Economics Courses

Program | Faculty | Master's | Doctoral | Courses

All courses carry 3 credits unless otherwise specified.

503 Advanced Microeconomic Theory

Detailed examination of selected topics: consumer behavior, production, capital, income distribution, market structure, general equilibrium, game theory and coalition formation. Not available for Ph.D. credit. Prerequisite: ECON 203.

504 Advanced Macroeconomic Theory

Comparison of major schools of macroeconomic thought and their application to current economic trends and policy debates. Not available for Ph.D. credit. Prerequisite: ECON 204.

505 Advanced Marxian Economics

Marxian conceptual framework developed and applied to study of social formations and to further elaboration of Marxian value theory. Not available for Ph.D. credit. Prerequisite: ECON 305.

511 Money and Banking

Advanced examination of development and operation of United States monetary and banking systems. Problems of achieving full employment and price stability through monetary controls. Not available for Ph.D. credit. Prerequisites: ECON 103 and 104.

515 Economic Theories of the State

Connections between public issues: inflation, ecological deterioration, regional and class inequalities, budget crises, and historically evolving relations between governmental and economic institutions. Not available for Ph.D. credit. Prerequisites: ECON 203, 204, and 305.

531  Structure of American Industry

Market competition and economic development in American industries. Social effectiveness of industry analyzed through measures of industrial structure; and market performance. Not available for Ph.D. credit. Prerequisite: ECON 103.

567 Latin American Economic Development

Economic systems of Latin America. Emphasizing structural problems of export-oriented economics and historical comparisons of development strategies. Prerequisite: ECON 366. Not available for Ph.D. credit.

582 Urban Economics

Current urban problems, their causes, and alternatives for their solution. Urban public finance, location theory, land use, housing, transportation, and the environment. Prerequisite: ECON 103. Not available for Ph.D. credit.

601 Microeconomic Theory

Theory of the consumer, firm, industry, and their interactions. One semester terminal course. Prerequisite: ECON 203. Not available for Ph.D. credit.

605 Macroeconomic Theory

Systematic development of static and dynamic theories of aggregative economic behavior and their applications. One semester terminal course. Prerequisite: ECON 204. Not available for Ph.D. credit.

691 Seminar in Economic Issues

Topics may vary from year to year. Not available for Ph.D. credit.

699 Master's Thesis

Credit, 6-9.

700 Microeconomics of Coordination and Conflict

Introduces microeconomic concepts relevant to the coordination of social interactions with particular attention to conflict, cooperation, collective action, competition, and coordination failures.

701 Microeconomic Theory

Systematic development of theory of the consumer, firm, and industry, and their interactions through markets. Prerequisite: ECON 303.

702 Game Theory

Addresses contemporary issues in game theory and the microfoundations of economic institutions. Prerequisite: ECON 751.

703 Introduction to Economic History

Introduction to economic history. Topics: transition from feudalism to capitalism in Europe; slavery and the southern U.S. economy; rise of large-scale firms; de-pression and instability in the 20th century. Prerequisite: Economic graduate student status or consent of instructor.

705, 706 Macroeconomic Theory

Systematic development of static and dynamic theories of aggregative economic behavior and their applications. Prerequisite: ECON 204.

707 History of Economic Thought

Alternative concepts of economics and radically different economic theories have always contested for hegemony within economics. Examines pre-classical, classical, Marxian, neo-classical, and Keynesian theories to stress their differences and conflicts.

708 Political Economy I

Marxian theory. Topics include historical materialism, class, value and surplus val-ue, the labor process, and accumulation and crisis. Additional topics vary with instructor.

709 Political Economy II

Presents leading and contending Marxian theories of society and knowledge. Class and value analysis of capitalist institutions, markets, and economy. Comparison between capitalist and non-capitalist societies examined.

710 Political Economy III

Current issues in political economy, focusing on race and gender inequalities. Consideration of Marxian, feminist, institutionalist and neoclassical approaches. Some attention to empirical and econometric research. Prerequisite: ECON 708 or equivalent.

711 Money, Credit and Financial Markets

Considers a range of questions in which financial structures play a central role, including monetary theory and financial regulation; the politics of central bank policy; and the theory of saving and investment.

712 Monetary and Fiscal Policy

Analytical treatment of effects of government and central bank policies intended to achieve price stabilization and eco-nomic growth. Prerequisite: ECON 511 or consent of instructor.

713, 714 Public Finance

Theory of public goods and nonmarket allocation. Normative models of public expenditure and taxation. Integration of equity and efficiency considerations in evaluation of tax expenditure programs. Prerequisite: ECON 701 or consent of instructor.

721  International Finance

Analysis of properties of foreign exchange markets, adjustment mechanisms, speculation, capital flows, transfer problems and relationship between balance of payments correctives and domestic policy goals. Prerequisite: ECON 705 or consent of instructor.

722 International Trade Theory

Pure theory of international trade. Reasons for trade, gains from trade, factor price equalization, commercial policy, trade and economic development, and customs unions.

731 Industrial Organization

Theories of firm and market organization, cooperation and competition. Empirical analysis of changes in firm and market structure in historical and contemporary industries worldwide. Prerequisite: ECON 701 or consent of instructor.

