General Information
Instructor Bio
Dimitry Anastakis is the L.R. Wilson/R.J. Currie Chair in Canadian Business History, cross-appointed between RSM and the Department of History. He is the author of numerous books and articles on Canadian business history, particularly the auto sector, and is a regular contributor in the media on issues stemming from Canadian business and history.
Format
12 weekly sessions
Depending on availability, visitors to RSM2030 will include leading practitioners and senior business leaders as guest speakers.
Course Mission
This course is aimed at students who may be relatively new to Canada, with little or no background in Canadian history and, also, at students who may have had some prior interest in business and Canadian history. The best business leaders know that only by understanding the past can they shape the present and the future. Thus, the course mission is to sharpen Rotman students’ abilities to utilize the lessons of the past to be more adept at making decisions that are applicable to contemporary Canada, Canadian business, and global capitalism.
Course Scope
Utilizing a “glocal” approach that combines Canadian, US and global cases, this course explores the evolution of modern Canadian business, capitalism and globalization form the late 19th Century to the early 21st. Key issues include entrepreneurship and firms, family firms, industrialization, globalization, Keynesianism, protectionism/free trade, digitization, financialization, automation, deindustrialization, failure, and the emergence of neoliberalism.
Evaluation and Grade Breakdown
| Component | Due Date | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Class Participation | Ongoing | 20% |
| Assignment #1 | Week 5 | 25% |
| Assignment #2 Plan | Week 9 | 10% |
| Assignment #2 | Week 12 | 45% |
Assignment options include Case Studies, Corporate Report Analyses, Book Reviews, Podcasts, Walking Tours, Business Biographies, and traditional Essays. There are no exams in this course.
Required Resources
- Andrew Smith and Dimitry Anastakis, Smart Globalization: The Canadian Business and Economic History Experience (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2014)
- Joe Martin, Relentless Change: A Casebook for the Study of Canadian Business History (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2010)
Notes
Course syllabi are available upon request: contact dimitry.anatakis@rotman.utoronto.ca
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