32 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 113Gateways to Economics: Capitalism
This course uses major schools of economic thought and major economic writers from the past 600 years to introduce principles of economics. Readings include the architects of capitalism (Adam Smith, David Ricardo, etc.), the critics (Karl Marx, Thorstein Veblen, etc.), a the reformers (J.M. Keynes, Joseph Schumpeter, J.K. Galbraith, etc.). Offered periodically during January Term. s Principles of Economics Students considering a major in economics are encouraged to 00 complete Principles of Economics (ECON 121) prior to taking any economics courses at level II or above. .0
This course takes an analytical approach to economic reasoning and contemporary issues. The course introduces microeconomic and macroeconomic theories with applications to relevant topics, such as employment, growth, environmental protection, affirmative action, exchange rate fluctuations, taxes, and welfare reform. Students explore economics as an intelligent approach to understanding our daily lives as citizens, workers, managers and consumers. Offered each semester. This course does NOT count toward the economics major, but is the prerequisite for all higher-level economics courses. OLE Core Requirement: Social Science; Quantitative and Computational Reasoning.
In this course students apply the models, insights, and analytical techniques of economics to a specific topic or economic problem. Topics vary from year to year. May be repeated if topic is different. Offered periodically. Prerequisites: ECON 121 or permission of instructor.
Game theory is the formal study of the strategic interactions between individuals and between groups of individuals. Game theory has become a widely adopted tool of analysis in economics, business, law, politics, anthropology, sociology, and international relations. This course introduces students to the theoretical constructs of game theory and focuses on economic applications in the fields of labor economics, international trade, environmental economics, macroeconomics, and industrial organization. Offered annually. Prerequisite: ECON 121 or permission of instructor.
This course applies standard microeconomic theory and concepts to understand the law and the legal system. There are two primary approaches to "Law and Economics." The first uses economics to understand how changes in legal rules affect human behavior. The second uses economics to explain the structure and variation of the legal rules themselves. This is an introductory course to the economics of law aimed at introducing students to both approaches. Offered annually. Prerequisite: ECON 121 or permission of the instructor.
This course applies the tools of economic theory to contemporary macroeconomic issues in the U.S. and the world economy. Topics include inflation, economic growth, unemployment, recessions, financial crisis; the labor market, income inequality; the role of fiscal and monetary policy in stabilizing the economy, and macroeconomics of pandemics. Students learn how to write policy papers and engage in macroeconomic policy debates. Students are also introduced to Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) Models. Prerequisite: ECON 121 or permission of instructor. OLE Core Requirement: Quantitative and Computational Reasoning.
The powerful insights of microeconomic analysis inform this consideration of environmental policy and regulation. Coursework emphasizes issues germane to setting and attaining specific environmental objectives - how much pollution to allow, how much to encourage preservation, how much cutting to permit. By considering whether and how to assign monetary values to goods like species diversity and climactic stability, students gain practical experience applying benefit-cost analysis to environmental decisions. Offered annually. Prerequisite: ECON 121 or permission of instructor.
The health care sector in the U.S. is undergoing rapid change that affects patients, providers and payers. Managed care and managed competition are restructuring the delivery of health care services and reducing costs, while frustrating physicians and patients. The course examines the economic factors leading to the changes, current issues and controversies, and federal health policies. Students interested in nursing, medicine, and the sciences are encouraged to enroll. Offered annually. Prerequisites: ECON 121 or permission of instructor.
This course addresses the institutions that comprise modern monetary systems and the influence that these systems have on levels of income, output, employment, and prices in market economies. It addresses in detail monetary theory and monetary policy, including both the nature of our central bank and the role that it plays in our monetary system. Prerequisite: ECON 121 or permission of instructor.
This course emphasizes skills necessary to understand and analyze economic data. Topics include descriptive statistics, probability and random variables, sampling theory, estimation and hypothesis testing, and practical and theoretical understanding of simple and multiple regression analysis. Applications to economic and business problems use real data, realistic applications, and econometric/statistical software. Offered each semester. ECON 260 is required for economics majors who do not take both SDS 272 and either ECON 384 or ECON 385. Credit toward the economics major will not be given for ECON 260 following completion of SDS 272. Also counts toward environmental studies major (social science emphasis) and public health studies concentration. Prerequisite: MATH 119 or MATH 120 and ECON 121, or permission of instructor.
