16 courses with the subject ECON, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
ECON 1100Principles of Economics4
Goals: This is an introductory course in economics. The primary goal is to develop an understanding of the tools and approaches used by economists, and then apply that understanding to current economic issues. This will help you to interpret economic news and economic data while also forming your own opinions. Content: We will cover both microeconomics (investigating decisions by individuals and firms) and macroeconomics (examining the economy as a whole). We will also examine the role of government in domestic and international markets. The course will also provide a strong foundation for those of you who want to continue with additional study of economics.
Goals: This course introduces students to research in applied economics and social science and does not require or assume any prior coursework in economics or statistics. Students learn how researchers are analyzing data to make progress on issues such as upward mobility, racial disparities, health inequities, and climate change policy, and each student develops their own ability to explore and analyze data in the context of a social issue they choose to study. Content: Students in this class examine pressing social and economic issues and discover how “big data” can be used to understand these issues. Topics include equality of opportunity, education, health care, climate change, and criminal justice. In the context of these topics, the course will also provide an introduction to basic statistical methods and data analysis techniques using R (statistical software).
ECON 1500Methods and Modeling for Economics, Finance, and Analytics4
Goals: To understand the basic modeling and methods essential for undergraduate students of economics or other quantitative business-oriented disciplines. Content: Preparation for students to structure and analyze quantitative problems, providing the mathematical foundation for future study of econometrics, economic theory, or other upper-level analytics topics. Main topics include linear equations, matrices, and nonlinear optimization. Taught: Fall term
Goals: To deepen students’ understanding of economic theory, building on the foundation they received in introductory economics. Students will learn how to develop, analyze and interpret models of economic behavior using graphical, algebraic and calculus-based methods. Content: This course will examine classic theories of consumer and producer decision-making, in a variety of economic contexts. Constrained optimization, graphical analysis, and game theory methodology will be used to explore allocation decisions made by consumers, firms, and governmental units. These theories will also be used to understand macroeconomic outcomes, such as unemployment, inflation and economic growth. Taught: Spring term
ECON 1100, and Math 1170 or ECON 1500 with grades of C- or higher Credits: 4
ECON 3200Judgement and Decision Making4
Crosslisted: Also listed as PSY 3200 Goals: Students in this course will be able to articulate the history of Judgement and Decision Making (JDM) research, explain key JDM theories, and apply JDM theories to specific areas of human behavior using appropriate methodology from economics or psychology. Content: We make judgments and decisions on a daily basis: some are trivial, others consequential; some are made as individuals, others as part of a larger household or organization. How do humans arrive at judgments and decisions in varied contexts? This course provides an overview of the topics in judgment and decision making (JDM) under conditions of risk, uncertainty, interdependence, or bounded rationality. We will apply JDM theories to varied contexts (e.g., medical decision making, consumer behavior, discrimination, and gambling), explore the history of this field of study, and contrast methodological approaches used to study JDM in psychology and economics.
ECON 1100 or PSY 1330, grade of C- or higher Credits: 4
ECON 3400Health Economics4
Goals: To introduce students to the field of health economics, and the ways that traditional economic models can be applied and/or modified to understand and predict outcomes in the markets for healthcare, insurance, and other health-related goods and services. Content: The healthcare industry is one of the largest in the U.S., representing nearly 18% of the GDP and comprising a large share of the typical household budget. The role of government regulation in healthcare is significant and unique to the industry. This class will review topics relevant to the healthcare and health insurance industries including determinants of demand, pricing of healthcare services, the role of insurance and its reforms, incentives and hurdles for health technology innovations, and the role of health in economic development. We will also examine the traditional methods for evaluating healthcare services including cost benefit and cost effectiveness analysis.
ECON 3510Mapping, Spatial Analysis, and Social Issues4
Crosslisted: Also listed as QMBE 3510 Goals: Students will learn to conceptualize social issues within a spatial framework by practicing a variety of analytical methods. They will gain experience with managing and manipulating spatial data to perform both descriptive analyses as well as hypothesis testing on an original research question. Content: This class will focus on introducing students to spatial analysis while also providing an entry point to using the industry-standard software package for GIS (ArcGIS). While learning the basics of data manipulation and management, students will be challenged to think about spatial or locational components to data generating processes. We will examine the best way to measure the clustering we observe in measurements of household income, educational attainment, air quality, or crime reports, for example. Students will learn to both take advantage of spatial aspects of data and recognize when conventional analysis might be misleading due to the presence of geographic correlation. We will also spend time on map design and effective presentation of analyses based on spatial data.
