The first article in the inaugural issue of The Journal of Political Economy, “Courses of Study in Political Economy in the United States in 1876 and in 1892-93,” was written by the founding head of the University of Chicago’s department of political economy, J. Laurence Laughlin. This post provides Laughlin’s appendix that provided information about economics courses taught in 65 colleges/universities in the United States during the last quarter of the 19th century. The bottom line of the table is that “aggregate hours of instruction in 1892-3 [were] more than six times the hours of instruction given in 1876”.
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“How little Political Economy and Finance were taught only fifteen years ago, as compared with the teaching of to-day, must be surprising even to those who have lived and taught in the subject during that period…. At the close of the war courses of economic study had practically no existence in the university curriculum; in short, the studious pursuit of economics in our universities is scarcely twenty years old. These considerations alone might be reasons why economic teaching has not yet been able to color the thinking of our more than sixty millions of people. But about the close of the first century of our national existence it may be said that the study of Political Economy entered upon a new and striking development. This is certainly the marked characteristic of the study of Political Economy in the last fifteen years. How great this has been may be seen from the tables giving the courses of study, respectively, in about 60 institutions in the year 1876 and in 1892-3. (See Appendix I.) The aggregate hours of instruction in 1892-3 are more than six times the hours of instruction given in 1876.” [Laughlin, p. 4]
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Courses of Study in Political Economy in the United States in 1876 and in 1892-93.
Note: Returns could not be obtained from Johns Hopkins University, Amherst College, and some other institutions.
|
Institution. |
Description of Courses. |
1876. |
1892-3. |
||
|
No. hours per week. |
No. weeks in year. | No. hours per week. |
No. weeks in year. |
||
| University of Alabama. |
Text Book and Lectures, Senior Year Finance and Taxation |
— — |
—
— |
4
2 |
36 36 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 216 | |||
| Boston University. | Principles of Political Economy | — | — | 3 | 20 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 60 | |||
| Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine. |
Elementary (Required) Advanced (Elective) |
5 — |
14
— |
4
4 |
12 10 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 70 | 88 | |||
| Brown University, Providence, R. I. |
Elementary History of Econ. Thought Advanced Course [2nd] Advanced Course Seminary of History, Pol. Sci., and Pol. Econ. |
2½ — — — — |
16-17
— — — — |
3
3 3 3 2 |
33-34 11-12 11 11 23 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 40-42½ | 242-250 | |||
| University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill. | 1. Introductory Political Economy
2. Descriptive Political Economy 3. Advanced Political Economy 4. Industrial and Economic History 5. Scope and Method 6. History of Political Economy 7. Unsettled Problems 8. Socialism 9. Social Economics 10. Practical Economics 11. Statistics 12. Railway Transportation 13. Tariff History of U.S. 14. Financial History of U.S. 15. Taxation 16. Public Debts 17. Seminary |
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — |
—
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — |
5
4 5 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 |
12 12 12 24 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 36 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 996 | |||
| Colby University, Waterville, Maine. |
Elementary [1st] Elementary [2nd] Theoretical Historical |
5 — — — |
7
— — — |
2
2 4 4 |
13 10 13 10 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 35 | 138 | |||
| Columbia College (School of Political Science, New York City. | 1. Principles of Political Economy (Element.)
