova Scotia, 1848-99. (With Professor Bullock.)
Committee on Thesis: Professors Bullock, Burbank, and Usher.

Kan Lee.

Special Examination in Economics, Thursday, October 28, 1926.
General Examination passed, January 6, 1926.
Academic History: Tsing Hua College, China, 1917-20; University of Missouri, 1920-22; University of Chicago, summer of 1921; Harvard Graduate School, 1922-27. B.J., Missouri, 1922; A.B., ibid., 1922; A.M., Harvard, 1924
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory. 2. Money, Banking, and Crises. 3. Public Finance. 4. International Trade and Tariff Problems. 5. History of the Far East. 6. Socialism and Social Reconstruction.
Special Subject: Socialism and Social Reconstruction.
Committee: Professors Carver (chairman), James Ford, Mason, and Young.
Thesis Subject: British Socialists: Their Concept of Capital. (With Professor Carver.)
Committee on Thesis: Professors Carver, Mason, and Young.

Donald Wood Gilbert.

General Examination in Economics, Friday, October 29, 1926.
Committee: Professors Young (chairman), Crum, Gay, McIlwain, and Williams.
Academic History: University of Rochester, 1917-21; Harvard Graduate School, 1923-25. A.B., Rochester, 1921; M.A., ibid., 1923. Assistant in Economics, Harvard, 1924-25; Instructor in Economics, Rochester, 1925-.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Statistical Method and its Application. 4. History of Political Theory. 5. International Trade and Tariff Policy. 6. Commercial Crises.
Special Subject: Commercial Crises.
Thesis Subject: Undecided.

Arthur William Marget.

Special Examination in Economics, Thursday, January 20, 1927.
General Examination passed, May 24, 1923..
Academic History: Harvard College, 1916-20; Cambridge University, England, fall term, 1920; London School of Economics, winter term 1920-21, University of Berlin, summer term 1921; Harvard Graduate School, 1921-27 A.B., Harvard, 1920; A.M., ibid., 1921. Assistant in Economics, Harvard, 1923-27.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Socialism and Social Reform. 3. Public Finance. 4. Statistical Method and its Application. 5. American History since 1789. 6. Money, Banking, and Crises.
Special Subject: Money and Banking.
Committee: Professors Young (chairman), A.H. Cole, Taussig, and Williams.
Thesis Subject: The Loan Fund: A pecuniary approach to the problem of the determination of the rate of interest.. (With Professor Young.)
Committee on Thesis: Professors Young, Taussig, and Williams.

Richard Vincent Gilbert.

General Examination in Economics, Wednesday, February 9, 1927.
Committee: Professors Young (chairman), Crum, Monroe, Usher, and Woods.
Academic History: University of Pennsylvania, 1919-20; Harvard College, 1920-23; Harvard Graduate School, 1923-. B.S., Harvard, 1923; M.A., Harvard, 1925. Assistant in Economics, Harvard, 1923-.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Money and Banking. 3. Statistics. 4. Economic History since 1776. 5. History of Ancient Philosophy. 6. Theory of International Trade.
Special Subject: Theory of International Trade.
Thesis Subject: Theory of International Trade. (With Professor Taussig.)

Melvin Gardner deChazeau.

General Examination in Economics, Monday, February 21, 1927.
Committee: Professors Taussig (chairman), A.H. Cole, Crum, Demos, and Young.
Academic History: University of Washington, 1921-25; Harvard Graduate School, 1925-. A.B., Washington, 1924; M.A., ibid., 1925. Instructor and Tutor, Harvard, 1926-27.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Statistics. 4. Money and Banking. 5. Ethics. 6. Regulation of Public Utilities.
Special Subject: Regulation of Public Utilities.
Thesis Subject: Undecided.

Donald Milton Erb.

General Examination in Economics, Friday, February 25, 1927.
Committee: Professors Carver (chairman), Burbank, Gay, Morison, and Williams.
Academic History: University of Illinois, 1918-22, 1923-25; Harvard Graduate School. 1925-. S.B., Illinois, 1922; S.M., ibid., 1924. Assistant in Economics, Illinois, 1923-25.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Sociology. 4. Public Finance. 5. American History since 1789. 6. Transportation.
Special Subject: Transportation.
Thesis Subject: Railroad Abandonments and Additions in the United States since 1920. (With Professor Ripley.)

Douglass Vincent Brown.

General Examination in Economics, Wednesday, March 2, 1927.
Committee: Professors Taussig (chairman), Bullock, Ford, Persons and Schlesinger.
Academic History: Harvard College, 1921-25; Harvard Graduate School, 1925-. A.B., Harvard, 1925; A.M., ibid., 1926.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Statistics. 3. Sociology. 4. Money, Banking, and Crises. 5. American History since 1789. 6. Labor Problems.
Special Subject: Labor Problems.
Thesis Subject: Restriction of Output. (With Professors Taussig and Ripley.)

Mark Anson Smith.

Special Examination in Economics, Friday, April 8, 1927.
General Examination passed, May 11, 1916.
Academic History: Dartmouth College, 1906-10; University of Wisconsin, 1911-14; Harvard Graduate School, 1915-17. A.B., Dartmouth, 1910; A.M., Wisconsin, 1913. Instructor in Economics at Simmons College, 1916-17.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Money, Banking, and Crises. 4. Economics of Corporations. 5. American Government and Constitutional Law.
Special Subject: Public Finance.
Committee: Professors Taussig (chairman), Bullock, Usher, and Williams.
Thesis Subject: Economic Aspects of the Duties on Wool, with special reference to the period, 1912-1924. (With Professor Bullock.)
Committee on Thesis: Professors Taussig, A. H. Cole, and Usher.

Lauchlin Bernard Currie.

General Examination in Economics, Monday, April 11, 1927.
Committee: Professors Young (chairman), Burbank, A.H. Cole, Usher, and Wright.
Academic History: St. Francis Zavier College, 1921-22; London School of Economics, 1922-25; Harvard Graduate School, 1925-. B.Sc., London, 1925.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Public Finance. 4. International Trade and Tariff Policy. 5. History of Political Theory. 6. Money, Banking, and Crises.
Special Subject: Money, Banking, and Crises.
Thesis Subject: Monetary History of Canada, 1914-26. (With Professor Young.)

Harry Dexter White.

General Examination in Economics, Thursday, April 14, 1927.
Committee: Professors Taussig (chairman), Dewing, Elliott, Monroe, and Usher.
Academic History: Columbia University, 1921-23; Stanford University, 1924-25; Harvard Graduate School, 1925-. A.B., Stanford, 1924; A.M., ibid., 1925. Instructor in Economics, Harvard, 1926-.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Money, Banking, and Crises. 3. Economic History since 1750. 4. Economics of Corporations. 5. History of Political Theory. 6. International Trade .
Special Subject: International Trade.
Thesis Subject: Foreign Trade of France. (With Professor Taussig.)

Margaret Randolph Gay.

General Examination in Economics, Friday, April 15, 1927.
Committee: Professors Usher (chairman), A.H. Cole, McIlwain, Taussig, and Young.
Academic History: Radcliffe College, 1918-22, 1922-23, 1925-. A.B., Radcliffe, 1922; A.M., ibid., 1923.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory. 2. Money, Banking, and Crises. 3. International Trade. 4. Economic History after 1750. 5. Political Theory. 6. English Economic History before 1750.
Special Subject: English Economic History, 1485-1750.
Thesis Subject: The Statute of Artificers, 1563-1811. (With Professor Gay.)

(Mary) Gertrude Brown.

General Examination in Economics, Thursday, April 28, 1927.
Committee: Professors Gay (chairman), Elliott, Taussig, Williams, and Young.
Academic History: Mount Holyoke College, 1920-24; Columbia University, summer of 1924; Radcliffe College, 1924-. A.B., Mount Holyoke, 1924; A.M., Radcliffe, 1926. Assistant in Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1924-26. Tutor, Bryn Mawr Summer School, 1926.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory. 2. International Trade and Tariff Policy. 3. Money, Banking, and Crises. 4. Comparative Modern Government. 5. Labor Problems. 6. Economic History since 1750.
Special Subject: Economic History since 1750.
Thesis Subject: The History of the American Silk Industry. (With Professor Gay.)

Eric Englund.

General Examination in Economics, Monday, May 2, 1927.
Committee: Professors Bullock (chairman), Black, Dickinson, Usher, and Young.
Academic History: Oregon Agricultural College, 1914-18; University of Oregon, summers of 1915, 1916, and 1917; University of Wisconsin, 1919-21; University of Chicago, summer of 1920; Harvard Graduate School, 1926-. B.S., Oregon Agricultural College, 1918; A.B., University of Oregon, 1919; M.S., Wisconsin, 1920. Professor of Agricultural Economics, Kansas State Agricultural College, 1921-26.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Money, Banking, and Crises. 3. Economics of Agriculture. 4. Economic History since 1750. 5. History of Political Theory. 6. Public Finance.
Special Subject: Public Finance.
Thesis Subject: Studies in Taxation in Kansas. (With Professor Bullock.)

Walter Edwards Beach.

General Examination in Economics, Wednesday, May 4, 1927.
Committee: Professors Young (chairman), Baxter, A.H. Cole, Dewing, and Williams.
Academic History: State College of Washington, 1919-20; Stanford University, 1920-22; 1923-24, Harvard Graduate School, 1925-26. A.B., Stanford, 1922; A.M., Harvard, 1926. Instructor in Economics, Bowdoin, 1926-.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economics of Corporations. 3. International Trade and Tariff Policy. 4. Economic History since 1750. 5. American History since 1789. 6. Money, Banking, and Crises.
Special Subject: Money, Banking, and Crises.
Thesis Subject: International Gold Movements in Relation to Business Cycles. (With Professor Young.)

Ram Ganesh Deshmukh.

Special Examination in Economics, Thursday, May 5, 1927.
General Examination passed, May 13, 1926.
Academic History: Wilson College, India, 1912-17; Bombay University Law School, 1917-20; Harvard Graduate School, 1922-27. B.A., Bombay University, 1917; LL.B., ibid., 1920; A.M., Harvard, 1924.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Economics of Agriculture. 4. Sociology. 5. History of Political Theory. 6. Public Finance.
Special Subject: Public Finance.
Committee: Professors Bullock (chairman), Burbank, A.H. Cole, and Williams.
Thesis Subject: State Highways in Massachusetts. (With Professor Bullock.)
Committee on Thesis: Professors Bullock (chairman), Burbank, and A.H. Cole.

Charles Donald Jackson.

General Examination in Economics, Thursday, May 5, 1927.
Committee: Professors Young (chairman), Black, Crum, Merk, and Taussig.
Academic History: Leland Stanford Junior University, 1915-16; Northwestern University, 1916-17, 1919-21; University of Wisconsin, summer of 1920 and 1921; Harvard Graduate School, 1921-22, 1924-. S.B., Northwestern, 1920; M.B.A., ibid., 1921; A.M., Harvard, 1925.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Agricultural Economics. 3. International Trade and Tariff Policy. 4. Statistics. 5. American History since 1789. 6. Money, Banking, and Crises.
Special Subject: Money, Banking, and Crises.
Thesis Subject: Agricultural Credit. (With Professor Young.)

Elmer Joseph Working.

