Small, writing and discussion-oriented course exploring a specific topic or theme, and focused on the fundamentals of effective, college-level written communication. Not eligible to be applied towards a WCAS major or minor except where specifically indicated.
A discussion of why we want to “do good”; how to try to do good (and why problems exist in the first place); and, how to know if you did good. Applications to public policy as well as personal life. Prerequisites: None. This course is co-listed as INTL_ST 259-0.
An introduction to economics with emphasis on macroeconomics. Topics include: scarcity and choice, elements of supply and demand, inflation, unemployment, recessions, booms, fiscal and monetary policy, international balance of payments, and budget deficits. Prerequisite: basic algebra and graphing.
An introduction to economics with emphasis on macroeconomics. Topics include: scarcity and choice, elements of supply and demand, inflation, unemployment, recessions, booms, fiscal and monetary policy, international balance of payments, and budget deficits. Prerequisite: basic algebra and graphing.
An introductory course on the fundamentals of microeconomics. The behavior of individuals and firms in deciding on prices and allocation of scarce resources. Topics include: consumer preferences, costs of production, equilibrium prices and output, different market types, potential market failures, and the role of government interventions and public policy. Prerequisite: ECON 201-0.
An introductory course on the fundamentals of microeconomics. The behavior of individuals and firms in deciding on prices and allocation of scarce resources. Topics include: consumer preferences, costs of production, equilibrium prices and output, different market types, potential market failures, and the role of government interventions and public policy. Prerequisite: ECON 201-0.
An introduction to econometrics. The underlying theory of regression and the practical application of these techniques to data sets. Understanding and diagnosing common statistical problems encountered during estimation. Prerequisite: ECON 201-0, ECON 202-0, MATH 220-1, STAT 210-0 or higher level statistics class. All other substitutions (including AP Statistics) must be cleared through the Director of Undergraduate Studies for Economics.
Application of microeconomics to the study of health insurance and the health care sector. Topics include: design and financing of health insurance, public and private demand for medical care, role of competition, regulation of hospitals and physicians, roles of nonprofit and for-profit organizations, and technological change. Prerequisites: ECON 281-0, ECON 310-1, ECON 310-2.
The role of money, banking, and financial markets in the modern economy. Topics include: function and history of money, financial flows, evolving nature of banks and their regulation, monetary policy, modern central bank practices, effect of monetary policy on economic outcomes, and the response to financial crises. Prerequisites: ECON 281-0, ECON 310-1, ECON 311-0.
A more mathematically formal and rigorous treatment of the core concepts of microeconomics introduced in ECON 202-0. Topics include: consumer behavior and the theory of demand, costs of production and the nature of equilibrium in competitive and monopolistic markets. Prerequisites: ECON 201-0, ECON 202-0, MATH 220-1.
The continuation of the intermediate microeconomics sequence provides tools to analyze social wellbeing, social choice, risk and uncertainty, information asymmetries, competitive independencies between firms (game theory), market spillovers and general equilibrium. Prerequisite: ECON 310-1.
A more mathematically formal and rigorous treatment of the core concepts of macroeconomics introduced in ECON 201-0. Topics include: aggregate consumption, inflation, unemployment, growth, international balances between countries, and the role of monetary and fiscal policy. Prerequisites: ECON 201-0, ECON 202-0, MATH 220-1.
This course is for students looking for advanced and rigorous analysis in macroeconomics. Topics vary and may include: growth, business cycles, unemployment and search, monetary economics, macroeconomic policy, inter-temporal choice, and general equilibrium. Prerequisites: ECON 281-0, ECON 310-1, ECON 310-2, ECON 311, MATH 220-2, MATH 230-1.
Western European developments from 1750 to the present. Topics include: demographic, technical, social, and economic change. Prerequisites: ECON 281-0, ECON 310-1, ECON 311-0.
Economic change in sub-Saharan Africa, emphasizing current issues and policies in their historical contexts. Agriculture and rural development, industrialization, and international economic relations. Prerequisites: ECON 281-0, ECON 310-1, ECON 310-2, ECON 326-0.
Understanding of how humans make choices in economic situations. The incorporation of psychology and/or sociology into economics to gain deeper insight into economic behavior, to make better predictions, and to generate improved policy prescriptions. Prerequisites: ECON 281-0, ECON 310-1, ECON 310-2.
