Catalogo dei Corsi di studio

• Master theses

For students wishing to write a master thesis in economic history (or business history): please read the document available for download in the grey box to the right carefully before contacting me. Official instructions of the Sapienza University are found here (only in Italian).

Business History (in English) 2022:

The course is interested why the business landscape looks the way it does today. This includes the history of entrepreneurs, firms, and corporate systems, covering subjects such as innovation, globalisation, and government regulation, and their influence on businesses and their management. Students will be familiarised with the emergence of factory production; why certain firms grew (in some cases ultra) large and others did not; why models alternative to mass production existed and survived; and why people in the developed part of the world are as rich as they are today.

Lectures take place in the spring semester on Mondays in Aula 9A and Tuesdays in Aula Aquario, 11:00-13:00. Lectures begin on 28 February 2022. Course information are found on the classroom website. Please note that an @uniroma1.it email address is needed in order to access the website. Online links to the lectures are posted here. Practical questions, e.g. concerning access to the university, booking of classroom seats, signing up for the exam on Infostud, etc, as well as any technical problem encountered by students following the course online must be directed to the student administration.

Economic History (in English) 2022:

The course introduces students to economic history, serving as a perfect compliment for those interested in development economics. The course takes students from the pre-industrial era via the first, second, and third industrial revolutions up to the present day. The course considers when, why, and how some countries grew rich while others remained poor; how this divergence happened; and what the barriers to economic development might be. 

Lectures took place in the autumn semester. Lectures are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays 12:15-14:00 in Aula Stegio Steve on the 5th floor starting on 27 September. Course information and teaching materials are posted on the classroom's website. Please note that an @uniroma1.it email address is needed in order to access the website. 

Important note: students who would like to take the exam, but who did not give a student presentation during the lectures, will need to send an essay of 5,000-6,000 words (all inclusive) for approval to jacob.weisdorf@uniroma1.it no later than 10 days ahead of the exam date in question in order to make themselves eligible for the exam. Exam dates will be posted on Infostud in the fullness of time. The essay has to consider a topic of one or more of the papers listed on the final reading list found on the course website. The essay has to explain why the chosen article’s topic is important to study, and how, in great detail, the article’s question is addressed by the article’s author(s). For perspective, the essay also has to find and describe an article not listed on the final reading list that deals with the same topic as the one chosen from the list.  

Reference letters

Please note that I only write reference letters for students who have written their master thesis with me.