9. Latin America (March 4, 2008)
Politics, geography, international policies, relations, global, cultures, nations, states, countries, populations, definitions, teaching, sovereignty, history, background, boundaries, conflicts, foreign relations, spatial principles, aggregations, organiz
8. Sub-Saharan Africa (February 26, 2008)
Politics, geography, international policies, relations, global, cultures, nations, states, countries, populations, definitions, teaching, sovereignty, history, background, boundaries, conflicts, foreign relations, spatial principles, aggregations, organiz
7. Southwest Asia and North Africa (February 19, 2008)
Politics, geography, international policies, relations, global, cultures, nations, states, countries, populations, definitions, teaching, sovereignty, history, background, boundaries, conflicts, foreign relations, spatial principles, aggregations, organiz
6. Russia and Central Asia (February 12, 2008)
Politics, geography, international policies, relations, global, cultures, nations, states, countries, populations, definitions, teaching, sovereignty, history, background, boundaries, conflicts, foreign relations, spatial principles, aggregations, organiz
5. Europe (February 5, 2008)
Politics, geography, international policies, relations, global, cultures, nations, states, countries, populations, definitions, teaching, sovereignty, history, background, boundaries, conflicts, foreign relations, spatial principles, aggregations, organiz
4. Southeast Asia (January 29, 2008)
Politics, geography, international policies, relations, global, cultures, nations, states, countries, populations, definitions, teaching, sovereignty, history, background, boundaries, conflicts, foreign relations, spatial principles, aggregations, organiz
3. South Asia (January 22, 2008)
Politics, geography, international policies, relations, global, cultures, nations, states, countries, populations, definitions, teaching, sovereignty, history, background, boundaries, conflicts, foreign relations, spatial principles, aggregations, organiz
2. East Asia (January 15, 2008)
Politics, geography, international policies, relations, global, cultures, nations, states, countries, populations, definitions, teaching, sovereignty, history, background, boundaries, conflicts, foreign relations, spatial principles, aggregations, organiz
1. Course Introduction (January 8, 2008)
Politics, geography, international policies, relations, global, cultures, nations, states, countries, populations, definitions, teaching, sovereignty, history, background, boundaries, conflicts, foreign relations, spatial principles, aggregations, organiz
17. How Revolutionary Was the War for Independence (November 10, 2008)
history, humanities, social science, political studies, international relations, anthropology, cultural studies, religion, philosophy, ethics, theory, Thomas Jefferson, military, Massachusetts, John Adams, bicentennial, loyalty, army, imperial power, patr
14. The View From London: Or, The Dilemma of Empire (October 29, 2008)
history, humanities, social science, political studies, international relations, anthropology, cultural studies, religion, philosophy, ethics, theory, stamp act, Benjamin Franklin, natural philosopher, polity Great Britain, parliament, sovereignty, libert
4. Washington's Frontier and Hamilton's Marketplace: Visions of Post-Revolutionary Greatness (May 22
History, American history, government, American Revolution, Revolutionary War, founders, George Washington, colonial America, political culture, Alexander Hamilton, Native Americans, northern frontier, Congress, political economy, Henry Knox, westward exp
Quantum Microeconomics
The "quantum" of economics is the optimizing individual. All of economics ultimately boils down to the behavior of such individuals. Microeconomics studies their basic actions and interactions: individual markets, supply and demand, the impact of taxes, monopoly, etc. Macroeconomics then lumps together these individual markets to study national and international issues. In structure this book—which covers only microeconomics—is not unlike a hiking trip. We start out by putting our boots on a
02 - Southern Society: Slavery, King Cotton, and Antebellum America's "Peculiar" Region
Professor Blight offers a number of approaches to the question of southern distinctiveness. The lecture offers a survey of that manner in which commentators--American, foreign, northern, and southern--have sought to make sense of the nature of southern society and southern history. The lecture analyzes the society and culture of the Old South, with special emphasis on the aspects of southern life that made the region distinct from the antebellum North. The most lasting and influential sources of
25 - Learning from and Responding to Financial Crisis, Part I (Guest Lecture by Lawrence Summers)
Professor Summers, former U. S. Treasury Secretary and former President of Harvard University, in this the first of two lectures in honor of former Yale Professor and Council of Economic Advisors chairman Arthur Okun, offers thoughts on the role of monetary policy in economic fluctuations, past and present. In the "Okun period," ending about when Okun died in 1980, the monetary authorities were very much involved in actually creating economic contractions. Inflation would repeatedly get out of c
24 - Making It Work for Real People: The Democratization of Finance
Professor Shiller, in his final lecture, reviews some of the most important tools for individual risk management. Significant inequality in domestic and international communities has created a need for social insurance programs, such as those created in Germany in the late 1800s. The tax system, bankruptcy laws, and government insurance programs are used to manage risk of personal wealth. However, each of these inventions must take account of psychological factors, such as moral hazard, in order
15 - Guest Lecture by Carl Icahn
Mr. Carl Icahn, a prominent activist investor in corporate America, talks about his career and how he became interested in finance and involved in shareholder activism. He discusses his thoughts about today's economy and American businesses and their inherent threats and opportunities. He believes that the biggest challenge facing corporate America is weak management and that today's CEOs, with exceptions, might not be the most capable of leading global companies. He sees opportunities for curre
12 - Real Estate Finance and Its Vulnerability to Crisis
Real Estate is the biggest asset class and of great importance for both individuals and institutional investors. An array of economic and psychological factors impact real estate investment decisions and the public has changing ideas of real estate as a profitable investment. People's demand to buy a home by taking on long-term debt, called a mortgage, is often tied with the overall health of the economy and financial markets. In recessions, home buying tends to fall and the opposite holds in a
24 - The Collapse of Communism and Global Challenges
The disintegration of the Soviet Union resulted from a number of different factors. Three important ones are nationalism among Soviet satellite states, democratic opposition movements, and economic crisis. Along with these elements, the role of Mikhail Gorbachev should not be discounted. Although his attempt to reform communism was rejected, his reformist positions as Soviet premier helped open the way for full-fledged political dissidence. One of the major challenges faced by Europe in the wake
22 - Fascists
While Nazi Germany's crimes were unprecedented, Adolf Hitler himself was in many respects a typical figure. An idle youth, of seemingly mediocre talents, his political career and passionate hatreds were formed by the experience of World War I. The rise of fascism in Germany, as elsewhere, must be understood in the context of a postwar climate of resentment and instability. Germany's economic crisis, in particular, led the middle classes to support National Socialism well before any other group.
