Module 1: Militant Scholarship and the Rise of Capitalism
We will develop a basic account of capitalism, asking how it produces and distributes wealth. Our starting point will be Marx’s characterization of capitalism as a system in which workers are exploited by the owners of the means of production. We will define exploitation, and understand how it functions in a market to reproduce and increase capital.
Required Reading
Marx and Engels, "Manifesto of the Communist Party"
(Just pages 1 - 21)
Recommended Reading
Marx, Capital, Vol. 1, Chapter 10 “The Working Day”; Chapter 15, “Machinery and Large Scale Industry”