2024 Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Humanities and social science courses
Economics C
- Academic unit or major
- Humanities and social science courses
- Instructor(s)
- Kei Ehara
- Class Format
- Lecture (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 7-8 Tue / 7-8 Fri
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- LAH.S310
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2024
- Offered quarter
- 1Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 14, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This course focuses on the latter part of the basic theory of capitalism based on Marxian economics. We explain the general concept of human labor, following which the labor in the capitalist relation is discussed. Then we consider the concept of production, especially focusing on the structure of social reproduction and the labor market. We also deal with the structure of market organization with the system of exchanges. We will sum up the course by theoretically studying the business cycle.
The aim of the course is to make use of the world most advanced study of Marxian economics in Japan to consider the modern social issues such as labor problems and economic depression as structural problems in the capitalism. In the theory of social production, we shall examine the impacts of technological determinacy and innovations.
Course description and aims
1) Understand the nature of labor in the capitalism
2) Cultivate the method of structural analysis of social production
3) Build and solve price equations of capitalist market
4) Understand the nature of the market with exchanges
Keywords
Capitalism, Labor, Production, Exchanges, Marx
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Lectures are delivered by using lecture slides. Questions and opinions are accepted by email at any time and will be shared in classes. The class material will be provided in Class 7 and students will do group-work based on the class material in Class 10.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Introduction | Overview of the course. Introduction of textbook |
| Class 2 | Labor | pp. 101-109 of textbook |
| Class 3 | Factory System | pp. 110-133 of textbook |
| Class 4 | Putting-out System | pp. 133-139 of textbook |
| Class 5 | The Process of Production | pp. 141-151 of textbook |
| Class 6 | The Means of Subsistence and Total Labor | pp. 152-164 of textbook |
| Class 7 | The Cost-price and Profit | pp. 183-192 of textbook |
| Class 8 | The Price of Production | pp. 192-197 of textbook |
| Class 9 | Fundamental Marxian Theorem | Refer to the class material |
| Class 10 | Hawkins–Simon condition and Perron–Frobenius theorem, Quiz | Refer to the class material |
| Class 11 | The Plural Conditions of Production | pp. 197-211 of textbook |
| Class 12 | The Market Organization (1): Futures | pp. 302-303 of textbook |
| Class 13 | The Market Organization (2): Securities markets | pp. 244-251 of textbook |
| Class 14 | Conclusion, Exam | Reconstructing Marxian economics, exam |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to course material.
Textbook(s)
Michiaki Obata, The Principles of Political Economy, University of Tokyo Press, 2009 (Japanese)
Reference books, course materials, etc.
TBA
Evaluation methods and criteria
Comments and Quizes (30%), Exam (70%)
Related courses
- LAH.S109 ： Economics A
- LAH.S209 ： Economics B
- LAH.S407 ： Essence of Humanities and Social Sciences7:Economics
Prerequisites
High-level Japanese literacy
Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).
ehara.k.ac [at] m.titech.ac.jp