An overall look at the history, present, and future of the fifty-four economies that make up the African continent. Also studying continent wide themes of colonialism, post-colonialism, the Cold War, and the opportunities and challenges of population growth.

This course surveys the causes and manifestations of income and wealth inequality. We begin by studying the measurement and definition of inequality and mobility and their changes over time. We then examine how skill, education, and health map onto income and wealth over a person's lifetime and transmit from generation to generation. While we review inequality in a global context, most discussion is grounded in the historical and current social and institutional conditions of the United States, focusing on race, gender, and class. Lastly, we look at the driving forces behind the large rise in inequality in recent decades: changes in technology, globalization, demographic shift, and migration. We will hone our skills in handling large datasets, extracting information from data, and visualizing it.