General Examination in Economics, Friday, May 6, 1927.
Committee: Professors Carver (chairman), Crum, Morison, Williams, and Young.
Academic History: University of Denver, 1916-17, 1918-19; George Washington University, 1917-18; University of Arizona, 1919-21; Iowa State College, 1921-23; University of Minnesota, 1922-23, second half-year; Brookings Graduate School, 1924-25; Harvard Graduate School, 1925-26. B.S., Arizona, 1921; M.S., Iowa, 1922. Assistant professor of Economics, University of Minnesota, 1926-27.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Statistical Method and its Application. 3. Money, Banking, and Crises. 4. International Trade and Tariff Policy. 5. American History since 1789. 6. Economics of Agriculture.
Special Subject: Economics of Agriculture.
Thesis Subject: The Orderly Marketing of Grain. (With Professor Taussig.)

Gardiner Coit Means.

General Examination in Economics, Thursday, May 12, 1927.
Committee: Professors Williams (chairman), Baxter, A.H. Cole, Dewing, and Gay.
Academic History: Harvard College, 1914-18; Harvard Graduate School, 1925-. A.B., Harvard, 1918.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory. 2. International Trade and Tariff Policy. 3. Economics of Corporations. 4. Economic History since 1750. 5. American History since 1789. 6. Money, Banking, and Crises.
Special Subject: Money, Banking, and Crises.
Thesis Subject: Fluctuations in New England’s Balance of Trade. (With Professor Williams.)

Bishop Carleton Hunt.

Special Examination in Economics, Friday, May 13, 1927.
Committee: Professors Young (chairman), W.M. Cole, Gay, McIlwain, and Williams.
Academic History: Boston University, 1916-20; Harvard Graduate School, 1925-27, summers of 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, and 1925. B.B.A., Boston University, 1920; A.M., Harvard, 1926. Professor of Commerce, Dalhousie University, 1920-; Lecturer in Economics, Nova Scotia Technical College, 1920-23.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. International Trade. 4. Accounting. 5. History of Political Theory. 6. Money and Banking.
Special Subject: Money and Banking.
Thesis Subject: Underwriting Syndicates and the Supply of Capital. (With Professor Young.)

Edward Hastings Chamberlin.

Special Examination in Economics, Friday, May 20, 1927.
General Examination passed, May 22, 1924.
Academic History: State University of Iowa, 1916-20; University of Michigan, 1920-22; Harvard Graduate School, 1922-27. B.S., Iowa, 1920; M.A., Michigan, 1922. Instructor in Economics, Iowa, summer of 1921. Assistant in economics, Harvard, 1922-. Tutor in Economics, ibid., 1924-27.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Statistics. 3. Accounting. 4. Economic History. 5. History of Political Theory. 6. Modern Theories of Value and Distribution.
Special Subject: Modern Theories of Value and Distribution.
Committee: Professors Young (chairman), Monroe, Taussig, and Williams.
Thesis Subject: The Theory of Monopolistic Competition. (With Professor Young.)
Committee on Thesis: Professors Young, Carver, and Taussig.

Christopher Roberts.

Special Examination in Economics, Monday, May 23, 1927.
General Examination passed, April 3, 1925.
Academic History: Haverford College, 1916-18, 1919-21; Harvard Graduate School, 1921-27. S.B., Haverford, 1921; A.M., Harvard, 1922. Assistant in Economics, Harvard 1922-25; Tutor in Economics, ibid., 1925-27.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. International Trade and Finance. 3. Statistics. 4. International Law. 5. Public Finance. 6. Economic History since 1750.
Special Subject: Economic History since 1750.
Committee: Professors Gay (chairman), Burbank, A.H. Cole, and Usher.
Thesis Subject: The History of the Middlesex Canal. (With Professor Gay.)
Committee on Thesis: Professors Gay, A.H. Cole, and Cunningham.

Clayton Crowell Bayard.

General Examination in Economics, Wednesday, May 25, 1927.
Committee: Professors Carver (chairman), James Ford, Hanford, Taussig, and Usher.
Academic History: University of Maine, 1918-22; Harvard Graduate School, 1924-. A.B., Maine, 1922; A.M., Harvard, 1925. Assistant in Social Ethics, Harvard, 1925-26; Tutor in Social Ethics, ibid., 1926-27.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History before 1750. 3. Socialism and Social Reform. 4. American Labor Problems. 5. Municipal Government. 6. Sociology.
Special Subject: Sociology and Social Problems.
Thesis Subject: Undecided.

Dorothy Carolin Bacon.

General Examination in Economics, Thursday, May 26, 1927.
Committee: Professors Persons (chairman), Carver, Crum, Gay and Holcombe.
Academic History: Simmons College, 1918-19; Radcliffe College, 1919-22, 1923-24, 1926-. A.B., Radcliffe, 1922; A.M., ibid., 1924. Assistant in Economics, Vassar College, 1924-25. Instructor in Economics, ibid., 1925-26.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory. 2. Sociology. 3. History of Political Theory. 4. Statistics. 5. Economic History. 6., Money, Banking and Crises.
Special Subject: Money, Banking and Crises.
Thesis Subject: A Study of the Dispersion of Wholesale Commodity Prices, 1890-1896.  (With Professor Persons.)

 

Source: Harvard University Archives. Harvard University, Examinations for the Ph.D. (HUC 7000.70), Folder “Examinations for the Ph.D., 1926-1927”.

Image Source:  Photo of Emerson Hall (1905). Harvard Album, 1920. 

Categories
Cornell Courses Curriculum

Cornell. Economics Courses and Faculty, 1914-15

Welcome to my blog, Economics in the Rear-View Mirror. If you find this posting interesting, here is the complete list of “artifacts” from the history of economics I have assembled for you to sample or click on the search icon in the upper right to explore by name, university, or category. You can subscribe to my blog below.  There is also an opportunity to comment following each posting….

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In 1914 Frank H. Knight switched from graduate work in Philosophy to Economics at Cornell where he studied under (among others) Alvin S. Johnson and Allyn A. Young. His handwritten notes (on index cards) for his courses then can be found in his papers at the University of Chicago archives. These note-cards provide a fairly complete record of the economics training available provided at Cornell at that time. We will have occasion in future postings to refer to those notes, so that I thought it would be useful to post here (i) a transcription of the Cornell economics program as of 1914/1915 (embedded within “Political Science”) along with (ii) a list of the courses offered and (iii) nano-c.v.’s for the faculty.

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POLITICAL SCIENCE
[Cornell 1914-15]

Professors: W.F. WILLCOX, Economics and Statistics; A. S. JOHNSON, Economics and Distribution; A. A. YOUNG, Economics and Finance; S. P. ORTH, Economics and Politics; G. N. LAUMAN, Rural Economy; JOHN BAUER, Economics; J. R. TURNER, Economics; R. S. SABY, Political Science; R. G. BLAKEY, Economics; A. P. USHER, Economics.

Instructors: F. H. GILMAN, Economics; H. E. SMITH, Economics.

 

A graduate student in economics should have studied at least the equivalent of elementary courses in economics, economic history, politics, and social science. If he has not done this, he should take such elementary courses as early as possible; he will not ordinarily be allowed to present any of them as partial fulfillment of the requirement for a major or minor in any branch of political science. He should also have sufficient knowledge of French and German to be able to read necessary works in either language.

The work in political science in the President White School of History and Political Science falls into five divisions: economics, politics, statistics and social science, finance and distribution. These divisions aim to bring their work into close relationship with social, political, and business life. The members of the Faculty seek to keep in touch with the practical as well as the with purely scientific aspects of the problems treated, and have among their interests the preparation of students for positions in business and in public service. In statistics and social science, work is offered mainly in statistics, but to some degree also in the less definite field of social science. The statistical method has been found of especial service both in developing a scientific and judicial attitude and in bringing out many facts about social life not discoverable in any other way. After the introductory course in social science, an advanced course is open which deals with the dependent or semi-dependent classes and the care for them exercised by society, in part through governmental agencies and in part through private philanthropy.

In economics and distribution, a graduate course is offered in the theory of value and distribution, which is designed to familiarize the student with the main currents of contemporary economic thought. For undergraduates are offered courses covering the history of economics, the more general economic aspects of the labor problem, the history and theory of socialism, and the organization and methods of socialistic parties.

In economics and finance, a research course is offered to graduate students which is designed to afford training in the appropriate methods of investigation and to give familiarity with the fundamental sources of information. Other courses in this field open to graduates cover the more important economic aspects of both public and private finance.

This group uses two laboratories and several class rooms in proximity to each other and to the four division offices and one general office, an arrangement which has greatly facilitated intercourse between teachers and graduate students as well as among graduate students themselves. In the political science seminary room at the University Library and in the various offices and laboratories occupied by these departments, numerous publications in politics and in economics, such as market letters of leading brokers and technical business journals, are accessible to advanced students. The laboratories for classes in statistics and finance are supplied with standard and current books dealing with these subjects and with various mechanical devices for simple statistical processes and for securing a graphic and effective presentation of results. In the closely related subject of rural economy or agricultural economics, courses are offered dealing with the general economic and social problems of the open country arising from the growing complexity and intensity of agriculture and its relation with commerce, manufacturing, and transportation.

One teaching assistantship yielding $500 and tuition; three fellowships, two yielding $500 and one yielding $600; and two assistantships, each yielding $150 are filled each spring.

 

Source: Cornell University, Announcement of the Graduate School 1914-15, Official Publications of Cornell University Vol. V, No. 3 (January 15, 1914), pp. 34-36.

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COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
POLITICAL SCIENCE
[Courses offered 1914-15]

51. Elementary Economics. Throughout the year, credit three hours a term. One lecture and two recitations each week. Lectures, Barnes Auditorium, M, 9; repeated M, 11; Assistant Professor BAUER. Recitations T Th, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12; W F, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Assistant Professors BLAKEY, and USHER, Dr. SMITH, and Mr. GILMAN.

An introduction to economics including a survey of business organization and corporation finance; principles of value, money, banking, and prices; international trade; free trade and protection; wages and labor conditions; the control of railroads and trusts; socialism; principles and problems of taxation. Section assignments made at the first lecture.

52. Elements of Economics. Throughout the year, credit two hours a term. Assistant Professor TURNER. Lectures M, 9, repeated T, 9, Goldwin Smith A. Recitations to be arranged.

A special course for seniors in mechanical engineering. Not open to students in other colleges. Production and distribution of wealth, emphasizing particularly the financial or practical view instead of the theoretical. Lectures, textbooks, readings, and class discussions.

 53a. American Government. First term, credit three hours. Assistant Professor SABY. M W, 10, Goldwin Smith 142. Recitation hour to be arranged.

A general introduction to the study of political science with special reference to American government and politics. Lectures, textbook, class discussions.

53b. Comparative Politics. Second term, credit three hours. Assistant Professor SABY. M W, 10, Goldwin Smith 142. Recitation hour to be arranged.

A study of the political institutions of the leading European countries with special reference to their relations to present political problems in the United States. Lectures, textbook, class discussions.

54a. Municipal Administration. First term, credit three hours. Prerequisite course 53a. Assistant Professor SABY. M W F, 11, Goldwin Smith 264.

A study of the functions and problems of city government; the administration of public health and safety; charities and corrections; public works and finance; commission form of government. Lectures, textbook, and reports.

54b. State Administration. Second term, credit three hours. Prerequisite course 53a. Professor ORTH. M W F, 12, Goldwin Smith 256.

