Think about a course that your are currently most excited about teaching. Why is this an important course? How does it deepen one’s understanding of the world?
This is probably my MSc elective course, Globalization, Divergence and Inequality in Historical Perspective. I have been teaching this course for a few years now, and originally it was a challenge, at least to me, to draw these three dimensions together - also because we take a very long run perspective (basically from the Neolithic Revolution until today!). In this course, we look closely at some very different and quite contrasting explanations for long-term divergence between world areas, as well as about the sources of inequality change in the long run. Some of this speaks directly to current concerns - for example, about the economic rise of China, or about growing inequalities in western countries - but maybe more importantly, students get to understand the implications, for debates about today, of referring to historical events singling out one specific interpretation or narrative between the many that are possible/viable.
What are the five most salient materials from your course, and why is each important?
K. Pomeranz, The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy. Princeton: Princeton University Press 2005. This remains one of the main interpretations of the Great Divergence, and provides students with a lot of content about Asian societies and history.
G. Alfani, M. Di Tullio, The Lion’s Share. Inequality and Rise of the Fiscal State in preindustrial Europe, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2019. We use the comparative chapters of this book as an updated survey of research (& alternative interpretations) on inequality trends in preindustrial times.
B. Milanovic, Worlds Apart: Measuring International and Global Inequality, Princeton: Princeton University Press 2005. This book remains one of the best accounts of tendencies in global and international inequality during the 20th century. It also provides some information about methods to measure inequality, in a very accessible way.
J. Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, Norton 1997. The sections about the (very) early origins of divergence, and about the factors that explain it, remain a masterpiece.
F. Alvaredo, A.B. Atkinson, T. Picketty, and E. Saez, "The Top 1 Percent in International and Historical Perspective", Journal of Economic Perspectives, 27(3), 2013. A very insightful comparative account of tendencies in household inequality in western countries during the 20th and early 21st century.
What is a dream course that you’d be interested in teaching in the future?
Something like “History of Pandemics,” in which we cover all sides: economic, social, demographic, cultural…
What is a book that changed your life as a high schooler?
Tough question. On balance, that was probably Sophocles' Oedipus trilogy.
What is one piece of advice that you’d give to new teachers?
Avoid thinking too much about what students might be interested in. They probably do not know what they should be interested in - so focus on what you think they should know, and make them interested in it!