The Great Depression

The Great Depression remains the most severe economic downturn in modern history, with lasting effects not just in the United States but around the world. In this course, we’ll explore key questions: What exactly happened to the economy during the Depression? Why did it begin—and why was it so deep and prolonged? Could better policies have ended it sooner? Did it really take World War II to bring recovery? And what lessons—if any—can we apply today?

Dennis Sheehan, Ph.D., is professor emeritus of finance at the Penn State University Smeal College of Business. He previously taught in the business schools at Purdue University, the University of Chicago and the University of Rochester. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Georgetown University and received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley. Dennis is happily retired in his hometown of Newport.