This course addresses the economic institutions and forces that determine levels of income, output, employment, and prices in our society. Questions related to employment prospects and standard of living provide an important focus. Classical and Keynesian perspectives are employed in attempting to understand these matters, the macroeconomic problems in market economies and the policies that economists prescribe as remedies for these problems. Offered each semester. Prerequisites: MATH 119 or MATH 120, and ECON 121 or permission of instructor.
Microeconomics is the study of the resource allocation decisions by households, producers, and government and the resource allocation process in various types of market structures. Students are trained in the use of economic models and optimizing techniques to address a variety of real-world problems, including case studies from business and public policy. Offered each semester. Prerequisites: MATH 119 or MATH 120, and ECON 121 or permission of instructor.
Independent work is guided by a faculty member. Students need to have the necessary background, including appropriate coursework, before an independent project is approved. A student may not substitute an IS/IR course for a course regularly offered in a department or program. IS/IR culminates in at least one product (a paper, laboratory report, work of art, etc.). Normally, the student and faculty instructor are expected to meet at least once a week. See catalog for more information under registration and course enrollment. Prerequisites: at least second-year standing; at least 2 relevant courses for 298 (IS); approval from the faculty instructor, the academic advisor, and the department chair or program director.
Credits 1 Total Credits 15 Students must successfully complete the equivalent of 35 or more St. Olaf credits, through a combination of full-credit and fractional-credit courses, one major, and all other degree requirements to earn the Bachelor of Arts degree. Visit the Economics department webpage for more information. Quantitative Economics Plan of Study Quantitative Economics Major - Plan of Study This is a sample plan that meets the prescribed requirements for the Quantitative Economics major at St. Olaf. This tool is meant as a guide and does not replace working closely with the student's academic advisor.
This course provides a global perspective on economic development and introduces students to analytic tools that empower them to investigate causes of, and potential solutions to, underdevelopment. Students further develop and apply their learning in the context of a specific country of their choosing, about which they research and write throughout the semester. Counts toward Quantitative Research requirement for the Quantitative Economics major. Prerequisites: ECON 261 and ECON 262 and one of ECON 260 OR (SDS 272 and ECON 384) OR (SDS 272 and ECON 385).
Government action affects us all. We pay taxes; we use public roads, schools, and parks. Some prices we pay are lower due to government subsidies; others are higher due to taxes. Government actions influence both the efficiency of our economy and the equity and equality within our society. Students learn valuable analytical tools for evaluating public projects, tax policies, entitlement programs and voting behavior. Offered annually. Prerequisite: ECON 262 and one of ECON 260 or SDS 272; or permission of instructor.
Classic economics assumes that people make decisions rationally. Behavioral economics weakens that assumption, incorporating the findings of psychology into economic models. Students learn to apply behavioral economics theories to improve their understanding of business, marketing, public policy, and other domains of economics. Students utilize skills they have learned from microeconomic theory and statistics orally and in writing. Offered annually. Prerequisites: ECON 262 and one of ECON 260 or SDS 272, or permission of instructor. OLE Core Requirement: Ethical Reasoning in Context.
What do workers want from work? What do employers want from workers? Pressing policy issues exist for workers competing in the global economy. Unions, unemployment insurance, welfare and the minimum wage enhance the prospects of many, while leaving others even worse off. This course utilizes microeconomic theory, statistics and institutional analysis to understand labor markets. Offered annually. Prerequisites: ECON 262 and one of ECON 260 or SDS 272.
ECON 377Digital Industries: Platforms, Social Media and Blockchain
This course reviews the economic properties of modern digital economies. This includes the study of platform economics, network effects, blockchain economics, zero-marginal-cost industries, the economics of data, markets for information, tech monopoly power, regulatory capture, cross-industry collusion and mechanism design. The economics of data includes discussion of nonrivalry, data as labor and the economic effects of privacy and anonymity. A semester-long research paper involves building a mechanism design model to analyze a particular digital industry. Prerequisites: ECON 260, ECON 261 and ECON 262.
ECON 378Comparative Economic Analysis of Legal Systems
This course explores legal systems vastly different from that in the United States and uses economic analysis to understand both the reasons for the peculiarities and their relative success or failure. The objective of this course is to deepen students' understanding of the basic economic principles used to analyze legal institutions and to teach them how to apply economic concepts to important contemporary and historical topics. Offered annually. Prerequisites: ECON 262 and one of ECON 260 or SDS 272, or permission of instructor.
