Course Description: This course is adapted from APEC 1600: Natural Resources and American Economic Institutions and will cover key developments in the economic history of the United States and American West. The first portion of the class will cover the economics of the Colonial period, Native People, Slavery, the economy of the post-Civil War South, and the economics of Prohibition. The class will continue with the development of the American West, covering the Homestead Act, the Gold Rush, the Dust Bowl, Water Rights, Dams and Irrigation. The class will conclude with the impact of technological change on economic systems: Barbed Wire, Rural Electrification, Monopoly and Industry, Railroads, and the economics of energy production.

Course Instructor: Ryan Bosworth is an Associate Professor of Applied Economics at Utah State University. A native of Cache Valley, Prof. Bosworth studied economics as an undergraduate at USU. After completing a Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Oregon, Prof. Bosworth was on the faculty at North Carolina State University from 2006 to 2010. Prof. Bosworth has been recognized as an outstanding teacher and scholar. Prof. Bosworth has authored more than 25 articles in peer-reviewed scholarly journals and has been recognized as the Teacher of the Year in the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences.
ryan.bosworth@usu.edu