2. Historical Practical Political Economy (Advanced) 3. History of Economic Theory (Advanced) 4. Public Finance (Adv.) 5. Railroad Problems (Adv.) 6. Finan. History of U.S. (Adv.) 7. Tariff History of U.S. (Adv.) 8. Science of Statistics (Adv.) 9. Communism and Socialism (Adv.) 10. Taxation and Distribution (Adv.) 11. Seminarium in Political Economy (Element.) 12. Seminarium in Public Finance and Economy (Adv.) 13. Law of Taxation (Adv.) 3 and 5, 6 and 7, 8 and 9 |
2
— —
— — — — — — — —
— — |
17
— —
— — — — — — — —
— — |
2
3 2
2 2 2 2 2 2 2
2 2 |
17
34 34
34 25 34 17 34 34 17 34
34 17 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 34 | 764 | |||
| Columbian University, Washington, D.C. | Elements of Political Economy | — | — | 5 | 8 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 40 | |||
| Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. | 1. Elementary Political Economy
2. Advanced Political Economy 3. Finance 4. Financial History 5. Railroad Problems 6. Currency and Banking 7. Economic History 8. Statistics |
2 — — — — — — — |
11
— — — — — — — |
3
2 2 2 2 2 2 1 |
34 34 34 13 11 10 34 34 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 22 | 408 | |||
| Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H. | 1. Elementary
2. Advanced 3. Advanced Finance and Tariff |
6 — — |
6
— — |
6
6 6 |
6 2/3 4 1/6 3 1/3 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 36 | 85 | |||
| University of Denver, Col. | 1. Ely’s Introduction
2. Ingram’s History 3. Gilman’s Profit-Sharing 4. Ely, Labor Movement in America 5. Kirkup’s and Rae’s Socialism 6. Finance and Taxation 7. International Commerce |
— — — — — — — |
—
— — — — — — |
2
1 1 2 2 4 2 |
15 5 5 5 5 5 5 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 90 | |||
| DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind. |
Economics (Elementary) Seminarium (Advanced) |
4 — |
12 — |
4 2 |
18 36 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 48 | 144 | |||
| Drury College, Springfield, Mo. | Elementary Course | 5 | 6 | 5 | 12 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 30 | 60 | |||
| Emory College, Oxford, Ga. | Jevons’ Text, and Lectures. | — | — | 5 | 12 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 60 | |||
| Franklin and Marshall College. | Political Economy, (Walker’s) | 2 | 15 | 2 | 20 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 30 | 40 | |||
| Georgetown College, Ky. | 1. General Economics
2. Special Topics |
5 — |
15
— |
3
3 |
20
20 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 75 | 120 | |||
| Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. | 1. Introductory
2. Theory (Advanced) 3. Economic History from 1763 4. Railway Transportation 5. Tariff History of U.S. 6. Taxation and Public Debts 7. Financial Hist. of U.S. 8. Condition of Workingmen 9. Economic Hist. to 1763 10. History of Theory to Adam Smith Seminary |
3 3 — — — — — — — — — |
30
30 — — — — — — — — — |
3
3 3 3 2 3 2 3 3 2 2 |
30 30 30 15 15 30 15 30 30 15 30 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 180 | 735 | |||
| Haverford College, Pa. | Economic Theory | — | — | 2 | 40 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 80 | |||
| Howard University, Washington, D. C. | Elementary | 5 | 10 | 5 | 10 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 50 | 50 | |||
| Illinois College and Whipple Academy, Jacksonville, Ill. | Newcomb’s Polit. Economy, Seniors | — | — | 5 | 15 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 75 | |||
| University of Illinois, Champaign, Ill. | Senior Class | 5 | 11 | 5 | 11 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 55 | 55 | |||
| Iowa College, Grinnell, Iowa. |
Political Economy Taxation Railroad Problems Socialism |
5 — — — |
10
— — — |
3
3 3 3 |
37 14 12 11 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 50 | 222 | |||
| State University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa. |
Elements of Economics Currency and Banking Industrial Revolutions of 18th Century Recent Econ. History and Theory Railroads, Pub. Regulation of Seminary in Polit. Econ. |
5 — —
— — — |
14
— —
— — — |
5
5 2
2 2 1 |
14
11 14
11 10 35 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 70 | 230 | |||
| Kansas State Agricultural College, Manhattan, Kan. | Elementary, 4th year | 5 | 8 | 5 | 11 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 40 | 55 | |||
| Kansas State University, Lawrence, Kansas. | 1. Elements of Political Economy
2. Applied Economics 3. Statistics 4. Land Tenures 5. Finance |
5 — — — — |
19
— — — — |
5
3 2 2 2 |
19
19 19 19 19 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 95 | 266 | |||
| Lake Forest University, Lake Forest, Ill. | 1. Elementary
2. Advanced |
3 — |
11
— |
3
3 |
16
13 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 33 | 87 | |||
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, Mass. | 1. Political Economy, Elem., Junior Year
