For an historical essay I am writing on economic history in the economics
department at U. of Chicago, I would like to know more about when economic
history course requirements were first introduced at both the graduate and
undergraduate level in Economics Departments in the United States. I am
also interested in the arguments that would have been put forward at the
time for these requirements. Can anyone provide any guidance on these
issues?
I see this as an issue in the curricular history in the teaching of
economics at the university level in the U.S. So I am hoping that
historians of economics could help with my query. This is why I am posting
it to the HES list. My interest is in the positive questions of when and
why economic history requirements were introduced in university economics
programs in the U.S. not the normative question of whether these
requirements are desirable or should be reinstated.
While I am interested in these issues for the U.S. generally, I am
particularly interested in the case of the University of Chicago Department
of Economics. So any comments on the Chicago case would be particularly
welcome.
Thanks,
David Mitch
University of Maryland Baltimore County