Economics (ECON)

A one-week course offered during winter term or summer that introduces an economic topic/issue that is currently capturing significant interest in today's world.

Behavior of systems at the national and international levels. Topics include the methodology of economics as a social science, supply and demand, definition and measurement of important macroeconomic variables, and theoretical models of growth, inflation, interest rates, unemployment, business cycles, stabilization policy, exchange rates and the balance of payments. May be used for general education credit.

Topics covered include supply and demand, consumer choice, economics of the firm and industry, production costs, distribution theory, international trade, public policy, comparative economic systems and the philosophy of economics. This course is not open to students who are enrolled in or who have received credit for ECON 331.

Application of elementary economic theory to current economic issues. Special emphasis is placed on public policy alternatives.

A survey of the relationships among national economies, including trade theory, trade policy, international monetary relations and the balance of payments.

Students will learn key mathematical and statistical concepts used in economics. Topics will include algebra of summation, optimization, probability theory, joint probability distribution, conditional expectations, hypothesis testing and an introduction to data analysis using statistical software. Concepts will be emphasized using economic examples. Does not count as COB 291 for COB 300.

Examination of special topics in theoretical or applied economics not covered in the current economics curriculum. Specific topics to be determined by the instructor.

Major contributions within the history of economic thought are studied in relation to both the historical circumstances within which they arose and the role each played in shaping contemporary, competing economic doctrines.

An analysis of the problems of the environment, their causes and alternative proposed methods of solution. Air and water pollution will be stressed as case studies of environmental problems.

Examines facts and theories pertaining to the various economic roles of women in America. The economics of marriage, divorce and childbearing are examined as are empirical and theoretical explanations of occupational and wage differentials between the sexes.

A survey of the economic growth and development of the United States from Colonial times to the present.

An examination of the distinguishing characteristics, institutions and performances of the various types of major economic systems in the world today.

The purpose of this course is to examine the economic role of money, banking and monetary policy within current institutional settings and under alternative theories explaining the interrelationships between money, the financial system and economic activity.

Introduction to the field of public finance including theories and principles of taxation, government expenditure, public debt, and fiscal administration. Studies interrelationships between federal, state and local finance, shifting and incidence of tax, and the burden of public debt.

Examines interdependent decision making in economics and other social sciences, and covers both non-cooperative and cooperative games. Topics may include applications of game theory to industrial organization, law and economics, public choice, political economy, evolutionary biology, international affairs and theories of justice.

An introductory course in behavioral economics that combines insights from psychology with economics. Using data from field and lab experiments, we will examine the explanatory power of the standard economic model and learn new frameworks that incorporate psychologically realistic assumptions grounded in observed behavior. Among the topics studied are decision-making under uncertainty, intertemporal choice and others regarding preferences. The course will conclude by examining implications this approach to economic analysis has for public policy.

This course explores the structure, conduct, and performance of hospitals, physician practices, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, and long-term care facilities. The demand for healthcare and insurance is presented using economic theories of risk and uncertainty. Economic evaluation of healthcare treatments and contemporary policies are examined.

Intermediate analysis of the determination of price, resource allocation and product distribution in a free enterprise economy.

Intermediate-level analysis of the major approaches to the determination of economic aggregates, with emphasis given to structuring a common analytic framework.

Emphasizes availability of exhaustible resources and optimum utilization rates. Examines questions of intertemporal allocation and costs of growth.

An examination of contemporary U.S. industrial concentration both in the aggregate and within particular industries with emphasis on public policy implications. Alternative theories of the firm are considered in relation to different market structures.

Study of the economics of labor markets. Attention is given to the structure and operation of labor markets, wage determination, employment, unions, and contemporary labor problems and policies.

A study of the characteristics of under-development, theories of economic development and the underlying causes for varying standards of living among the world's people. Considerable time will be spent on studying social and cultural factors that influence economic growth and their potential effect on the economic progress of the less-developed countries.

An examination of the classical and modern theories of international trade, the effects of such trade on the domestic economy, the effects of barriers to free trade and an appraisal of U.S. commercial policy since 1948.

Examines international financial markets, instruments and institutions; determination of spot and forward exchange rates, interest arbitrage, hedging and speculation; and alternative policies for achieving equilibrium in international payments.

