General Information
Promotional Video
Not Available
Instructor Bio
Kevin Bryan is an economist working on innovation policy and economic history. He runs the NBER Innovation PhD Boot Camp, founded an edtech startup, is the Chief Economist of the Creative Destruction Lab Toronto, and is in his 12th year teaching at Toronto after also teaching classes at Duke and UCAD Dakar in Senegal.
Target Audience
Students who are willing to read history, philosophy, and economic theory in order to understand “how big things get done”. That is, why do some organizations, cities, countries create the Industrial Revolution, the agricultural Green Revolution, arts and architectural efflorescence, Silicon Valley, and so on? That is, we are looking for students who want to understand how progress happens.
Format
12 weekly seminars, discussion heavy, requiring ~100 pages of reading each. Students will prepare a term paper as well as the main component of their grade, with original research.
Course Scope
Note this is an experimental course – you will learn from your classmates, and you will be expected to be very prepared for each session. The professor will treat students as if this were an upper-level liberal arts seminar course.
Evaluation and Grade Breakdown
| Component | Due Date | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Final Paper | TBC | 100% |
Required Resources
Readings given in class