Suckers and Swindlers in American History, Part 1

Course Summary

Financial scams, fraudulent activities, and Ponzi schemes have been a part of American culture since the19th century. Using archival materials and source documents, participants will learn how economic, political, and culturalsystems have evolved in response to these trends. This six-weekcourse is framed around the recent publication Fraud: An American History From Barnum to Madoff (2017) by Edward Balleisen. Participants will develop a classroom resource to use in their individual educational environments.

Lead Scholar: Edward Balleisen is an NHC Fellow (2008–09) and currently the Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies and professor of history and public policy at Duke University. 

Course Instructor: Joshua Cracraft, PhD 

Course Dates: January 11 - February 26, 2021

Participation Hours: 25

Course Registration Fee: $125.00