Spring 2027

The American Economy to 1865

Survey of forces underlying American economic development and income distribution through 1865, including regional economies, manufacturing, slavery, and government influence.

no offering record for this termCredits unavailable
Recorded instructors · Spring 2027 No instructors listed

Summary

1 / 4

Past student reviews · James Walker

One student reported that grading depended on a couple of big-ticket items late in the term. Random attendance was taken, and hitting the targets ensured success.

What you’ll be able to do

  • Discuss the application of fundamental concepts of economics to real-world issues facing the pre-Civil-War United States.

  • Evaluate quantitative claims with a focus on “orders of magnitude” and other practical skills.

  • Apply a diverse set of strategies in quantitative reasoning.

  • Use formal models to analyze and interpret significant historical events.

Source: UW Guide

Grade history

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average GPA
letter grades

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Prerequisites

Course map

ECON 101 or 111

ECON 465

This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

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Professors

Spring 2027

No instructors recorded for this selection.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

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Calendar & sections

Spring 2027

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SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist

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Meeting source records

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Student experience

the class

Past student reviews · James Walker

A past student described Prof. Walker as nice but lethargic, noting his monotone voice. The course involved a few major assessments late in the semester.

difficulty & workload

Past student reviews · James Walker

One student reported that grading depended on a couple of big-ticket items late in the term. Random attendance was taken, and hitting the targets ensured success.

Past student reviews · James Walker

The reviewer found the instructor insufferable to listen to due to his monotone voice and lethargic demeanor, despite acknowledging he was a nice person.

Topics

  • American economic development and income distribution.
  • Regional economies and origins of manufacturing.
  • Effects of slavery and government/political influence on growth.

Skills

  • Applying fundamental economic concepts to historical issues.
  • Evaluating quantitative claims using orders of magnitude.
  • Using formal models to analyze historical events.

Grades

Instructor

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Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

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Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

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Grade history

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Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-10-14

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Model outputs & technical records
Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B
LLM outputs across runs
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Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

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Model & dataset provenance 
{
  "model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
  "model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
  "task_version": "17",
  "output_id": "339248f86d63f96de71c81b1fb15e11b2e86028354e57b8c78b289e05d95429b",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
  "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}