Summer 2025 - HIST 135 D100
Capitalism and the Making of the Modern World (3)
Class Number: 2318
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
May 12 – Aug 8, 2025: Tue, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Mark Leier
leier@sfu.ca
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
An introductory survey of the dynamic history of capitalism. Breadth-Humanities/Social Sciences.
COURSE DETAILS:
We live in a world of great wealth—and great inequality. We are in instant contact with people around the globe—and isolated us from each other and from nature. We have technology that appears miraculous—and has led us to the brink of extinction.
In our course we’ll examine the economic system—capitalism—that has brought us here.
There are no prerequisites or special knowledge required for this course. It is strongly recommended you have
- curiosity
- time
If you are curious and have time to read and show up, you’ll see that we use roleplays, film, and discussions to critically examine the economic system we’re living in. We’ll trace its beginnings in violence and oppression, or as one writer put it, “dripping with blood and dirt.” We’ll explore capitalism’s connections to feudalism, slavery, empire, colonialism, government, and the environment, and look at the opposition people have mounted against it. We'll see how capitalism affects our lives today and explore the myths that are used to justify it.
We’ll meet once a week in lectures and tutorials. In the tutorials, you'll comment on what you’ve noticed by developing short responses to the lectures, readings, and discussions. The aim is to help you discover and develop your own ideas in the context of the course. Most of the work for the course will be done in class, and so the tutorial is scheduled for a 2-hour period instead of 1 hour.
If you’re not curious about the subject, this course—any course—may be a slog, and who needs that? If you don’t have time for some reading and coming to class, it will be difficult to do well.
Assessment will be based on informal writing, most of it done in class, and on active attendance.
Grading
NOTES:
Got questions? Email me, Mark Leier, at leier@sfu.ca
Academic Integrity: Capitalism puts great pressure on us to “succeed” and “win” by whatever means necessary. This often does great harm to ourselves and to others. We’ll talk about this.
Anything below this line is a requirement put there by university administrators, not the instructor.
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
All readings will be on Canvas.
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.