The analysis of political motivations and policy outcomes using economic models of social choice theory and voting theory. Application of formal theory to contemporary and historical public policy decisions. Prerequisites: ECON 281-0, ECON 310-1, ECON 310-2.
ECON 336 Analytic Methods for Public Policy Analysis
Study of methodological problems in public policy analysis and an examination of how economists perform policy analysis in practice. Prerequisites: ECON 281-0, ECON 310-1, ECON 310-2.
The theory and empirical analysis of employment relationships. Topics include: decision to participate in the labor market, tradeoff between labor and leisure, demand for labor by firms, matching of workers and jobs, role and effect of trade unions, minimum wage legislation, labor mobility, and human capital acquisition, Prerequisites: ECON 281-0, ECON 310-1, ECON 310-2, ECON 311-0.
The economic analysis of education. Topics include: returns to schooling, individual decisions to invest in education, the production of education, markets for schools and teachers, financing, and public policy. Prerequisites: ECON 281-0, ECON 310-1, ECON 310-2.
Examination of the competitive and cooperative strategies employed by profit-maximizing firms in a wide range of market structures. Topics include: the setting of prices and outputs, product quality and variety, competitive responses, entry barriers, mergers and acquisitions, and relationships with suppliers and distributors. Prerequisites: ECON 281-0, ECON 310-1, ECON 310-2.
Application of economic analysis to creative and performing arts, and the heritage and cultural industries. The economic organization of the cultural sector and with the behavior of producers, consumers and governments in that sector. Prerequisites: ECON 281-0, ECON 310-1, ECON 310-2.
Factors influencing trade in goods and services between countries and the implication of globalization. The reasons for, and the effects of, trade policy instruments such as tariffs, quotas, and voluntary export restrictions. Prerequisites: ECON 281-0, ECON 310-1, ECON 310-2, ECON 311-0.
Determination of exchange rates, balance of payments, and international asset flows and prices; international transmission of macroeconomic disturbances. Prerequisites: ECON 281-0, ECON 310-1, ECON 311-0.
Analysis of the functioning and regulation of electricity, oil and natural gas markets. Topics include: the role of competition and environmental concerns. Prerequisites: ECON 281-0, ECON 310-1, ECON 310-2.
Economic analysis of scarcity and incentives explaining environmental issues such as pollution and climate change. Modeling and evaluation of public policy. Prerequisites: ECON 281-0, ECON 310-1, ECON 310-2.
First part of the specialized sequence in econometrics. A more rigorous and higher level alternative to ECON 281-0. Economics majors completing ECON 381-1 will have the ECON 281-0 requirement waived. Prerequisites: ECON 310-1, (ECON 310-2, ECON 311-0 recommended), MATH 226-0, MATH 230-1, MATH 230-2, MATH 240-0 and MATH 314-0 (or equivalent).
For students of superior ability. Original research on a topic of interest to the student, culminating in a senior thesis. By department invitation only. Grade of K given in 398-1. Prerequisites: ECON 281-0, ECON 310-1, ECON 310-2, ECON 311-0, MATH 220-2, MATH 230-1; at least four 300-level economics electives.
Theoretical treatment of the behavior of consumers and firms. Topics include: uncertainty, monotone comparative statics, competitive equilibrium, matching, game theory, informational asymmetries, and mechanism design (Required sequence.)
Theoretical methodologies and their application to the study of dynamic economies. Topics include: economic growth and business cycles, the determinants of consumption and investment, and the effects of monetary and fiscal policy. (Required sequence.)
Information imperfections and asymmetries in markets and organizations. The theory and application of mechanism design to markets and contracts. Topics include: modeling information, search, the value of information, games with incomplete information, adverse selection and moral hazard.
Recent contributions to macroeconomics. Topics may include: models with heterogeneous agents, the role of financial markets and of the housing market, models of search and unemployment, the role of market power in good markets, and inequality.
Nonparametric and linear regression, identification, principles of statistical inference, extremum estimators, asymptotic statistical theory, discrete response analysis, and and structural microeconometrics. (Required sequence.)
STAT 210 Introduction to Probability and Statistics
A mathematical introduction to probability theory and statistical methods, including properties of probability distributions, sampling distributions, estimation, confidence intervals, and hypothesis testing. STAT 210-0 is primarily intended for economics majors. May not receive credit for both STAT 202-0 and STAT 210-0. Prerequisite: strong background in high school algebra (calculus is not required).
$ = Discussion sections in core classes are for 50 minutes