732 Industrial Regulation

Public policies toward monopoly power. Survey of literature on antitrust, regulation, and deregulation. Reviews lending techniques and cases. Prerequisite: ECON 203 or consent of instructor.

741 Collective Bargaining

Legal background of collective bargaining, process, subject matter, and problems involved. Individual case problems. Prerequisite: ECON 330.

743 Wage Theory and Wage Relationships

Theoretical and institutional study of theories of wages and wage structure. Prerequisite: ECON 330.

746 Comparative Labor Movements

Labor movements in various countries; analysis of their similarities and differences. Prerequisite: ECON 330.

747 Manpower Development

Critical examination of current manpower and problems. Quantity and quality of manpower resources, problems of labor employment and mobility. Adjustment policies and research tools reviewed. Prerequisite: ECON 330.

751 Mathematical Methods for Economists

Develops mathematical skills required in macroeconomics, microeconomics, econometrics, and most fields of applied economics. Includes optimization techniques and dynamics. Mastery of mathematical reasoning reinforced by extensive problem solving.

752 Econometrics

Application of modern statistical methods to micro- and macroeconomic theory formulated in mathematical terms. Prerequisite: ECON 751 or equivalent.

753 Applied Econometrics

Examines econometric techniques by observing how practitioners have utilized econometrics as a tool for analyzing substantive questions.

763 European Economic History

The Atlantic economy and slave trade. Development of capitalism in Britain, France, Germany, Russia. Industrialization and its consequences. Interactions between European and non-European economies, including trade, foreign investment and imperialism, migration.

764 United States Economic History

Evolution of the U.S. economy from colonial times, including slavery, the development of capitalism, large corporations, trade unions, the Great Depression, and the changing role of the state.

765 Economic Development:  Structural Problems

Concept of economic development and structural changes needed in underdeveloped countries to permit development. Prerequisite: 15 hours of economics.

766 Economic Development:Policy Issues

Policy decisions involved in efforts of underdeveloped countries to induce development. Prerequisite: ECON 765.

773 Theories of Economic Systems

 Theory of alternative economic systems, of national economic planning, and of re-source allocation under different systems.

781, 782 Labor Economics

Theoretical and empirical analysis of labor market issues primarily using tools developed in microeconomics and econometrics. First semester: a general survey of neoclassical, institutionalist, and Marxian theories and empirical work on wage determination. Second semester: an intensive analysis of selected topics. Prerequisites for 781: ECON 701 and RES-ECON 702 or consent of instructor. Prerequisite for 782: ECON 781 or consent of

 instructor.

785, 786 Political Economy of Capitalism

Mutual interaction of social relations of production, forces of production, and class. Roles of the state, surplus and capital accumulation, imperialism, sexism, racism in development and maintenance of capitalist system.

791 Seminar in Economic Issues

Topics may vary from year to year.

796 Special Studies in Economics

Credit, 2-9 each semester.

797A Special Topics — Labor Markets, Distribution, and Macroeconomic Activity

Focuses on mass unemployment, examining the classic work of Marx, Keynes, and Kalecki, the contemporary Marxian and Keynesian contributions, and the "natural rate of unemployment" and NAIRU literature.

797B Special Topics — Communism, Capitalism and the USSR

Present forms of capitalism and communism, including private, state, market, and democratic. Focus on the rise and fall of the U.S.S.R. to illustrate these different forms within one society. Prerequisite: ECON 709 or consent of instructor.

797C Special Topics — General Equilibrium and Welfare Analysis

Analysis of Walrasian general equilibrium, including its existence, uniqueness, stability and optimality properties. Imperfect competition, the role of capital, and the assumption of fixed-factor supplies also considered. Prerequisite: ECON 701.

797D Special Topics — Theoretical Institutional Economics

For advanced students wishing to pursue research and reading in the analysis of institutions, their consequences and their evolution including the distribution of property rights, systems of economic governance, the evolution of preferences, and the economics of communities.

797E Special Topics — International Economics

Examines the impact of multinational corporations, trade, and capital mobility on accumulation, distribution, and growth. Studies the political economy of international regulatory institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization, and develops egalitarian alternatives to the current neo-liberal regime. Prerequisites: ECON 705 and 721 or consent of instructor.

797F Special Topics — Advanced Marxian Economics

Extends value and surplus value theory to study industrial, merchant and financial enterprises, state, households, globalization, and socialism and communism. Examines interactions among such enterprises, households, and state.

801 Economic Theory Workshop

802 History and Development Workshop

803 Labor Economics Workshop

804 Political Economy Workshop

851, 852 Seminar in Quantitative Economics

For advanced students with interest in econometrics. Lectures on advanced topics, and discussion of econometric and other empirical studies by members of the seminar. Prerequisite: ECON 753 or consent of instructor.  Credit, 3 each semester.

891, 892 Seminar in Economic Theory

Development of models of economic processes; emphasis on analysis in depth. Topics may vary from year to year.  Credit, 3 each semester.

899 Doctoral Dissertation

Credit, 15.