A study of the government of the American State; its relation to local government; the powers and functions of administrative boards and commissions; judicial control.
Lectures, readings, and reports. Each student will be required to make a somewhat detailed study of some particular state.

55a. Elementary Social Science. First term, credit three hours. Course 51 should precede or be taken with this course. Professor WILLCOX. M W F, 9, Goldwin Smith 256.

An introductory course upon social science or sociology, its field and methods, with special reference to the human family as a social unit, to be studied by the comparative, the historical, and the statistical methods.

55b. Elementary Social Science. Second term, credit three hours. Course 51 should precede or be taken with this course. Professor WILLCOX. M W F, 9, Goldwin Smith 256.

A continuation of the preceding course but with especial reference to the dependent, defective, and delinquent classes. Open to all who have taken 55a and by special permission to others.

56a. Elements of Business Law. First term, credit two hours. Professor ORTH. T Th, 11, Goldwin Smith B. Lectures, textbook, quizzes.

A brief survey of that portion of private law which deals especially with contracts, negotiable instruments, agency, and sales.
Courses 56a and 56b are designed primarily to meet the needs of students who contemplate entering business and not the profession of law, and credit will not be given to law students for these courses.

56b. Government Control of Industry. Second term, credit two hours. Prerequisite course 56a. Professor ORTH. T Th, 11, Goldwin Smith B. Lectures, reports, quizzes.

A scrutiny of the policy of governmental control of industry from the legal and political point of view, emphasis being laid on the development of the police power and its application to the regulation of private enterprise.

57a. Lectures on Citizenship. Second term, credit two hours. M W, 12 Goldwin Smith B.

A lecture each Wednesday by a non-resident lecturer and each Monday by a member of the department. The course has been arranged by a committee of Alumni who are actively engaged in civic and social work and who are cooperating in this way with the department. It will follow the same general plan as last year, but the speakers and most of the subjects treated will be changed. Among the subjects presented in 1914-15 will be the Citizen and the Immigrant in America, the Citizen and his Neighborhood, the Citizen and Commercial Organizations, the Citizen and the City Plan.
The course will be under the general charge of Professor WILLCOX. Readings, reports, and essays will be required.

58. Accounting. Throughout the year, credit four hours first term, three hours second term. Courses 51 and 56a must precede or accompany this course. Assistant Professor BAUER. T Th S, 8, Goldwin Smith 264.

59. Financial History of the United States. Second term, credit two hours. Prerequisite course 51. Assistant Professor BLAKEY. T Th, 11, Goldwin Smith 269.

A study of public and quasi-public finance from colonial times to the present. Special attention will be paid to money, currency, banking, tariffs, taxes, expenditures, panics, and war financiering.

60. The American Party System. First term, credit two hours. Prerequisite 53a. Professor ORTH. T Th, 12, Goldwin Smith 256.

A study of the evolution of the American political party; its relations to the machinery of government; election laws; the development of state control over the machinery of party. Lectures, readings, and reports.

[61. Jurisprudence. Second term, credit three hours. Prerequisite 53a, excepting for law students, to whom the course is open. Professor ORTH. Lectures, textbook, and reports.

A study of the classification and development of the principles of law, dwelling especially upon the growth of English and American legal institutions.
This course alternates with 78b.] Not given in 1914-15.

62. Business Management. Repeated in second term, credit one hour. Prerequisite courses 51 and 58; or 58 may be taken at the same time. Professor KIMBALL. T Th, 12, Sibley 4.

Seniors and graduates; others by permission. See S, 20, Sibley College.

63. Corporations and Trusts. First term, credit three hours. Prerequisite course 51. Professor YOUNG. T Th S, 11, Goldwin Smith 256.

Deals primarily with the business corporation, with special reference to its economic significance and effects and to the problems of its legal control, concluding with a discussion of industrial combinations.

64. Money and Banking. Throughout the year, credit three hours a term. Prerequisite course 51. Professor YOUNG. T Th S, 10, Goldwin Smith 142.

A discussion of the more important phases of the theory of money and credit is followed by a consideration of selected practical problems, including the revision of the American banking system. Practical work is required in the analysis of the controlling conditions of the money market, of organized speculations in securities, and of foreign exchange.

65a. The Industrial Revolution in England, 1700 to 1850. First term credit three hours. Prerequisite course 51, previously or concurrently, or work in European history. Assistant Professor USHER. M W F, 12, Goldwin Smith 264.

The topography and resources of England, the Industrial Revolution, commercial expansion in the 18th century, the history of the Bank of England, the rise of London as a world metropolis.

65b. Social and Economic Problems of the 19th Century in England. Second term, credit three hours. Prerequisite course 51, previously or concurrently. Assistant Professor USHER. M W F, 12, Goldwin Smith 264.

The course can be followed most profitably by students who have taken course 65a, but it may be elected independently. The history of English agriculture, 1700 to 1907; the poor laws, 1834 and 1909; the coming of free trade, 1776 to 1846; railroads and rate-making; Germany and the industrial supremacy of England.

66a. The Labor Problem. First term, credit three hours. Prerequisite course 51. Professor JOHNSON. T Th S, 11, Goldwin Smith 264.

This course will present a systematic view of the progress and present condition of the working class in the United States and in other industrial countries; sketch the history and analyze the aims and methods of labor organizations; study the evolution of institutions designed to improve the condition of the working class; and compare the labor legislation of the United States with that of European countries.

66b. Socialism. Second term, credit three hours. Prerequisite course 51. Professor JOHNSON. T Th S, 11, Goldwin Smith 264.

Due attention will be given in this course to the various forms of socialistic theory. Its main object, however, is to describe the evolution of the socialist movement and the organization of socialistic parties, to measure the present strength of the movement, and to examine in the concrete its methods and aims.

67. Problems in Market Distribution. Throughout the year, credit two hours a term. W F, 11, Goldwin Smith 245. Assistant Professor TURNER.

First term: lectures, discussions and assigned readings on the origin, growth and change of middlemen and other intermediaries between the producer and the consumer.
Second term: merchandising, selling, and advertising.

68. Railway Transportation. Second term, credit three hours. Prerequisite course 51. Professor YOUNG. T Th S, 11, Goldwin Smith 256.

The present American railway system, railway finance, theory of rates, methods of public control in Europe, Australia, and America. Some attention is given to the related problem of the control of public service companies.

70. Public Finance. Throughout the year, credit two hours a term. Prerequisite course 51. Assistant Professor BLAKEY. T Th, 12, Goldwin Smith 264.

A study of the principles of government revenue, expenditure and debt, with particular reference to problems of American taxation.

71. Investments. Throughout the year, credit two hours a term. Prerequisite course 51; course 58 should precede or may accompany this course. Dr. SMITH. T Th, 9, Goldwin Smith 245.

[73. Insurance. Second term, credit three hours. Prerequisite courses 51 and 58; or 58 may be taken at the same time. Assistant Professor BAUER.] Not given in 1914-15.

76a. Elementary Statistics. First term, credit three hours. Prerequisite course 51. Professor WILLCOX. T Th S, 9, Goldwin Smith 256. Laboratory, W, 2-4, Goldwin Smith 259.

An introduction to census statistics with especial reference to the federal census of 1910, and to registration statistics with especial reference to those of New York State and its cities. The course gives an introduction to the methods and results of statistics in these, its best developed branches.

76b. Economic Statistics. Second term, credit three hours. Prerequisite course 51. Professor WILLCOX. T Th S, 9, Goldwin Smith 256. Laboratory, W, 2-4, Goldwin Smith 259.

A continuation of course 76a, dealing mainly with the agricultural and industrial statistics of the United States. Mature students that have not already had course 76a or its equivalent may be admitted by special permission. The course is an introduction to statistics in its application to more difficult fields, such as production, wages, prices, and index numbers.

78a. International Law and Diplomacy. First term, credit three hours. President SCHURMAN and Assistant Professor SABY. M W F, 11, Goldwin Smith 256. Lectures, textbook, and reports. Open to juniors and seniors in Arts and Sciences, to students in Law, and to approved upperclassmen in other colleges.

While this course aims to present a systematic view of the rights and obligations of nations in times of peace and war, it particularly emphasizes our contemporary international problems and the participation of the United States in the development of international law.

78b. Constitutional Government. Second term, credit three hours. Prerequisite course 53a. Professor ORTH. M W F, 11, Goldwin Smith 256. Lectures, textbook, and reports.

A study of the development of the American constitutional system.

[79a. History of Political Thought. First term, credit two hours. Assistant Professor SABY.

A study in the development of political thought from the Greeks to modern times in its relation to the history and development of political institutions. Lectures, textbook, and assigned readings.] Not given in 1914-15.

79b. Modern Political Thought. Second term, credit three hours. Assistant Professor SABY. T Th S, 10, Goldwin Smith 256.

A general survey of the more important modern political movements. Ideas and ideals underlying the present political unrest. The different political ideas that have at different times striven for supremacy in American political life. Lectures, textbook, and assigned readings.

[80. The History of Protection and of Free Trade in Europe since 1660. First term, credit three hours. Prerequisite course 51; or open by special permission to those who have had courses in European history. Assistant Professor USHER.] Not given in 1914-15.

[81. The History of Price Making and the Growth of Produce Exchanges. Second term, credit three hours. Prerequisite course 51; open by special permission to those who have had courses in European history. Assistant Professor USHER.] Not given in 1914-15.

82. Public Utilities: Problems of Accounting, Valuation and Control. Second term, credit three hours. Assistant Professor BAUER. F, 2.30, Goldwin Smith 269.

This course will center about the accounting problems connected with the regulation of public service corporations, considering especially, with critical analysis, the systems of uniform accounting prescribed by the Interstate Commerce Commission and the New York and other state Public Service Commissions, and the principles of valuation adopted for rate making purposes. Open to graduates and by permission to especially qualified seniors.

 

87. The History of Economic Theory. Throughout the year, credit three hours a term. Professor JOHNSON. T Th S, 9, Goldwin Smith 264.

The main currents of economic theory from the mercantilistic writers to the present day. Chief emphasis will be laid upon the development of the individualistic economic doctrines in 18th century France and England; the conditions, economic and social, upon which they were based; the consolidation of the doctrines in classical economics, and the modifications they have undergone.

88. Value and Distribution. Throughout the year credit, two hours a term. Professor JOHNSON. Th, 2.30, Political Science Seminary Room.

A study of the chief problems of current economic theory. The works of the chief contemporary authorities will be critically studied with a view to disclosing the basis of existing divergences in point of view.
It is desirable that students registering for this course should have a reading knowledge of German and French.

90. Research in Statistics. Throughout the year, credit to be arranged. Professor WILLCOX.

92. Research in Finance. Throughout the year, credit two or three hours a term. Professor YOUNG. T, 2.30, Political Science Seminary.

Individual or cooperative investigations of selected problems in money, banking, and corporation finance, in connection with lectures upon the bibliography of the sources and upon the use of the statistical method in such investigations.

93. Research in Accounting. Throughout the year, credit two to three hours a term. Prerequisite course 58. Assistant Professor BAUER. Hours to be arranged.

For especially qualified students interested in particular accounting problems.

94. Research in Politics. Throughout the year, credit one to three hours a term. Professor ORTH. Hours and room to be arranged.

A research course for advanced students in public law and political science.

95. Seminary in Political Science and Public Law. Throughout the year, credit two hours a term. Professor ORTH. W, 2.30, Political Science Seminary.

