Required Reading:
Peter M. Garber, "Famous First Bubbles," Journal of Economic Perspectives 4:2 (spring 1990), 35-54. [JSTOR]
Julian Hoppit, "The Myths of the South Sea Bubble," Transactions of the Royal Historical Society (2002), 141-165--if you want to download this, search for the journal title in the IUCAT on-line journals option. [Otherwise, go to the Library and read it in hard copy.]
Charles Mackay, Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (1841; 1852), available on-line. I don't necessarily expect you to read any of this in great detail, but you should look at the author's preface and the table of contents in order to get a sense of the overall tone. In addition, it would be good if you could skim at least one of the "bubble" chapters.