PHL 229 - Political Economies (4)

This course will investigate, broadly speaking, the concept of an economy. The word economy derives from the Ancient Greek oikonomía, meaning “management of a household,” and the earliest works of political economy describe this management as it pertains to the modern state. In addition to reading authors associated with this history (François Quesnay, Adam Smith, Karl Marx), we will explore other economic systems, such as gift economies and cultural economies, along with the forms of valuation and exchange associated with them. Guided by the work of Pierre Bourdieu, we will also discuss the importance of various forms of capital, especially cultural capital, which often go unrecognized. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, one course in philosophy or permission of instructor.