An advanced course for the study of some special topic to be announced. Open to especially qualified students by permission of the professor in charge.

99. General Seminary. Throughout the year, credit two hours a term. Conducted by members of the department. M, 2.30-4.30, Goldwin Smith 269.

For research in the field of political sciences. Open only to graduate students.

 

Source: Official Publications of Cornell University, Vol. V, No. 10: Announcement of the College of Arts and Sciences, 1915-15, pp. 29-34.

_________________________

[Cornell Faculty offering courses in Political Science 1914-15]

 

Bauer, John, A. B., Yale, 1906; Ph.D.,1908; Leave of Absence, 1914-15.

Instructor, 1908; Assistant Professor of Economics, 1910.

Blakey, Roy Gillespie, A.B., Drake, 1905; A.M., Colorado, 1910; Ph.D., Columbia, 1912.

Assistant Professor of Economics, 1912.

English, Donald, B.S., University of California; M.B.A., Harvard, 1914.

Acting Assistant Professor of Economics, 1914.

Gilman, Frederick Hubert, A.B., Wesleyan, 1909; A.M., Cornell, 1910.

Instructor of Economics.

Johnson, Alvin Saunders, A.B., Nebraska; A.M., 1898; Ph.D., Columbia, 1902.

Professor of Economics, 1912.

Kimball, Dexter Simpson, A.B., Leland Stanford, 1896; M.E., Leland Stanford.

Assistant Professor, 1898-1901; Acting Director of Sibley College, second term, 1911-12; Professor of Machine Design and Construction, 1904.

Lauman, George Nieman, B.S.A., Cornell, 1897.

Assistant in Horticulture, 1897; Instructor, 1899; Instructor in Rural Economy, 1903; Assistant Professor, 1905; Professor of Rural Economy, 1909.

Orth, Samuel Peter, A.B., Oberlin, 1896; Ph.D., Columbia, 1902.

Acting Professor, 1912, Professor of Political Science, 1913.

Saby, Rasmus S., A.B. Minnesota, 1907; A.M. 1907; Ph.D., Pennsylvania, 1910.

Assistant, 1909; Instructor in Economics. 1910, Assistant Professor of Political Science, 1912.

Schurman, Jacob Gould, A.B., University of London, 1877; A.M., 1878; D.Sc., University of Edinburgh, 1878; LL.D., Columbia, 1892; Yale, 1901; Edinburgh, 1902; Williams, 1908; Dartmouth, 1909; Harvard, 1909.

Professor of Philosophy, 1886. President of the University, 1892.

Smith, Harry Edwin, A.B., De Pauw, 1906; A.M., 1906; Ph.D., Cornell, 1912.

Instructor of Economics.

Turner, John Roscoe, M.S., Ohio Northern, 1903; Ph.D., Princeton, 1913.

Assistant, 1908; Instructor, 1909; Lecturer, 1911, Assistant Professor of Economics, 1913.

Usher, Abbott Payson, A.B., Harvard, 1904; A.M., 1905; Ph.D., Ph.D., 1910.

Instructor, 1910. Assistant Professor of Economics, 1914.

Willcox, Walter Francis, A.B., Amherst, 1884; LL.B., A.M., Amherst, 1888; LL.D., Amherst, 1906; Ph.D., Columbia, 1907.

Instructor in Logic, 1891; Assistant Professor of Social Science and Statistics and Political Economy, 1892; Assistant Professor of Social Science and Statistics, 1893; Associate Professor, 1894; Professor, 1898; Professor of Political Economy and Statistics, 1901; Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. 1901-07; Professor of Economics and Statistics, 1910.

Young, Allyn Abbott, Ph.B., Hiram College, 1894; Ph.D., Wisconsin, 1902.

Professor of Economics and Finance, 1913.

 

Sources: Official Publications of Cornell University, Vol. V, No. 10: Announcement of the College of Arts and Sciences, 1914-15, pp. 29-34. Supplementary information from The Cornellian, The Year Book of Cornell University. Vol. XLVII.

Image Source: Goldwin Smith Hall, illustration between pages 36 and 37. Guide to the Campus: Cornell University (1920).

 

Categories
Economists Harvard

Harvard. Seminary in Economics. Topics and Speakers, 1891/2-1907/8

 The inspiration for the research workshop goes back to the German tradition of the research seminar for which the English word “seminary” was used. A sole economics seminary was announced at Harvard for the period 1892-1933 according to the annual Announcement of Courses of Instructions. One presumes the division of workshops is limited by the extent of the graduate program and that, by the early 1930s, the scale and scope of the Harvard department supported greater differentiation of its research seminars. The later Hansen-Williams Fiscal Seminar is an example of the kind of specialized workshop that was to develop. 

This posting provides the names and topics of presenters at the seminary in economics as published in the Harvard University Catalogues up through the academic year 1907/08 after which time we need to draw on other sources, e.g. announcements of individual seminars published in the Harvard University Gazette or the Harvard Crimson. Where invited guest lecturers for the public were announced, e.g. John Commons and Thorstein Veblen, I have included the information for the corresponding year.

________________________________

[First announcement of the Seminary in Economics, 1892-93]

Economics 20. Seminary in Political Economy.

Professors Dunbar and Taussig, and Mr. Cummings, will guide competent students in research on topics assigned after consolation. The Seminary will hold weekly meetings; and in addition each student will confer individually, once a week, with the instructor under whose guidance he carries on his investigations.

Source:  Harvard University, Announcement of Courses of Instruction provided by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences for the Academic Year 1892-93, p. 32.

________________________________

[Last announcement of the Seminary in Economics, 1932-33]

The Seminary in Economics. Mon., at 7.45 P.M.

Meetings are held by instructors and advanced students for the presentation of the results of investigation.

Source: Harvard University, Announcement of Courses of Instruction provided by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences for the Academic Year 1932-33 (second edition), p. 130.

_________________________________________

1891-92

At the Seminaries of Political Economy and American History (Joint Meetings):

Colonial Tariffs. Mr. William Hill.
Periodical Literature and Collections. Professor Taussig.
Suppression of the African Slave Trade. Mr. W. E. B. DuBois.
The Episcopal Church and Slavery. Mr. W. L. Tenney.
The Pacific Railways. Mr. H. K. White.
The Central Pacific Railway. Mr. W. Olney.
Impeachment Trials. Mr. Melville E. Ingals, Jr.
Some Early Anti-Immigration Laws. Mr. E. E. Proper.
Reconstruction in South Carolina. Mr. D. F. Houston.

Source: Harvard University Catalogue 1892-93, p. 122.

_________________________________________

1892-93

At the Seminary in Economics:

The economic periodicals of France and England. Prof. C. F. Dunbar.
The economic periodicals of Germany and the United States. Professor F. W. Taussig.
Georgia’s experiment in state railway management. Mr. G. Walcott.
The theory of gluts, with special reference to earlier discussions. Mr. C. W. Mister.
Public works in Pennsylvania. Mr. A. M. Day.
Postal subsidies in Great Britain. Mr. H. C. Emery.
Internal improvement in Indiana. Mr. H. H. Cook.
Railway Pools in the United States. Mr. G. L. Sheldon.
The earlier history of the anthracite coal industry. Mr. G. O. Virtue.
The construction of the Union Pacific Railway. Mr. H. K. White.
The organization of Poor Relief in Massachusetts. Mr. H. K. White.

At the Seminaries of American History and Institutions and of Economics. (Joint Meetings):

Study of History and Economics in English Universities. Professor W. J. Ashley.
The Mark theory. President E. A. Bryan.
Tariff legislation in the United States from 1783-1789. Mr. William Hill.
The federal import and the tariff act of 1879. Mr. William Hill.
The currency situation in the United States. Professor F. W. Taussig.
Legislation by the states on the issue of bank notes. Mr. D. F. Houston.

 

Source: Harvard University Catalogue 1893-94, pp. 129-130.

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1893-94

At the Seminary of Economics:

The economic congresses and meetings at Chicago. Professors Cummings and Taussig.
The economic and statistical meetings at Chicago. Professor Taussig.
Combinations among anthracite coal producers since 1873. Mr. Virtue.
Results of recent investigations on prices in the United States. Professor Taussig.
Some phases of public management of railways in Victoria (Australia). Mr. H. R. Meyer.
Local rivalry in the earlier development of internal improvements in the United States. Mr. A. M. Day.
Forestry legislation in the United States. Mr. C. C. Closson.
The Trunk Line Pool, and its effects on railway rates. Mr. G. L. Sheldon.
Sismondi and the theory of gluts. Mr. C. W. Mixter.
The earlier stages of the operation of the Erie canal. Mr. W. R. Buckminster.
The income tax of the civil war. Mr. J. A. Hill.
Internal improvements in Illinois. Mr. G. S. Callender.
Changes in the factory population of the United States. Mr. E. H. Vickers.
The Canadian Pacific Railway. Mr. G. W. Cox.
Public railway management in New South Wales. Mr. H. R. Meyer.
The development of the theory of gluts and over-accumulation. Mr. C. W. Mixter.
Compulsory insurance in Germany. Mr. J. G. Brooks.
The Erie canal. Mr. W. R. Buckminster.
The factory system in the United States. Mr. E. H. Vickers.

Source: Harvard University Catalogue 1894-95, p. 136.

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1894-95

At the Seminary of Economics:

Wilhelm Roscher. Professor Ashley.
The factory operatives in the United States. Mr. E. H. Vickers.
The classification of the Political Sciences. Professor Ashley.
The English Budget of 1894. Mr. F. R. Clow.
The antecedents of J. S. Mill’s “Principles.” Messrs. Aldrich, Estabrook, and Harper.
The theory of “House-Industry.” Mr. O. M. W. Sprague.
Definition and history of statistics. Mr. H. H. Cook.
The distribution of mediaeval fairs. Mr. J. Sullivan.
The United States and its mineral lands Mr. G. O. Virtue.
Child labor in the early factories. Mr. Hisa.
The economic condition of the South. Dr. E. von Halle.
The Chicago strike. Professor Ashley.
Legislation on arbitration in the United States. Rev. T. P. Berle.
The taxation of sugar in Germany. Mr. G. E. Chipman.
State railroads in New South Wales. Mr. H. R. Meyer.
Economic teaching in Germany. Rev. W. L. Bevan.
English industrial organization in the 17th and 18th centuries. Mr. O. M. W. Sprague.
Mediaeval fairs and the law merchant. Mr. J. Sullivan.
The antecedents of Mill’s “Doctrine of Value.” Mr. E. H. Harper.
The financing of internal improvements in the Northwest. Mr. G. S. Callender.
The antecedents of Mill’s chapters on Property and Land-Tenure. Mr. H. K. Estabrook.
Technical education in England. Mr. G. W. Cox.

Source: Harvard University Catalogue, 1895-96, p. 139.

_________________________________________

1895-96

Eight lectures by Francis A. Walker, LL.D., on Bimetallism since the Discovery of America.

Lecture. The Present Condition of the Currency of the United States. Professor F. W. Taussig.