A detailed examination of the economic aspects of urbanization with emphasis on metropolitan land use and location theory. Urban problems considered include housing, poverty, labor markets and municipal finances.

Course will provide basic mathematical tools for microeconomic and macroeconomic analysis. Topics covered include linear algebra, univariate and multivariate differentiation, economic interpretation of the derivatives, constrained and unconstrained optimization, expected utility model, and dynamic analysis of economic models.

This course covers the application of single- and multi-variable linear regression models to economic outcomes, with emphasis on hypothesis testing, causal effect estimation and data analyses using statistical software.

Academic credit for an approved internship experience. Registration for the course must be concurrent with the internship. An application showing how all requirements for the internship will be met must be approved prior to registration. May be taken on a credit/no credit basis only.

Students participate in a number of activities designed to enhance career preparedness and job search outcomes in economics as approved by the economics program (including attending workshops and registering to be informed of job opportunities).

Examination of special topics in theoretical or applied economics not covered in the current economics curriculum. Specific topics to be determined by the instructor.

Evaluation and critique of mainstream and nontraditional economic paradigms. The interaction of economics and politics in the United States as it affects the distribution of wealth and domestic and international economic policies.

Examines the justification for and nature of public sector activity in a market-based mixed economy. Emphasis is placed on theories of market failure, voting models, conditions of production and provision in the public sector, and models of bureaucratic behavior.

This course focuses on using incentivized experiments, whereby subjects make financially-motivated decisions in controlled environments, to identify causality, test and develop theories, and explore behavioral phenomena related to economic issues. Students will study and apply the methods and data analysis tools commonly used in experimental economics to a broad range of economic topics. Established experimental results from previous and current economic research will also be thoroughly examined.

Examines alternative theories of the relationships between money, interest rates, price levels, employment and output in order to assess the effectiveness of monetary policy for economic stabilization.

Examines theories of general equilibrium and the distribution of income, welfare economics, capital theory and information theory.

This course studies macroeconomics at an advanced level. Topics covered in this course may include short-run dynamics of an economy, theory of economic fluctuations, models of long-run economic growth, role of fiscal and monetary policies, and comparative macroeconomic analysis of the U.S. and other economies.

Economic growth is at the heart of economics: improving standards of living in the long run. Students will study models of economic growth, their applications and the empirical evidence across countries. Particular emphasis will be placed on recent advances in the area. Students will apply data analysis methods commonly used in economic growth to a broad range of topics.

A study of the rationale, methods and impact on industry behavior of government regulations including public utility regulation and antitrust policies relating to monopoly and competition in the United States.

A study of local and subnational economics viewed as integral parts of a unified system. Emphasis will be given to the basic economic forces associated with regional growth and decline and related public policy considerations.

This is an advanced level class in Econometrics with an emphasis on time series techniques. This course covers a broad range of time series methods commonly used in research and industry for generating short-term forecasts for important economics and financial variables. Some of the topics covered are time series decomposition methods, smoothing methods, ARIMA, ARCH/GARCH and VAR.

Theory and application of statistical techniques to study empirical relationships among economic variables. This course will cover a range of econometric techniques to estimate economic models including panel data, limited dependent variable, and simultaneous equation models. In addition, the course will cover the assembly and analysis of requisite data sets, and the preparation and presentation of empirical results.

A research-oriented, senior-level course that provides students an opportunity to integrate theoretical knowledge, quantitative techniques and writing skills through research on a set of simulated consulting projects.

This course is a writing-intensive seminar offering a student the opportunity to integrate many of their undergraduate studies in economics. Its substantive content will emphasize applying the methods of theoretical and empirical analyses employed by all economists. The seminar will be structured so as to contain embedded assessment measures of the learning objectives specified by the department of economics, including those related to command of basic economic theory and of quantitative methods used in quantifying empirical relationships and testing hypothesis.

Designed to give capable students in economics an opportunity to complete independent study under faculty supervision. Admission by recommendation of the instructor and written permission of the director of economics prior to registration. May not be used toward fulfillment of the 400-level requirement for a major in economics.

Year course. See catalog section "Graduation with Honors."