Economics Courses

ECON 110 Principles of Microeconomics

Microeconomics examines the behavior of households and businesses in the economy. We use the quantitative tools of economics and contemporary data to better understand the role that markets and economic agents play in real-world issues. Topics include environmental protection, education, immigration, trade, taxes, inequality, market power, and strategic behavior.

ECON 120 Principles of Macroeconomics

Macroeconomics investigates the performance of the overall economy and the processes determining national income, employment and the price level. Topics include monetary and fiscal policy, inflation, unemployment, the distribution of income, and economic growth.

ECON 130 Economics Writing Workshop 0.5

Students in this course write multiple drafts of short topics concerning topics in economics. The primary goal of the course is to improve students' ability to write in clear, concise and grammatically-correct ways.

ECON 230 Labor Economics

This course examines the labor market and how economic, social and institutional forces influence the supply and demand for labor. Topics include: labor force participation, wage determination, investments in human capital, wage differentials, discrimination, the role of unions and collective bargaining and policy considerations such as the effects of welfare and social security benefits on levels of participation.

ECON 240 Marxist Economics

The study of Marxist political economy with attention to: Marxist methodology, historical materialism, Marxist theories of income distribution and economic crisis, and select topics in political economy, such as the determinants of: technical change, the organization of education, and environmental problems.

ECON 249 Internship in Economics 1, 0.5

Interested students working with Economics faculty members, business and government agencies may arrange internships in the areas of economics and public policy.

ECON 263 Environmental and Natural ResourceEconomics

The course covers the economics of renewable and exhaustible resources, environmental problems and policy responses. Topics include: the economics of air and water pollution control, including the economics of climate change, the economics of recycling, the use of cost-benefit analysis, the 'limits to growth' debate, and philosophical issues in environmental policy making.

ECON 280 Economics of Inequality

This course examines the extent of inequality in the U.S. economy and around the world. We explore different paradigms in economics that seek to explain the causes of inequality. Topics include: the measurement of inequality, neoclassical and other economic theories of income distribution, racial and gender inequality, and the relationship between globalization, inequality, and growth. We examine the public policies and solutions that can address inequality.

ECON 295J Monetary Systems & Fin Crises

ECON 295QQ Urban Economics

ECON 295I Health Economics

ECON 295K Crime and Economics

ECON 301 Intermediate Microeconomics

Microeconomic theory: the study of price determination in various market settings.

ECON 302 Intermediate Macroeconomics

Macroeconomic theory analyzes the determinants of the income, employment, and the price level. The course covers fiscal and monetary policies for economic stabilization and growth.

ECON 303 Introduction to Econometrics

In this course, students will learn to test the hypotheses of economic theory against real-world data using statistical techniques and programming languages such as STATA or R. Students will develop the tools needed to interpret statistical results and to communicate their findings in clear and concise writing and presentation.

ECON 333 Managerial Finance

This course examines the functions, responsibilities, logic and analytical tools of financial management. The elements of the financial administration of the firm will be considered throughout the term. Emphasis will be placed on "why" as well as "how" financial decisions are made in organizations. This will be accomplished by examining the areas of cash flow, valuation, present value, risk and return, cost of capital and short and long term financing.

ECON 340 Marxist Economics

The study of Marxist political economy with attention to: Marxist methodology, historical materialism, Marxist theories of income distribution and economic crisis, and select topics in political economy, such as the determinants of: technical change, the organization of education, and environmental problems.

ECON 347 Applied Econometrics

The course extends the techniques introduced in ECON 303 and focuses on their application to policy-relevant issues. Students will test economic hypotheses with an emphasis on i) causal inference using natural experiments and quasi-experimental methods on micro-data, ii) time series and event study analyses of macro-data, and iii) machine learning applications within economics. Along with their research and presentation skills, students will further develop their statistical programming, data wrangling, and data analysis skills in R or Stata. The course involves frequent student-led presentations and culminates in a major research paper.

ECON 349 Internship in Economics 1, 0.5

Interested students working with Economics faculty members, business and government agencies may arrange internships in the areas of economics and public policy.

ECON 363 Public Economics

A microeconomic analysis of how selected spending programs, taxes, and economic regulations affect the market allocation of resources and the distribution of income.

ECON 365 Industrial Organization

This course examines the impact of imperfect competition on the behavior of firms and the performance of markets. It extends the analysis introduced in ECON 301 by systematically relaxing the assumptions of the model of perfect competition. The course explores topics such as collusion, predatory behavior, mergers and acquisitions, product differentiation, advertising and anti-trust policy.

ECON 371 International Trade: Theory and Policy

This course provides an introduction to traditional and new trade theories to understand the pattern of international trade. It explores trade policy tools (tariffs, quotas, subsidies) used by governments to change the amount and pattern of trade. Controversies surrounding the WTO and the proliferation of bilateral and regional free trade agreements, along with inclusion of non-trade issues (labor, environment, intellectual property rights) are also discussed.

ECON 373 Economic Development

Economic development is concerned with raising the standard of living of a majority of a country's population and requires fundamental structural change of the economy and its institutions. This course will examine various theories of economic development, giving special atte3ntion to the role of markets and the government. The course will also cover specific issues and challenges faced by low-income countries in their quest for development including: role of international trade, population growth, agrarian change, and environmental degradation.

ECON 395H Economics of International Businessand Society

ECON 399 Senior Seminar in Economics

An in-depth analysis of a selected topic with emphasis on the "doing" of economics.