(A) Introduction to key controversies within history of economic and social thought which provide the basis for ongoing debates on role of government, private enterprise and community within capitalist economies. Topics include: historical overview of the rise of capitalism and the evolution of economic thought, classical liberalism and radical critiques; Great Depression and the New Deal; Neoliberalism and the modern global economy; poverty and income distribution, welfare reform, minimum wage, unemployment, class, race and gender inequality. Fulfills: GE 3 and GE 4; LASR. (3 cr. hr.)