COURSE

Great Economists: Classical Economics and Its Forerunners

This free video course covers the history of economic thought up until the "Marginal Revolution" in the 1870s and features a video for each chapter of Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations." The videos answer important questions such as: Who were the first economic thinkers? What are the very origins of economic thought? What did earlier economists understand but has been lost to the modern world? Why is Adam Smith the greatest economist of all time? How did the economic issues of the 18th and 19th centuries shape the thoughts of the classical economists?

This course is non-technical and is accessible to a beginner. If you pass the final exam, you will earn our "Great Economists" certificate on your profile.

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Runs approx 9 video hours

Course Outline

1 Before Adam Smith, Part 1

2 Before Adam Smith, Part 2

3 Adam Smith

4 Wealth of Nations, Book One

5 Wealth of Nations, Book Two

6 Wealth of Nations, Book Three

7 Wealth of Nations, Book Four

8 Wealth of Nations, Book Five

9 After Adam Smith, Part One

10 After Adam Smith, Part Two

11 Practical issues faced by the classical economists

12 Friedrich A. Hayek’s Individualism and Economic Order

13 Exam

Great Economist Exam

Recent Activity

New Course Video

What I Learned from Hayek

Dec 18

New Course Video

Hayek on Interstate Federalism and Free Trade

Dec 17

Tyler Cowen

Tyler Cowen is Holbert L. Harris Professor of Economics at George Mason University and also Director of the Mercatus Center. He received his PhD in economics from Harvard University. He is a New York Times best-selling author, and has been called "one of the most influential economists of the last decade" (The Economist), "America's Hottest Economist" (Bloomberg BusinessWeek), and a "Top 100 Global Thinker" (Foreign Policy). He is the host of the Conversations with Tyler podcast series and, along with Alex Tabarrok, co-writes the Marginal Revolution blog. He is the co-author with Alex of Modern Principles of Economics, an introductory textbook.

Interested in studying with Tyler at George Mason University? Learn more about fellowships for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Alex Tabarrok

Alex Tabarrok is Bartley J. Madden Chair in Economics at the Mercatus Center and a professor of economics at George Mason University. Along with Tyler Cowen, he is the co-author of the popular economics blog Marginal Revolution and co-founder of Marginal Revolution University. He is the author of numerous academic papers in the fields of law and economics, criminology, regulatory policy, voting theory and other areas in political economy. He is co-author with Tyler of Modern Principles of Economics, a widely used introductory textbook. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and many other prestigious publications.

Interested in studying with Alex at George Mason University? Learn more about fellowships for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Guest Speakers

Professor Brandon Dupont of Western Washington University provides a video on Scottish economist John Law.

Abby Hall, a Mercatus PhD Fellow at George Mason University, provides a video on Edward Gibbon Wakefield.

Professor Lynne Kiesling of Northwestern University provides a video on Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments and an Introduction to Ricardo. (See also Adam Smith, Intro to Wealth of Nations and Life of John Stuart Mill for related material videos.)

Can I earn a certificate?

Yes, if you pass the final exam, you will earn the "Great Economists" certificate on your MRUniversity profile.

How can I get updates on this course?

If you subscribe to the course by using the button above, you will receive email updates on the course.

Can I use this content in my class?

Yes, please! The videos are freely available for non-commercial use. Please let us know how it goes.

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