2. Financial Hist. of U.S., Jun. and Sen. Year 3. Taxation, Junior and Senior Year 4. History of Commerce 5. History of Industry, Junior and Senior Year. 6. Socialism, etc. (Option), Jun. and Sen. Year 7. History of Economic Theory (Opt.), Senior 8. Statistics and Graphic Methods, Junior 9. Statistics and Sociology (Option) Senior |
2 —
— — —
— —
— — |
15
—
— — —
— —
— — |
3
3
3 3 —
3 2
2 3 |
15
15
15 15 —
15 15
15 15 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 30 | 375 | |||
| Michigan Agricultural College. | Primary Course | — | — | 5 | 12 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 60 | |||
| University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. | 1. Elements of Political Economy
2. Elements of Political Economy 3. Hist. Devel. of Industr. Society 4. Finance 5. Problems in Pol. Econ 6. Transportation Problem 7. Land Tenure and Agrarian Movements 8. Socialism and Communism 9. Currency and Banking 10. Tariff History of U.S. 11. Indust. and Comm. Develop. of U.S. 12. History of Pol. Econ. 13. Statistics 15. Economic Thought 16. Labor and Monopoly Problems 17. Seminary in Finance 18. Seminary in Economics 20. Social Philosophy with Economic Relations 21. Current Econ. Legislation and Literature |
2½ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
— |
18
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
— |
3
4 3 4 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 1
2 |
18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18
18 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 45 | 756 | |||
| Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont. | 1. Elementary (Junior Class)
2. Advanced (Senior Class) 3. Finance (Senior Class) 4. Seminary |
4 4 — — |
10
10 — — |
3
2 2 1 |
35
21 14 21 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 80 | 196 | |||
| University of Minnesota. | 1. Elementary
2. Advanced 3. Am. Pub. Economy 4. Undergraduate Seminary 5. Graduate Seminary |
5 — — — — |
13
— — — — |
4
4 4 2 1 |
13
13 10 23 36 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 65 | 226 | |||
| University of Mississippi, University, Miss. | Advanced | — | — | 5 | 30 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 150 | |||
| Mt. Holyoke College, South Hadley, Mass. |
Polit. Econ. (General) Polit. Econ. Seminary |
— — |
—
— |
4
2 |
12
12 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 72 | |||
| College of New Jersey at Princeton. |
Pol. Econ. (Elem., Elective) Pol. Econ. (Elem., Required) Finance (Elective) Historics—Econ. Semin. |
2 — — — |
13
— — — |
—
2 2 2 |
—
16 16 15 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 26 | 94 | |||
| College of the City of New York. | — | — | — | 16 | |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 48* | |||
| New Hampshire College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, Hanover, N. H. | Elementary—Perry or Walker | 4 | 10-12 | 5 | 10 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 48 | 50 | |||
| Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio. | 1. Elementary Polit. Econ.
2. Advanced Polit. Econ. 3. Finance 4. History Econ. Thought 5. Economic and Social Problems 6. “Money,” etc. |
5 — — — — — |
12
— — — — — |
5
5 3 3 3 2 |
11
12 25 13 12 36 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 60 | 337 | |||
| Ohio State University. |
Elementary Advanced Finance Seminary (Indust. History) |
— — — — |
—
— — — |
2
2 2 2 |
38
26 12 38 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 228 | |||
| Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio. | 4 | 12 | 4 | 12 | |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 48 | 48 | |||
| Penn. Military Academy, Chester, Penn. | Elementary | — | — | 5 | 13 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 65 | |||
| University of Pennsylvania, Wharton, School of Finance and Economy, Philadelphia, Penn. | 1. Grad. Course in Finance
2. Grad. Course in Theoretical Polit. Econ. 3. Grad. Course in Statistics 4. Elem. Course in Finance 5. Elem. Course in Theoret. Polit. Econ. 6. Elem. Course in Statistics 7. Elem. Course in Practical Polit. Econ. 8. Course in Money 9. Course in Banking 10. Advanced Course in Political Economy 11. Economic History of Europe 12. Grad. Course in Practical Polit. Econ. 13. Econ. and Fin. History of U.S. 14. Grad. Econ. History of the U.S. 15. Grad. English Econ. History from 13th to 17th century 16. Modern Econ. History. |
— — — — — — — — — — — — — —
— — |
—
— — — — — — — — — — — — —
— — |
1
2 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 2 3 2 2 4
3 3 |
30
30 30 30 30 15 15 15 30 30 30 30 30 30
30 30 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 1020 | |||
| Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind. | Elementary Course | — | — | 3 | 19 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 57 | |||
| Randolph Macon College, Ashland, Va. | Elementary | 2 | 32 | 2 | 32 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 64 | 64 | |||
| University of Rochester, Rochester, N.Y. |
Elementary Econ. Polit. History U.S. |
5 — |
14
— |
5
1 |
14
20 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 70 | 90 | |||