At the Seminary of Economics: —

Economics in Italy. Professor Taussig.
The study of economics in German universities. Mr. C. W. Mixter.
The theory of the standard of living, from Adam Smith to J. S. Mill. Mr. R. Ware.
Financial operations by the loyal states during the Civil War (1861-1865). Mr. H. H. Cook.
International borrowing in its early stages, with special reference to England and the United States, 1820-1840. Mr. G. S. Callender.
The workman in the textile industries of England and the United States. Mr. S. N. D. North.
Attainment of the income tax in England. Mr. A. M. Chase.
Public management of railways in Victoria. Mr. H. R. Meyer.
The organization and regulation of certain domestic industries in England in the 18th century. Mr. O. M. W. Sprague.
The taxation of personal property in Massachusetts. Mr. E. W. Hooper.
The annual appropriation bill of the city of Boston. Mr. W. H. King.
The legal tender acts of 1862. Mr. D. C Barrett.
Fundamental errors in sociology. Dr. Frederick H. Wines.
International borrowing before 1850. Mr. G. S. Callender.
The tonnage laws and the shipping policy of the United States. Mr. P. D. Phair.
The internal revenue act of 1862. Mr. G. Thomas.
The beginning of liquor legislation. Mr. A. P. Andrew.
The international trade of the United States in its relation to recent currency legislation. Mr. A. Sweezey.
Beginnings of trade and industry in Scotland, with some account of the early Guilds. Mr. T. Allison.
The bimetallic situation. President Francis A. Walker.
The Intercolonial Railway of Canada. Mr. C. E. Seaman.
The railway situation in California. Mr. H. C. Marshall and Dr. F. E. Haynes.
The taxation of sugar in the United States since 1860. Mr. C. S. Griffin.
The economic basis of Irish emigration 1650-1850. Mr. H. H. Cook.

Source: Harvard University Catalogue 1896-97, pp. 138-9, 141-42.

_________________________________________

1896-97

Eight lectures on the Income Taxes in Germany, Switzerland, and England, by Dr. J. A. Hill. Subjects as follows: —

Income Taxes in Germany: Historical Development. The Taxpayers, the Taxable Income, and the Rates.
The Methods of Assessment. Income and Property Taxes in Switzerland: Their Development. The Rate and Exemptions. The Methods of Assessment.
The English Income Tax: Its History. The Assessment.

At the joint meetings of the Seminary of American History and Institutions and the Seminary of Economics: 

Methods and experience of historical investigation. Mr. J. F. Rhodes.
The financial procedure of a state legislature. Mr. F. C. Lowell.

At the Seminary of Economics:

French economic periodicals and other aids to economic study. Professor Dunbar.
Periodicals and other aids to economic study, in France. Professor Dunbar.
Periodicals and other aids to economic study, in England and the United States. Professor Ashley.
John Rae: A neglected economist. Mr. C. W. Mixter.
Some impressions of reformatories. Mr. W. H. Gratwick.
Sir Robert Giffen on prices in relation to material progress in England. Mr. F. Atherton.
The woolen manufacturer and the tariff. Mr. A. T. Lyman.
British capital and American resources, 1815-1850. Mr. G. S. Callender.
The taxation of sugar in the United States, 1789-1861. Mr. C. S. Griffin.
Recent immigration into the United States. Mr. E. H. Warren.
Apportionments of national bank currency. Mr. T. Cooke.
Some phases of the history of the Union Pacific Railway. Mr. S. P. West.
Some recent phases of economic thought in the United States. Mr. J. A. Tirrell.
The condition of coal-miners in the bituminous districts. Mr. H. E. George.
Certain phases of the history and literature of industrial depression from 1873 to 1886. Mr. C. Beardsley, Jr.
The financial history of the Pennsylvania Railway. Mr. R. D. Jenks.
Some aspects of the financial history of the Union Pacific Railway. Mr. S. P. West.

Source: Harvard University Catalogue 1897-98, p. 387-388, 391-392.

 

_________________________________________

1897-98

At the joint meetings of the Seminary of American History and Institutions and the Seminary of Economics:

Some results of an inquiry on taxation in Massachusetts. Professor F. W. Taussig.
The Making of a Tariff. Mr. S. N. D. North.
The currency reform plan of the Indianapolis convention. Professor Dunbar.

At the Seminary of Economics:

Trade-unions in Australia. Dr. M. A. Aldrich.
The coal miners’ strike of 1897. Mr. J. E. George.
An analysis of the law of diminishing returns. Dr. C. W. Mixter.
The Secretary of the Treasury and the currency, 1865-1879. Mr. H. C. Marshall.
An inquiry on government contract work in Canada. Mr. W. L. M. King.
The sugar industry in Europe as affected by taxes and bounties. Mr. C. S. Griffin.
The security of bank notes based on general assets, as indicated by experience under the national bank system. Mr. A. O. Eliason.
The inter-colonial railway. Mr. C. E. Seaman.
Some results of the new method of assessing the income tax in Prussia. Dr. J. A. Hill.
Antonio Serra and the beginnings of political economy in Italy. Mr. D. F. Grass.
The American Federation of Labor. Dr. M. A. Aldrich.
The earlier stages of the silver movement in the United States. Mr. Randolph Paine.
The land grant to the Union Pacific Railroad. Mr. R. W. Cone.

Source: Harvard University Catalogue 1898-99, pp. 400-1.

_________________________________________

1898-99

Fifteen lectures on Life Insurance by Charlton T. Lewis, of New York City.

At the Seminary of Economics: 

Aids in economic investigation. Professor Taussig.
Economic study in England. Dr. O. M. W. Sprague.
The growth and the constituent elements of the population of Boston. Mr. F. A. Bushée (2).
Some operations of the United States Treasury in 1894-96. Professor Taussig.
The Interstate Commerce Act as interpreted by the courts. Mr. F. Hendrick.
The English industrial crisis of 1622. Dr. O. M. W. Sprague.
The earlier history of the English income tax. Dr. J. A. Hill.
The theory of savers’ rent and some of its applications. Dr. C. W. Mixter.
The working of the French Railway Conventions of 1883. Mr. F. Hendrick.
The adoption of the gold standard by England in 1816. Mr. D. F. Grass.

 

Source: Harvard University Catalogue 1899-1900, pp. 412, 417.

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1899-1900

Lecture. The United States census. Professor W. F. Willcox, of the Census Office.

At the Seminary of Economics:

Aids in Economic study: (1) Specialized publications in Germany. Professor F. W. Taussig.
(2) English and American literature. Professor Ashley.
(3) American publications. Professor Taussig.
The conference on trusts at Chicago. Mr. John Graham Brooks.
Legislation on combinations and trusts in the United States. Mr. R. C. Davis.
Judicial decisions on statutes relating to combinations and trusts. Mr. R. C. Davis.
The tenement house exhibition, and tenement conditions in Boston. Mr. F. A. Bushée.
The influence of the tariff on the iron and steel industry. Mr. D. S. Bobb.
The duties on wool and their effects, 1870-1899. Mr. F. W. Wose.
The duty on copper and its effects. Mr. W. D. Shue.
The duties on sugar and their effects. Mr. G. H. Johnston.
The economic aspects of close commercial relations with Hawaii. Mr. U. S. Parker.
The discussion of value at the hands of English writers before Adam Smith. Mr. C. Bowker.
The silk manufacture and the tariff. Mr. S. S. Fitzgerald.
The commercial crisis of 1857. Mr. C. Hobbs.
The economic significance of the Hebrew year of jubilee. Mr. R. J. Sprague.

Source: Harvard University Catalogue 1900-1, pp. 429, 432.

_________________________________________

1900-01

Six lectures on Statistics of Wages, by the Hon. Carroll D. Wright:—

Methods and Difficulties in Collecting Statistics of Wages.
Difficulties and Fallacies in Presentations of Wages.
Chief Sources of Statistical Information on Wages.
Value of the Various Collections of Wages Statistics.
Money Wages as shown by Statistics during last Half Century.
Real Wages for the same period.

At the Seminary of Economics:

The trusts and the tariff. Mr. Charles Beardsley.
Civil service reform in Australia: its successes and its failures. I. Victoria; II. New South Wales. Mr. H. R. Meyer.
The early history of the Standard Oil Combination. Mr. G. H. Montague.
Manufacturing industries in the South End of Boston. Mr. R. F. Phelps .
Notes on a transcontinental journey. Professor Taussig.
Relations of employers and workmen in the Boston building trades. Mr. W. H. Sayward.
Changes in the geographical distribution of the Southern negroes since the Civil War. Mr. R. J. Sprague.
Changes in the tenure and ownership of land in the South since the Civil War. Mr. R. J. Sprague.
The early history of the Erie Railway. Mr. A. J. Boynton.
The early history of banking in Massachusetts. Mr. F. L. Bugbee.
The work of the United States Industrial Commission. Professor E. D. Durand, of Stanford University.
The cotton-seed oil industry. Mr. W. D. Shue.
Combinations in the German iron trade. Mr. E. B. Stackpole.
Are the English payments to mail steamships subsidies? Mr. W. E. Stilwell.

Source: Harvard University Catalogue 1901-02, pp. 414, 419-420.

 

_________________________________________

1901-02

Seminary in EconomicsMon., at 4.30. Professor Ashley and Asst. Professor Carver.

In the Seminary, the instructors undertake the guidance of students in independent investigation, and give opportunity for the presentation and discussion of the result of investigation. Members of the Graduate School who propose to conduct inquiries having in view the preparation of theses to be presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, may select subjects agreed upon after conference with the instructors, and may carry on investigations on such subjects, as part of the work in the Seminary.
The general meetings of the Seminary are held on the first and third Mondays of each month. The members of the Seminary confer individually, at stated times arranged after consultation, with the instructors under whose special guidance they are conducting their researches.
At the regular meetings, the results of the investigations of members are presented and discussed. The instructors also at times present the results of their own work, and give accounts of the specialized literature of Economics. At intervals, other persons are invited to address the Seminary on subjects of theoretic or practical interest, giving opportunity for contact and discussion with the non-academic world.

Source: Harvard University Archives. Official Register of Harvard University 1901-1902. Box 1. Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Division of History and Political Science (June 21, 1901), University Publications, New Series, No. 16, p. 48.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Four lectures by Professor Edward A. Ross, on “The Growth and present Stage of the Literature of Sociology”:—

The Building of Sociology.
The Recent Tendencies of Sociology.
The Moot Points of Sociology.
The Desiderata of Sociology.

At the Seminary of Economics:

The Rise of the Oil Monopoly. Mr. G. H. Montague.
The Conditions of Employment and Housing of South End (Boston) Factory Operatives. Mr. R. Morris.
Principles Underlying the Demarcation between Public and Private Industries. Mr. R. Morris.
Restriction of Municipal Gas and Electric Plants in Massachusetts. Mr. A. D. Adams.
Economic Conditions in Nicaragua. Dr. C. W. Mixter.
Some Theoretical Possibilities of Protective Tariffs. Professor Carver.
A Study of some Records of the Associated Charities of Boston. Mr. H. R. Meyer.
The Rise and Regulation of Municipal Gas and Electric Plants in Massachusetts. Mr. A. D. Adams.
Le Solidarisme social de M. Leon Bourgeois. Professor Léopold Mabilleau.
A Review of the French and Italian Economic Journals. Professor Ripley, Dr. A. P. Andrew, Mr. C. W. Doten, and Mr. R. F. Phelps.
National Corporation Laws for Industrial Organizations. Mr. James B. Dill.
The Budgetary System of Canada. Mr. R. C. Matthews.
The Elements of Labor and Relief Departments in Railway Expenditure. Mr. A. L. Horst.
The Economics of Colonization. Professor E. A. Ross.
Elizabethan Mercantilism as seen in the Corn Trade. Mr. R. G. Usher.
The Present Position of Economics in Japan. Mr. Nobushiro Sakurai.
The Economic Theories of Josiah Tucker. Mr. Robert Morris.
Urban and Suburban Residence of South End (Boston)
Factory Employés. Mr. R. F. Phelps.
The Recent History of the Standard Oil Monopoly. Mr. G. H. Montague.
State v. Local Control of the Boston Police. Mr. F. R. Cope.
The Laws regulating Muncipal Gas and Electric Plants in Massachusetts. Mr. A. D. Adams.

