This course addresses some of the biggest questions in IPE today: Why are some nations so rich while others are so poor? Why was it Europeans and not Incas or Chinese who colonized much of the world? Why do colonial links remain? What, if anything, can be done to help those who struggle for existence to become economically independent? Recent discussions about globalization and whether it hurts or helps the poor, whether it is a force of exploitation or liberation all continue in this trend of thinking about the divergence between rich and poor. These questions are not new, nor are some of the answers that we will investigate, but their relevancy today is profoundly important. Whether it is because we seek to drain the swamps of poverty that give rise to terrorists (and thus ensure our own security), because we are exposed to the jarring images of poverty brought to nightly newscasts, or because we have a sense that justice demands helping those in need, the divergence between rich and poor shapes much of our interaction with the outside world. Most of the topics of interest to the study of IPE - security, trade, the environment, human rights, conflict, and technology - are skewed by the fact of this divergence. Understanding this gap between rich and poor countries allows us to understand much of IPE. This course is a step toward this important goal.