This course focuses on the development of the U.S. economy since colonial times and the contributions and limitations of economic analysis and quantitative methods in understanding the economy's evolution. The course explores how economic analysis illuminates past trends and events, and how the historical record can further our understanding of economic principles, theory, and current economic problems. Course topics include colonialism, slavery, industrialization, the economic effects of wars, and the Great Depression. Prerequisites: ECON 261 and/or ECON 262 (at the discretion of the instructor) and one of ECON 260 or SDS 272, or permission of the instructor. OLE Core Requirement: Global Histories and Societies.
ECON 381International Finance and Open Economy Macroeconomics
This course addresses important questions in international finance and open economy macroeconomics. It bridges the gap between undergraduate and graduate-level macroeconomics by tackling international macro-finance issues using a modern microfoundations-based general equilibrium approach and relevant empirical macroeconomic techniques. The course equips students with dynamic programming and computational skills necessary for research-based careers and graduate-level study in macroeconomics and finance. Students learn to build models and evaluate policy-relevant macro-finance issues in the world economy. Offered annually during spring semester. Prerequisites: ECON 261 and ECON 262, and one of ECON 260 or SDS 272, or permission of instructor.
This course offers students an integrated approach of theory, policy, and enterprise to understand international trade and investment. The course focuses on the costs and benefits of global economic interdependence for students who plan to enter an international business career or to work for government and international organizations in activities affected by international economic relations. Offered annually. Counts toward the International Economic Analysis and Policy Emphasis of the Economics and Quantitative Economics majors. Prerequisites: ECON 261 and ECON 262, and one of ECON 260 or SDS 272, or permission of instructor.
This course explores the nature and dynamics of connections that exist between economic agents like firms, banks, countries, and individuals. How do loans between banks cause recessions? How do high schools look to their peers for policy ideas? How does misinformation spread on social media? Students will use economic theory as well as economic data to answer these questions and more. Prerequisites: ECON 260, ECON 261, and ECON 262.
ECON 384Econometrics: Cross-Sectional and Panel Data
This course emphasizes theoretical foundations, mathematical structure, and applications of major econometric techniques appropriate for cross-sectional and panel data. Topics to be covered include generalized least squares, dummy variables, non-linear models, instrumental variables techniques, fixed- and random-effects models, and limited dependent variable models. This course is recommended for students interested in analysis of issues in microeconomics and public policy. Offered annually. ECON 384 and ECON 385 may not both be used to satisfy the economic analysis requirements for the economics major. Prerequisite: ECON 262, one of ECON 260 or SDS 272, and MATH 220; or permission of instructor.
This course emphasizes the theoretical foundations, mathematical structure, and applications of major econometric techniques appropriate for time-series data. Topics covered include generalized least squares, single-equation time-series models, multi-variable time-series models, forecasting and forecast evaluation, and seasonality. This course is recommended for students interested in analysis of issues in macroeconomics and finance. Offered annually. ECON 384 and ECON 385 may not both be used to satisfy the economic analysis requirements for the economics major. Prerequisites: ECON 261, one of ECON 260 or SDS 272, and MATH 220; or permission of instructor.
Students have the opportunity to follow through on a project that they began in one of their 300-level economic analysis elective courses. Students gain hands-on experience in economic writing by turning a draft of this economics research paper into a complete journal article. They learn about the writing process, develop strong writing habits, prepare compelling data visualizations, and incorporate feedback from peers and experts in their areas of interest. Offered alternate years during January term. Prerequisites: ECON 260, ECON 261, and ECON 262, any 300-level Economic Analysis elective, and instructor permission. OLE Core Requirement: OLE Experience in Practice.
This course provides a comprehensive research opportunity, including an introduction to relevant background material, technical instruction, identification of a meaningful project, and data collection. The topic is determined by the faculty member in charge of the course and may relate to their research interests. Offered based on department decision. May be offered as a 1.00 credit course or .50 credit course. Prerequisite: determined by individual instructor.
Independent work is guided by a faculty member. Students need to have the necessary background, including appropriate coursework, before an independent project is approved. A student may not substitute an IS/IR course for a course regularly offered in a department or program. IS/IR culminates in at least one product (a paper, laboratory report, work of art, etc.). Normally, the student and faculty instructor are expected to meet at least once a week. See catalog for more information under registration and course enrollment. Prerequisites: at least second-year standing; at least 5 relevant courses for 398 (IR); approval from the faculty instructor, the academic advisor, and the department chair or program director.
Selected topics to be announced. May be repeated if topics are different. Prerequisites: ECON 261 and/or ECON 262 (at the discretion of the instructor) and one of ECON 260 or SDS 272, or permission of instructor.