Source: Harvard University Catalogue 1902-03, pp. 431, 434-435.

_________________________________________

1902-03

Eight lectures on “Some Leading Principles of Political Economy and Statistics,” by Professor F. Y. Edgeworth, of Oxford University, as follows: —

The Theory of Value applied to International Trade.
The Exceptions to the Rule of Free Trade.
Value in a Regime of Monopoly.
The Value of Land and other Factors of Production.
The Taxation of Urban Site Values.
The Higher Theory of Statistics.
Index Numbers.
Supplementary.

At the Seminary of Economics:

Reports on Current American and English Economic Periodicals, respectively by Messrs. R. W. Magrane and H. M. Kallen.
Gas Profits in Massachusetts. Mr. Alton D. Adams.
Economic Problems and Conditions in the Far Northwest. Professor C. Beardsley.
Report on Economics in Italy. Mr. D. H. Webster.
Reforms in Economic Teaching in the English Universities. Professor F. Y. Edgeworth.
Reports on Current German Periodicals and Literature. Messrs. W. H. Price and G. R. Lewis.
Recent Changes in the Rate of Wages. Dr. E. D. Durand.
Classification of Occupations in Relation to the Tariff. Mr. Edward Atkinson.
A Study of the Boston Ghetto. Mr. H. M. Kallen.
Report on Current French Literature. Mr. A. B. Wolfe.
The Anatomy of a Tenement Street. Mr. H. M. Kallen.
Railroad Reorganization in the United States. Mr. S. Daggett.
The Inclosure Movement and the English Rebellions of the Sixteenth Century. Dr. E. F. Gay.
A Stock Exchange Day. Mr. Sumner B. Pearmain.
The Lodging House Problem in Boston. Mr. A. B. Wolfe.
Jewish Trade Unions in Boston. Mr. Philip Davis.
Economics of the American Corn Belt. Mr. A. J. Boynton.
Movement of Real Estate Values in American Cities. Mr. Henry Whitmore.
Report on Labor Journals and Trades Union Publications. Mr. V. Custis.
Some Phases of the American Copper Mining Industry. Mr. G. R. Lewis.
The Determination of Franchise Values. Mr. C. W. Wright.
Initiation Ceremonies among Primitive Peoples. Mr. D. H. Webster.
The Indebtedness of English Mercantilism to Holland. Mr. E. T. Miller.

Source: Harvard University Catalogue 1903-04, pp. 466, 469.

_________________________________________

1903-04

At the Seminary of Economics:

A Trip through the Corn Country of the West. Professor Carver.
Early History of Economic Studies in American Colleges. Professor Bullock.
The Growth of Labor Organization in the United States. Professor Ripley.
Industrial Combinations in Germany, with special reference to Coal. Dr. F. Walker.
Our Trade Relations with Canada. Mr. Osborne Howes.
Supervision of National Banks, solvent and insolvent, by the Comptroller of the Currency. Mr. William A. Lamson (H. U. ’81), National Bank Examiner.
The Effect of Trade Unions upon Industrial Efficiency. Mr. Henry White, Secretary of the United Garment Workers of America.
The Financing of Corporations. Hon. Charles S. Fairchild.
A Remedy for Some Industrial Troubles. Hon. William B. Rice.
The Elizabethan Patents of Monopoly. Mr. W. H. Price.
The English Miner in the Middle Ages. Mr. G. R. Lewis.
The Northern Securities Case and the Supreme Court Decision. Mr. E. B. Whitney.
Progress in Manufactures in the United States. Hon. S. N. D. North, Director United States Census Bureau.
The Expansion Periods of 1878-85 and 1897-02 compared. Mr. Sumner B. Pearmain, ’83.

Source: Harvard University Catalogue 1904-05, p. 457.

_________________________________________

1904-05

Under the auspices of the Department of Economics, Professor W. F. Willcox, of Cornell University, gave three lectures on some results of the United States census enumeration of 1900: —

1. The Population of the United States.
2. Some Statistical Aspects of the Negro Problem.
3. The Birth Rate and Death Rate of the United States.

Three lectures on the “Relations between Trade Unions and Employers’ Organizations,” by Professor John R. Commons, of the University of Wisconsin: —

1. The Teamsters’ Organizations in Chicago.
2. Industrial Organizations in the Window-glass Manufacture.
3. Industrial Organizations in the Stove Manufacture.

At the Seminary of Economics:

The Forces in Industrial Consolidation. Mr. V. Custis.
Railroad Reorganization. Mr. S. Daggett.
The Specialized Literature of Economics: Periodicals, Dictionaries, and the Like. I. German Publications. Professor Taussig.
II. English and American. Professor T. N. Carver.
The French Corn Laws from 1515 to 1660. Mr. A. P. Usher.
The Meeting of the American Economic Association at Chicago. Professor Taussig.
Trade Unionism and Politics. Mr. Ray Stannard Baker.
Social Problems of American Farmers. President Kenyon L. Butterfield, of Rhode Island College of Agriculture.
Wool-growing in the United States. Mr. C. W. Wright.
Public Opinion as a Factor in Industrial Consolidation. Mr. V. Custis.
Marx’s Theory of Value. Mr. F. W. Johnston.
The Atchison System. Mr. S. Daggett.
Wool-growing in the United States since 1860. Mr. C. W. Wright.
The Negro in Boston. Mr. J. Daniels.

Source: Harvard University Catalogue 1905-06, pp. 456-457, 460-1.

_________________________________________

1905-06

Lecture. Followers of Karl Marx. Professor T. B. Veblen, of the University of Chicago.

Lecture. The Diffusion of Economic Knowledge. Professor Simon Newcomb.

At the Seminary of Economics:

Railroad Reorganization, The Philadelphia and Reading R. R. Mr. Stuart Daggett.
The Railway Rate Situation. Mr. C. A. Legg.
Stages of Economic Growth. Professor E. F. Gay.
The Finances of Boston, 1820-1860. Mr. C. P. Huse.
The Intendants and the Organization of the Corn Trade in France, 1683-1715.
Mr. A. P. Usher. Collateral Bond Issues. Mr. Thomas Warner Mitchell.
The Earlier History of the English Post-office. Mr. J. C. Hemmeon.
The Meeting of the American Economic Association at Baltimore. Professor Taussig.
The Organization of a Cooperative Business. Mr. E. A. Filene.
The Development of English Trade to the Levant. Miss G. F. Ward.
The Telephone Situation in Great Britain. Mr. A. N. Holcombe.
Characteristics of Railroad Reorganizations. Mr. Stuart Daggett.
The Distribution of Socialistic Sentiment. Professor T. B. Veblen, of the University of Chicago.
Transportation in Modern England, to 1830. Mr. W. Jackman.
The Dutch-English Rivalry, with Special Reference to Fisheries. Mr. H. L. Drury.
Recent History of the Glass Manufacture in the United States. Mr. D. F. Edwards.
A Discussion of Distribution. Mr. F. W. Johnston.

Source: Harvard University Catalogue 1906-07, pp. 536-7, 540.

_________________________________________

1906-07

Lectures on Municipal Ownership. Major Leonard Darwin, of London, England, gave a series of lectures on Municipal Ownership: —

1. The Main Issues connected with Municipal Ownership. The Regulation of Private Trade. Municipal Ownership and Local Taxation.
2. English Municipal Statistics. The Probability of Profit-Making by Municipal Ownership. Municipal Management.
3. Municipal Corruption. Wages under Municipal Ownership. The Direct Employment of Labour by Municipalities.
4. Municipal Ownership without Direct Employment. Municipal Ownership and Socialistic Ideals.

Through the courtesy of the National Civic Federation, a series of five public lectures on Socialism and the Allied Social and Economic Questions was given by W. H. Mallock, A.M.

Lecture. The New Interstate Commerce Act. Professor F. H. Dixon.

At the Seminary of Economics:

Impressions of Sociological Study in Foreign Countries. Mr. J. A. Field.
Field Observations on the Tobacco Industry. Mr. S. O. Martin.
The Financial Policy of Massachusetts from 1780 to 1800. Professor Bullock.
The Financial Policy of Alabama from 1819 to 1860. Mr. W. O. Scroggs.
The Finances of Boston, 1820-1860. Mr. C. P. Huse.
Some Aspects of the History of the English Mining Classes. Dr. G. R. Lewis.
Some Aspects of the Early Railway Era in Great Britain. Mr. William Jackman.
Land and Capital. Professor Fetter.
The Theory of Interest. Professor Fetter.
The Beet-Sugar Industry in the United States. Mr. M. H. Salz.
The Recent Tariff History of Canada. Mr. W. W. McLaren.
Commercial Education in American Universities. Mr. F. V. Thompson.
The English Board of Trade during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, and its Records. Mr. J. R. H. Moore.
The Cotton Manufacture in the United States since 1860. Mr. M. T. Copeland.
Some Discoveries in Economic History. M. le vicomte Georges d’Avenel.
A Course of Instruction in Business Management. Mr. H. S. Person.
Bank Reserves in England, Canada, and the United States. Mr. F. S. Mead.
A Journey into the Tobacco-raising Districts of the West and South. Mr. S. O. Martin.
Sketch of the Legislative History of Massachusetts Business Corporations. Mr. W. E. Rappard.
The English Fisheries, 1500-1800. Mr. H. L. Drury.
Municipal Ownership of Telephones in Great Britain. Mr. A. N. Holcombe.
Researches in a Manufacturing Suburb. Mr. E. L. Sheldon.

Source: Harvard University Catalogue 1907-08, pp. 431, 437-438.

 

_________________________________________

1907-08

Under the auspices of the Department of Economics, Dr. Victor S. Clark gave two lectures on Australian Economic Problems: —

1. Railways: History and Administration.
2. Railways: Description and Statistics.

Dr. Clark also gave two public lectures: —

1. State and Federal Finance in Australia.
2. The Tariff Policy of Australia.

At the Seminary of Economics:

General Principles of Railroad Reorganization. Dr. Stuart Daggett.
The Silk Manufacture. Mr. F. R. Mason.
The Silk Manufacture and the Tariff. Mr. F. R. Mason.
Certain Phases of the Theory of Population since Malthus. Mr. J. A. Field.
The Commercial Use of Credit Instruments previous to 1724. Mr. A. P. Usher.
The Conduct of Public Works in English Towns in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries. Miss S. L. Hadley.
The Growth of the Knit Goods Industry. Mr. M. T. Copeland.
The Foreign Trade of England during the Thirteenth Century, especially with regard to the Italian. Miss G. F. Ward.
A Statistical Survey of Italian Emigration. Mr. R. F. Foerster.
The Meetings of the Economic and Sociological Associations at Madison. Professor Carver and Mr. J. A. Field.
The Canadian Reciprocity Treaty of 1854. Mr. W. W. McLaren.
Factory Labor in Massachusetts: Legislation and Economic Condition, 1810-1880. Mr. C. E. Persons.
Tax Administration in New York City. Mr. Lawson Purdy.
The Recent History of the Standard Oil Company. Mr. H. B. Platt.
The Wool and Woolens Act of 1867. Mr. P. W. Saxton.
The Causes of the Rise in Prices since 1898. Mr. H. L. Lutz.
The Corn Law Policy in England up to 1689. Mr. N. S. B. Gras.
Agrarian Conditions in Southwest Germany from the Thirteenth to the Sixteenth Century. Mr. H. C. Dale.
The Land Policy of Australia. Dr. Victor S. Clark.
Proposed Old Age Pension Legislation in England. Mr. R. M. Davis.
The Anthracite Coal Roads and the Coal Companies. Mr. E. Jones.
The Greenback Movement, with Special Reference to Iowa and Wisconsin. Mr. C. O. Ruggles.
Fibres and Fibre Products. Mr. B. S. Foss.
A Study of the Population of Cambridgeport. Mr. A. J. Kennedy.