| Rutger’s College. | Polit. Econ. (Elementary) | 3 | 12 | 4 | 22 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 36 | 88 | |||
| Smith College, Northampton, Mass. |
Elementary Course Adv. Course in Theory Seminarium Practical Studies |
3 — — — |
12
— — — |
3
3 2 2 |
14
14 10 12 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 36 | 128 | |||
| South Carolina College, Columbia, S.C. |
Polit. Econ. Senior Class Applied Polit. Econ. |
— — |
—
— |
2
2 |
40
20 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 120 | |||
| Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Penn. |
Polit. Econ. (Walker) Finance Protection and Free Trade Money and Banking History of Econ. Theories |
— — — — — |
—
— — — — |
4
4 4 4 4 |
20
10 10 10 10 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 240 | |||
| Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y. |
Elementary Finance Industrial Development since 1850 Seminary |
— — — — |
—
— — — |
3
2 2 2 |
14
10 12 38 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 162 | |||
| University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn. |
Elementary Advanced (Post-Graduate) |
— — |
—
— |
3
2 |
20
Varies |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 100? | |||
| University of Texas, Austin, Texas. | General | — | — | 3 | 36 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 108 | |||
| Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut. |
Elementary Advanced Finance |
4 — — |
13
— — |
3
4 2 |
17
17 17 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 52 | 153 | |||
| Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. |
Political Economy, Elementary Political Economy, Advanced |
3 — |
36
— |
3
3 |
36
36 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 108 | 216 | |||
| Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York. |
Principles of Economics Economic History Railroads, Trusts, and Relation of State to Monopolies Labor Problem and Socialism Seminary |
— — —
— — |
—
— —
— — |
3
3 2
2 2 |
18
18 18
18 18 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 216 | |||
| University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont. |
Elementary Advanced |
— — |
—
— |
3
2 |
20
20 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 100 | |||
| University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va. |
Theory of Economics Science of Society |
3 — |
26
— |
3
2½ |
16
16 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 78 | 88 | |||
| Washington and Jefferson College, Washington, Pa. | Political Economy | 3 | 11 | 3 | 16 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 33 | 48 | |||
| Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Va. |
Elementary Advanced |
— — |
—
— |
3
3 |
14
26 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 120 | |||
| Washington University, St. Louis. | Prescribed Course | 3 | 20 | 3 | 20 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 60 | 60 | |||
| Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass. |
Industrial History Economic Theory Statistics (Seminary) Socialism (Seminary) |
— — — — |
—
— — — |
3
3 3 3 |
18
18 18 18 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 216 | |||
| Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut. |
General Introductory (Sen.) General Introductory (Jun.) Economic Problems |
1½
— — |
36
— — |
2
3 2 |
36
18 36 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 54 | 198 | |||
| West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia. |
Elementary Pol. Economy Advanced Pol. Economy |
— — |
—
— |
2
2 |
14
36 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 100 | |||
| Williams College, Williamstown, Mass. | Political Economy | 6 | 14 | 3 | 15 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 84 | 45 | |||
| University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. |
Econ. Seminary Distribution of Wealth History of Pol. Econ. Money Public Finance Statistics Recent Econ. Theories Synoptical Lectures Outlines of Economics |
— — — — — — — — — |
—
— — — — — — — — |
2
5 5 5 3 3 3 1 4 |
37
14½ 12 10½ 37 12 14½ 15 37 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | — | 612½ | |||
| Yale University, New Haven, Conn. |
Pol. Econ.**—Elem. (2) Pol. Econ.—Adv. (3) Economic History (2) Finance, Public (2) Finance, Corporate (2) Mathematical Theory (1) Seminary Instruction (2) |
3 2
— — — — |
36
36 36 — — — — |
4
3 4 2 3 1 1 |
36
36 36 36 36 36 36 |
| [Total hours of instruction per year] | 180 | 648 | |||
* [College of the City of New York] A few hours additional are given in the work of the Department of Philosophy; the whole number amounting to some 52 or 53.
** [Yale University] Figures in brackets represent numbers of courses under each head.
Source: Appendix I to “The Study of Political Economy in the United States” by J. Laurence Laughlin, The Journal of Political Economy, vol. 1, no. 1 (December, 1892), pp. 143-151.
Image Source: J. Laurence Laughlin drawn in the University of Chicago yearbook Cap and Gown (1907), p. 208.