MATH 1200 or QMBE 1310, grade of C- or higher Credits: 4
ECON 3710Labor Economics4
Goals: To provide students a well-balanced presentation of models of labor economics, applications, policies, and major analytic areas within labor economics. This course will also address labor market issues with race and gender perspectives. Content: Labor market analysis, labor unions and collective bargaining, government and the labor market, theories of labor market discrimination, wage differentials, poverty and income inequalities, and race and gender issues of the labor market.
ECON 1100 and QMBE 1310 (or equivalent statistics course), with grades of C- or higher Credits: 4
ECON 3720International Economic Development4
Goals: To gain understanding of the problems and issues of economic development and to examine and appraise the major prevailing approaches to those problems. Content: Developing as well as high-income market economy perspectives; concepts of growth and development; major contemporary approaches; diversity among the Third World countries; dualism; cultural factors; population, labor, migration and education; poverty and inequality; strategies for investment and structural transformations; international trade, investment and development; planning, control, and macroeconomic policies.
ECON 1100 and QMBE 1310 (or equivalent statistics course), with grades of C- or higher Credits: 4
ECON 3740Economics of Public Finance4
Goals: To study the theoretical and empirical issues surrounding governmental decisions. Students will analyze and debate public finance topics and examine the implications of policy options for society. Content: This course focuses on governmental revenues, expenditures, debt-financing and related policy decisions. Effects of the budget and policy on income distribution, stabilization, efficiency and economic growth are also considered.
Crosslisted: Also listed as MKTG 3755 Goals: To broaden the students’ understanding of economic theory by incorporating knowledge from other social sciences and by expanding traditional economic models to better understand and predict human behavior. Content: Evidence suggests that human beings often do not behave according to the strict rational-actor assumptions inherent in traditional economic theory. This new and growing field of economics seeks to improve our ability to predict and understand phenomena including altruism, trust, reciprocity, and loss-aversion. The course will incorporate economics experiments and game theory methods to examine human behavior. These concepts will be applied to a wide range of contexts, from consumer or investor behavior to health care, dating, and procrastination. Taught: Alternate years
ECON 1100 and QMBE 1310 (or equivalent statistics course), with grades of C- or higher Credits: 4
ECON 3760International Finance4
Crosslisted: Also listed as FIN 3760 Goals: Students will learn the fundamental concepts of both the business management and macroeconomic aspects of international finance. Content: The course weaves together two related topics: international financial management and international financial economics. After becoming familiar with national accounting and determination of exchange rates, students will learn about financial derivatives in the foreign exchange markets, and how they and other tools can be used to manage the various risks faced by businesses engaged in international transactions or facing international competition. We will then return to the topic of exchange rate determination, with special attention to how equilibria in the asset and money markets are simultaneously determined. Finally, we will build on this basis to develop a model of a whole economy, and use it to explore the effects of external factors on the economy; how economic events in one country can affect its trade partners; and how policy-setting is complicated by these international linkages.
ECON 3100 or FIN 3100, grade of C- or higher Credits: 4
ECON 3770Environmental Economics4
Goals: To introduce students to the study of environmental issues and resource use, applying economic perspectives and tools. Content: This course examines various environmental issues (e.g., pollution, climate change, energy sources) from an economic perspective. Topics include market failures, challenges of economic development, resource management and allocation, and public policy options. Particular attention is paid to cost-benefit analysis, as it is applied to environmental problems.
ECON 1100 and QMBE 1310 (or equivalent statistics course), with grades of C- or higher Credits: 4
ECON 3820Econometrics4
Goals: To enable students to understand and use economic indicators, time series, and regression analysis in model building and forecasting. Content: Estimating model parameters, hypothesis testing, and interpreting economic data. Taught: Fall term
ECON 1100 and QMBE 1310 (or equivalent statistics course), with grades of C- or higher Credits: 4
ECON 3860Junior Seminar in Economics2
Goals: To prepare students for the Senior Seminar in Economics, where they will complete an independent research project with theoretical and empirical components. Content: This course will guide the students through the development of an independent research proposal, including literature review, hypothesis construction and model development. Students will create a written proposal and deliver presentations. Taught: Spring term
Goals: To develop and test economic models through in-depth, independent research in theoretical and applied economics. Content: Research methodology and recent analytical and theoretical approaches to questions on topics such as the environment, health care, industrial organization, international economics, labor, money and banking, regional and urban economics, and welfare economics. Students choose a research topic, review the literature, construct a theoretical model, and collect and analyze data for final presentations. Taught: Spring term