Source: Harvard University Catalogue 1908-09, pp. 450, 455-6.

 

 

Categories
Economic History Fields Harvard Suggested Reading Syllabus

Harvard. Modern Economic History Seminar. Usher, 1937-41

For the seminar “Topics in Modern Economic History” taught by Abbott Payson Usher (1883-1965) at Harvard, I have been able to find syllabi from the fall term of 1937-38 and both terms for 1938-39 and 1940-41 which, judging from the enrollment figures reported in the annual president’s report, were the only years the seminar with Usher (alone) had actually taken place. Only after the Second World War do we see a seminar with this title having student enrollment figures reported (Usher and Walt Rostow in 1947-48 and then Usher and Gerschenkron in 1948-49.

_____________________________________________

Economics 136 (formerly 22).
Seminar.
Topics in Modern Economic History

Two consecutive hours a week, to be arranged. Professor Usher.

Source: Announcement of the Courses of Instruction offered by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences during 1937—38 (First edition). Official Register of Harvard University, Vol. 34, No. 5 (March 1, 1937), p. 149.

_____________________________________________

Enrollments in the seminar:
Topics in Modern Economic History
1937/38-1940/41

1937-38.

[Economics] 136. (formerly 22). Professor Usher.—Seminar. Topics in Modern Economic History

7 Graduates. Total 7.

 

1938-39.

[Economics] 136. Professor Usher.—Seminar. Topics in Modern Economic History

9 Graduates, 1 Senior. Total 10

 

1939-40.

[not offered]

 

1940-41.

[Economics] 136. Professor Usher.—Seminar. Topics in Modern Economic History

9 Graduates, 1 Senior. Total 10

 

Source: Harvard University. Reports of the President, 1937-38, p. 86; 1938-39, p. 99; 1940-41, p. 59.

_____________________________________________

 

[Seminar.
Topics in Modern Economic History.
A. P. Usher]

 

Calendar
Economics 136
First Term

1937-38

  1. Oct. 7.     Schools of Economic Historians.
  2. Oct. 18.   Sombart and the Ideal Type Method
  3. Nov. 5.    History as a genetic science.
  4. Nov. 19.  Historical Process: evolution or fluctuation
  5. Dec. 3.    A Pluralistic Concept of Social Evolution
  6. Dec. 17.  The Historical Significance of Locational Theory.
  7. Jan. 7     Autarchy as an objective of economic policy.

Suggested Reading

  1. Gras, N. S. B. The Rise and Development of Economic History, The Economic History Review, I, pp. 12-34.
  2. Parsons, T. Capitalism in Recent German Literature, Journal of Political Economy, vol 36, pp, 641-661; vol. 37, pp. 31-51.
  3. Sée, H. Science et Philosophie de l’histoire, pp. 116-156, 228-233.
    or
    Rickert, H. Die Grenzen der naturwissenschaftlichen Begriffsbildung, 1902, pp. 1-29, 289-304; 1913, 1-29, 256-273; 1921, pp. 1-23, 215-230.
  4. Tarde, G. Social Laws, pp. 1-67.
  5. Tarde, G. Social Laws, pp, 144-213.
    or Ogburn, W. F. Social Change, 1923. pp. 56-145.
  6. Weber, Alfred. Theory of the Location of Industries.
    Hoover, E. M. Jr. Location Theory of the Shoe and Leather Industries.
  7. Heckscher, E.F. Mercantilism, I, pp. 19-44, II, pp. 13-52.

 

Source: Harvard University Archives. Syllabi, course outlines and reading lists in Economics, 1895-2003 (HUC 8522.2.1), Box 2, Folder 1937-1938.

_____________________________________________

[1938-39 Seminar:
Topics in Modern Economic History,
A. P. Usher]

Economics 136
Reading on General Seminar Topics.

I. Schools of Economic Historians.            Oct. 4.

Gras, N. S. B. The Rise and Development of Economic History, The Economic History Review, I, pp. 12-34.
Gide, C. and Rist, C. History of Economic Thought, chapters on the historical school.

II. Sombart and the Ideal Type Method. Oct. 18.

Parsons, T. Capitalism in Recent German Literature, Journal of Political Economy, vol 36, pp. 641-661; vol. 37, pp. 31-51.

III. History as a Genetic Science    Nov. 1.

Sée, H. Science et Philosophie de l’histoire, pp. 116-156, 228-233.
or
Rickert, H. Die Grenzen der naturwissenschaftlichen Begriffsbildung, ed. 1902, pp. 1-29, 289-304; ed. 1913, 1-29, 256-273; ed. 1921, pp. 1-23, 215-230.

IV. Historical Process, evolution or fluctuation? Nov. 15.

Tarde, G. Social Laws, pp. 1-67.
Sorokin, P. Social Dynamics, I, chap. IV; vol II, ch. X.

V. A Pluralistic Concept of Social Evolution.       Nov. 29.

Tarde, G. Social Laws, pp, 144-213.
or Ogburn, W. F. Social Change (1923) pp. 56-145.

VI. Autarchy as an objective of Social Policy.      Dec. 6.

Heckscher, E.F. Mercantilism, I, pp. 19-44, II, pp. 13-52.

VII. The origin and development of liberalism. Dec. 30.

Allen, J.W. A History of Political Thought in the Sixteenth Century, (11928) Part II, ch. III; Part III, ch. VIII.
Hobhouse, L.T. Liberalism. Selections at discretion

*   *   *  *   *

[“2nd Term” in pencil]
Economics 136
1938-39

A final examination will be scheduled, consisting of an essay prepared prior to the examination upon any one of the topics listed below.

No student will be responsible for more material than is presented by the titles suggested under the various topics. Relevant material will be selected from the titles listed.

1. The significance of the scientific method for economic history.

Whitehead, A. N.       The Function of Reason,
___________________          Science and the Modern World.
___________________          The Concept of Nature.
Sée, H.            Science et Philosophie de l’histoire.

2. The problem of novelty in the theory of social evolution.

Bergson, H.    Creative Evolution.
Tarde, G.        La Logique Sociale.
___________         Social Laws.
___________         L’invention considerée comme moteur de l’evolution sociale.
Usher, A. P.    A History of Mechanical Inventions.

3. Pluralism and multilinear concepts of social evolution.

James. W.       Pluralism.
Tarde, G.        Social Laws.
___________         La Logique Sociale.
Ogburn, W. F.            Social Change.

4. The Process of Innovation.

Koffka, K.       The Growth of the Mind.
Gilfillan, S.C.   The Sociology of Invention.
Rossman, J.    The Psychology of the Inventor.
Usher, A.P.     A History of Mechanical Inventions.

5. Logical Problems of the Genetic Sciences.

Baldwin, J.M. Development and Evolution.
Rickert, H.      Die Grenzen der naturwissenschaftlichen Begriffsbildung.

6. The concept of industrial evolution.

Bücher, K. Industrial Evolution

7. The Ideal Type Method and the Theory of Social Evolution

Parsons, T. Capitalism in Recent German Literature, Journal of Political Economy, vol. 36, 641-661; 37, 31-51.
Nussbaum, F.L. A History of the Economic Institutions of Modern Europe.
or
Weber, M. General Economic History.

8. Karl Marx and the Materialistic Interpretation of History.

Bober, M. Karl Marx’s Interpretation of History.
Sée, H. The Economic Interpretation of History.

9. The Concept of Capitalism as a basis for the interpretation of modern economic history.

any one of the following texts:
Hobson, J.A.    The Evolution of Modern Capitalism.
Sée, H.           Modern Capitalism.
Hammond, J. L. and Barbara. The Rise of Modern Industry.
Bober, M. Karl Marx’s Interpretation of History.

 

Source: Harvard University Archives. Syllabi, course outlines and reading lists in Economics, 1895-2003 (HUC 8522.2.1), Box 2, Folder 1938-1939.

_____________________________________________

[1940-41 Seminar:
Topics in Modern Economic History,
A. P. Usher]

Economics 136
1940 – 1941

Calendar

  1. Oct. 3.    The Development of Economic History.
  2. Oct. 17.  Werner Sombart and Max Weber as exponents of the ideal type method
  3. Oct. 31.  History as a genetic science.
  4. Nov. 14. The Nature of Historical Process.
  5. Dec. 5.    A Pluralistic Concept of Social Evolution
  6. Dec. 19.  Mercantilism.

Reading

There will be an examination at Mid-year consisting of a three hour essay prepared on some topic drawn from, or related to, the work of the general meetings of the class. Readings suggested as preparation for class discussion will not in all instances serve as an adequate basis for the examination essay. A supplementary list of books for essay topics is therefore added.

1. The Development of Economic History.

Gide, C. and Rist, C. History of Economic Thought, Book IV, Chap. I.
Ingram, J. K. History of Political Economy. ed. 1898, chapters VI, VII; ed. 1915, chapters VI, VIII.

2. Werner Sombart and Max Weber as exponents of the ideal type method

Parsons, T. Capitalism in Recent German Literature, Journal of Political Economy, vol 36, pp. 641-661; vol. 37, pp. 31-51.
Weber, General Economic History, pp. 338-370. German ed. 1924, pp. 289-315.

3. History as a genetic science.

Sée, H. Science et Philosophie de l’histoire, pp. 116-156, 228-233.
or
Rickert, H. Die Grenzen der naturwissenschaftlichen Begriffsbildung, 1902, pp. 1-29, 289-304; 1913, 1-29, 256-273; 1921, pp. 1-23, 215-230.

4. The Nature of Historical Process.

Tarde, G.        Social Laws, pp. 1-67.

5. A Pluralistic Concept of Social Evolution

Tarde, G. Social Laws, pp, 144-213.
or Ogburn, W. F. Social Change (1923) pp. 56-145.

6. Mercantilism.

Heckscher, E.F. Mercantilism, I, pp. 19-44, II, pp. 13-52.

*   *   *  *   *

[As can be seen from the date here, for the second term of 1940-41, Usher simply used his second term syllabus from 1938-1939 with a couple of penciled additions. These additions are given below in boldface within square brackets]

Economics 136
1938-39

A final examination will be scheduled, consisting of an essay prepared prior to the examination upon any one of the topics listed below.

No student will be responsible for more material than is presented by the titles suggested under the various topics. Relevant material will be selected from the titles listed.

[In many cases, any one of the titles listed will be sufficient.]

1. The significance of the scientific method for economic history.

Whitehead, A. N.       The Function of Reason,
___________________          Science and the Modern World.
___________________          The Concept of Nature.
Sée, H.            Science et Philosophie de l’histoire.

2. The problem of novelty in the theory of social evolution.

Bergson, H.    Creative Evolution.
Tarde, G.        La Logique Sociale.
___________         Social Laws.
___________         L’invention considerée comme moteur de l’evolution sociale.
Usher, A. P.    A History of Mechanical Inventions.

3. Pluralism and multilinear concepts of social evolution.

James. W.       Pluralism.
Tarde, G.        Social Laws.
___________         La Logique Sociale.
Ogburn, W. F.            Social Change.

4. The Process of Innovation.

Koffka, K.       The Growth of the Mind.
Gilfillan, S.C.   The Sociology of Invention.
Rossman, J.    The Psychology of the Inventor.
Usher, A.P.     A History of Mechanical Inventions.

5.  Logical Problems of the Genetic Sciences.

(Baldwin, J.M. Development and Evolution.
Rickert, H.      Die Grenzen der naturwissenschaftlichen Begriffsbildung.
[Haldane, R. B. The Reign of Relativity.]

6. The concept of industrial evolution.

Bücher, K. Industrial Evolution

7. The Ideal Type Method and the Theory of Social Evolution

Parsons, T. Capitalism in Recent German Literature, Journal of Political Economy, vol. 36, 641-661; 37, 31-51.
Nussbaum, F.L. A History of the Economic Institutions of Modern Europe.
or
Weber, M. General Economic History.

8. Karl Marx and the Materialistic Interpretation of History.

Bober, M. Karl Marx’s Interpretation of History.
Sée, H. The Economic Interpretation of History.

9. The Concept of Capitalism as a basis for the interpretation of modern economic history.

any one of the following texts:
Hobson, J.A.    The Evolution of Modern Capitalism.
Sée, H.               Modern Capitalism.
Hammond, J. L. and Barbara. The Rise of Modern Industry.
Bober, M.         Karl Marx’s Interpretation of History.

[10. Religion and the Rise of Capitalism

Tawney, R. H. Religion and the Rise of Capitalism.
Robertson, H. M. The Rise of Economic Individualism.]

 

Source: Harvard University Archives. Syllabi, course outlines and reading lists in Economics, 1895-2003 (HUC 8522.2.1), Box 2, Folder 1940-41.

Image Source:  Harvard Class Album 1939.

Categories
Economists Harvard

Harvard. Economics General Examination. Lauchlin Currie and Harry D. White, 1927

Few characters in the history of economics are quite as titillating as those who serious historians have concluded indeed passed confidential materials to the Soviet Union, namely, Lauchlin Currie and Harry Dexter White. Before they grew up to be card-carrying members of the economics profession, they too were once graduate students. Here from the Harvard General Examination for the Degree of Ph.D. we have their respective examination committees, academic histories, subject fields, and thesis subjects/advisers.  

Lauchlin Currie received his Harvard Ph.D. in 1931 with the dissertation “Bank Assets and Banking Theory.”

Harry Dexter White was awarded his Harvard Ph.D. in 1930 with the dissertation “The International Balance of Payments for France, 1880-1913.”

________________________________

 

From:
Division of History, Government and Economics, Examinations for the Degree of Ph.D., 1926-27, pp. 10-11.

 

21. Lauchlin Bernard Currie.

General Examination in Economics, Monday, April 11, 1927.

Committee: Professors Young (chairman), Burbank, A. H. Cole, Usher, and Wright.

Academic History: St. Francis Xavier College, 1921-22; London School of Economics, 1922-25; Harvard Graduate School, 1925-. B.Sc., London, 1925

General Subjects.

1. Economic Theory.
2. Economic History since 1750.
3. Public Finance.
4. International Trade and Tariff Policy.
5. History of Political Theory.
6. Money, Banking, and Crises.

Special Subject: Money, Banking, and Crises.

Thesis Subject: Monetary History of Canada, 1914-26. (With Professor Young.)

[…]

23. Harry Dexter White.

General Examination in Economics, Thursday, April 14, 1927.

Committee: Professors Taussig (chairman), Dewing, Elliott, Monroe, and Usher.

Academic History: Columbia University, 1921-23; Stanford University, 1924-25; Harvard Graduate School, 1925-.   A.B., Stanford; A.M., ibid., 1925. Instructor in Economics, Harvard, 1926- .

General Subjects.

1. Economic Theory and its History.
2. Money, Banking, and Crises.
3. Economic History since 1750.
4. Economics of Corporations.
5. History of Political Theory.
6. International Trade.

Special Subject: International Trade.

Thesis Subject: Foreign Trade of France. (With Professor Taussig.)

 

 

Source: Harvard University Archives. HUC7000.70. Harvard University, Examinations for the Ph.D. Folder “1926-27”.

Image Source: Laughlin Currie and Harry D. White from Harvard Class Album 1934.

Categories
Economists Harvard Transcript

Harvard. Graduate Course Record. Thomas Schelling, 1946-49

Included in the materials from the 1949-50 hiring search for someone to teach in Columbia College was a mimeographed fact-sheet/transcript for 28 year old Thomas Schelling together with a departmental statement provided by the Chairman of the Harvard Department of Economics, Harold Burbank. I think we can be pretty sure that both items were attached to a letter Burbank sent to Angell dated December 14, 1949 in which Tobin and Schelling were discussed with supporting data (cf. Appendix C in the Hiring Committee’s Report of January 9, 1950 that clearly provides information on Tobin from the same letter).

Interesting to note perhaps is (i) the future Nobel laureate did not get short-listed by the search committee and (ii) “his interest is mainly in the national income, fiscal policy approach” might have been a contemporary euphemism or dog-whistle for “Keynesian economist”.

In any event, I am delighted whenever I find the complete graduate course records of Ph.D.’s. I have filled in the names of the instructors for the respective courses based on the Harvard President’s Reports.

____________________

Thomas Crombie Schelling

Address: Program Division, ECA-OSR [Economic Cooperation Administration, Office of the Special Representative (Administration of the Marshall Plan)], 2 Rue Saint Florentin, Paris, France

Born: April 14, 1921, U.S.

Married: Yes

Degrees:

A.B., 1944, University of California (Highest honors)

A.M., 1948, Harvard University

Experience:

1941-43         American Embassy, Santiago, Chile

1945-46         U. S. Bureau of Budget, Fiscal Division

1946-48         Teaching Fellow, Harvard

1948               Elected to Society of Fellows, resigned September, 1949

1948-              ECA, Copenhagen Paris

 

Courses:

Summer 1946

Ec. 201 (Reading)                 Satis.

Fall 1946-47

Ec. 103a (Adv. theory [Schumpeter])         A+

Ec. 104b (Math. Ec. [Leontief])                    A+

Ec. 148a (Int. Tr. Sem. [sic, 148a was Fiscal Policy Seminar with Williams and Hansen])        A-

Spring 1946-47

Ec. 103b (Adv. Theory [Schumpeter]))      A+

Ec. 121b (Statistics [Frickey]))                     A-

Ec 148b (Int. Tr. Sem. [sic, 148a was Fiscal Policy Seminar with Williams and Hansen]))       A-

Summer 1947

Ec. 201 (Reading)     Satis.

Fall 1947-48

Ec. 102a (Adv. Theory [Leontief])   A+

Ec. 133a (History [Usher])               A-

Ec. 161a (Ind. Org. [Alexander and Crum])           A+

Spring 1947-48

Ec. 102b (Adv. Theory [Leontief])   Exc.

Ec. 133b (Ec. History[Usher])          A

Ec. 162b (Ind. Org. [Mason])           Exc.

Fields of study: Economic Theory, Industrial Organization, Money and Banking, Statistics, write-off, Economic History; special field, Business Cycles

Generals: Passed April 7, 1948 with a grade of Excellent Minus

____________________

[Supporting Statement
by Chairman of the Harvard Economics Department,
14 Dec. 1949(?)]

Schelling came to us immediately after the war with a quite extraordinary record in his undergraduate work at Berkeley and an outstanding war accomplishment in the Bureau of the Budget. His intellectual work with us was of the highest order, so high indeed that he was recommended for the Society of Fellows and accepted by them. However, Schelling saw fit to accept a position with the E.C.A. and at the end of the first year elected to stay with that organization even at the expense of resigning his fellowship. I have not heard from him directly but I understand that he intends to take his degree this spring and will be available.

The members of the staff most familiar with Schelling’s work—Hansen, Harris, and Smithies—regard him as one of the very top students we have had at least in the last ten years. I believe those mentioned will recommend him without qualification. It is true that his interest is mainly in the national income, fiscal policy approach, which I believe is one of the areas in which you are least interested, but he certainly is capable of working in theory and perhaps in other areas as well.

Very sincerely,

[signed]

H. H. Burbank

 

Professor James W. Angell
Columbia University
New York 27, New York

____________________

Source: Department of Economics Collection, Columbia University Archive. Box 6, Folder: “Columbia College”.

Image Source: Harvard Kennedy School Magazine, Summer 2012.

Categories
Economists Harvard Transcript

Harvard. Wolfgang Stolper’s Coursework. 1934-37

The picture shows the economics department of Swarthmore ca. 1942:
Standing: John W. Seybold (1916-2004), Frank Pierson (1911-1996)
Seated: Wolfgang F. Stolper (1912-2002), Clair Wilcox (1898-1970), Herbert F. Fraser (1890-1953).

One can read about them and others in One Hundred Years of Economics at Swarthmore by Joshua Hausman (Swarthmore, Class of 2005)

Below is the course record of the first author of the classic paper “Protection and Real Wages,” Review of Economic Studies, 1941. The second author was the economist seen in center of this blog’s rear-view mirror.

____________________________________

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

24 UNIVERSITY HALL, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

May 23, 1938

 

Transcript of the record of Mr. Friedrich Wolfgang Stolper

 

Course

1934-35

GRADE

Economics 11
[Economic theory]

(1 course)
[Taussig, Schumpeter]

Excused

Economics 51
[Business cycles and economic forecasting]

(1 course)
[Schumpeter]

A

Economics 1a1
[Introduction to economic statistics]

(½ course)
Frickey

A

Economics 10a1
[History of commerce, 1450-1750]

(½ course)
[Usher]

A

Economics 10b2
[History of industry and agriculture, 1450-1750]

(½ course)
[Usher]

A minus

Economics 31b2
[Theory of economic statistics]

(½ course)
[Crum]

Excused

1935-36

Mathematics A

(1 course)

C plus

Economics 121
[Monopolistic competition and allied problems in value theory]

(½ course)
[Chamberlin]

A minus

Economics 20
[Economic research]
(1 course)
Mason

A

1936-37

Economics 20
[Economic research]

(1½ courses)
Schumpeter

A

Economics 147a hf
[Seminar: Selected problems in money and banking]

(½ course)
[Harris]

A

Mr. Stolper received the degree of Master of Arts in June, 1935.

 

The established grades are A, B, C, D, and E.

A grade of A, B, Credit, Satisfactory, or Excused indicates that the course was passed with distinction. Only courses passed with distinction may be counted toward a higher degree.

*Courses marked with an asterisk are elementary and therefore may not be counted toward a higher degree.

[signed] Lawrence S. Mayo
Assistant Dean

 

Source: Wolfgang F. Stolper papers. Duke University, Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Box 23 c. 1.

Image Source: p. 15 of The Halcyon 1943 (Swarthmore Yearbook).