Economics Courses

Economics | Courses | Faculty

(All courses carry 3 credits unless otherwise noted.)

103 Introduction to Microeconomics (SB) (both sem)

Introduction to the economics of markets and market economies. Basic concepts of demand, supply, production, prices, allocation of resources, and distribution of income. Public policy applications.

104 Introduction to Macroeconomics (SB) (both sem)

Economic theory of the macro-economy. Determinants of unemployment rates, inflation rates, national income, GDP. Tools of public policy available which can be used to promote macroeconomic goals.

105 Introduction to Political Economy (SBU) (both sem)

Introduction to economic analysis for majors and nonmajors. Facts and concepts basic to understanding the U.S. economy today. Topics include: unemployment, economic development, inequality, technology, government economic policy, economic alternatives, and discrimination. Contrasting theoretical perspectives.

121 The International Economy (SB)

The role of the U.S. in the changing world economy. Implications for the U.S. of intensified international competition and trade imbalances. Emphasis on current issues: e.g., NAFTA, protecting the environment, global aid, international banking regulation, and industrial policy.

144 Political Economy of Racism (SBU)

The interaction between economics and racial discrimination. The economic history of race relations and the economic experience of non-whites in the U.S. Conservative, liberal, and radical views of discrimination evaluated. Policy questions and current issues discussed.

151 Introduction to Quantitative Economics

Introduction to the fundamental quantitative elements of economic theory: utility functions, production functions (including production of negative externalities), macroeconomic targets, index numbers, compound rates of growth, discounting. Applications to consumer choice theory, natural resource extraction, economic growth, macroeconomic stabilization policy. Economics majors and minors may substitute this course for MATH 127.

152 Introduction to Mathematical Methods in Economics

Introduction to the mathematical concepts and techniques of economic analysis. Emphasizes the motivation for mathematical reasoning through the construction and interpretation of economic models and their use in developing insight into economic phenomena. Topics include: use of mathematics in marginal analysis, consumer surplus analysis, and analysis of decision making under risk. ECON majors and minors may use this course as a substitute for MATH 128. Prerequisite: ECON 151 or MATH 127 or 131 or 135.

177 Comparison of the U.S. and Japanese Economies (SBG)

Examination of social, cultural, and economic elements of Japanese life that impinge upon Japanese economy; comparison of those elements and that economy with U.S. counterparts.

203 Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (both sem)

Neoclassical microeconomic theory. Consumer behavior, theory of the firm, markets, income distribution, general equilibrium, welfare economics. Prerequisites: ECON 103, and ECON 190Q or MATH 127 or 131 or 135.

204 Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory (both sem)

Analysis of theories of determination of national income, aggregate employment, and the price level. Monetary and fiscal policy. Inflation, unemployment, and economic growth. Prerequisites: ECON 103, 104; ECON 190Q or MATH 127 or 131 or 135.

305 Marxian Economic Theory

Introduction to Marxian theory and modern political economy. Logic and methods of Marxian analysis of economic change; comparisons between Marxian and non-Marxian theories.

306 History of Economic Thought (HS)

The ideas of the major intellectual forerunners of modern economic thought, including Adam Smith, Ricardo, Marx, the marginalists, Keynes. Emphasis on the relevance for modern analysis and policy. Prerequisites: ECON 103 and 104.

307 Applied Economic Topics

Application of microeconomic theory to selected economic problems. Topics vary. Microeconomic theory as a useful and practical tool for understanding economic behavior and policy and their consequences. Prerequisite: ECON 203.

308 Political Economy of the Environment

Application of the theories of political economy to environmental problems and issues. Topics include regulatory and market approaches to pollution and natural resource depletion; cost-benefit analysis and its economic and political foundations; and case studies of specific environmental problems such as acid rain, deforestation, and global warming. Prerequisites: any two of ECON 103, 105, 203, and 305.

309 Game Theory

Theory and applications of game theory, a major tool of analysis in economics, biology, and political science. Applications include: bargaining, auctions, the "prisoner's dilemma," the "tragedy of the commons," tacit collusion, competition among firms, and strategic interactions in labor, credit, and product markets. Prerequisites: ECON 103 and MATH 127 or 131 or 135.

311 Money and Banking (both sem)

The nature and functions of money and the significance of monetary circulation, commercial banks, the Central Bank, the non-bank financial institutional structure; integration of monetary theory into a general theory of economic activity, employment, prices. Prerequisites: ECON 103 and 104.

313 Public Finance

Federal budgetary policy and the U.S. economy. Impact of social-welfare spending and taxes on income distribution, growth, cyclical stability, and efficiency. Prerequisites: ECON 203 and 204.

314 State and Local Public Finance

Economic rationale for government provision of such public goods as criminal justice, schooling, and infrastructure. Problems aggregating diverse citizen preferences into policy decisions, voting paradoxes, government inefficiency. Taxpayer revolts and other measures to limit authority of government officials. Creative responses to make government more responsive to the electorate, including privat-ization. Prerequisite: ECON 203.

321 International Monetary Theory

The history of the international monetary and commercial system from the gold exchange standard in the 1920s to the present period of floating exchange rates. Systems of fixed and floating exchange rates from theoretical and applied points of view. The roles of international credits, Euro-currency, central bank policies. Prerequisite: ECON 204 (311 recommended).

322 International Trade

The pure theory of non-monetary international trade, including analysis of the costs and gains of trade, application of the theory to problems of commercial policy. Prerequisite: ECON 203.

330 Labor in the American Economy (both sem)

Introduction to labor economics; emphasis on public policy issues such as unemployment, age and sex discrimination, collective bargaining, labor law reform, occupational safety and health.

331 Organization of American Industry

A broad survey of U.S. industrial structure and public policies toward business (antitrust, regulation and deregulation, etc.). Open to non-majors. Prerequisite: ECON 103.

341 Labor Economics

Basic-choice-theoretic model of labor-leisure choice. Returns to education and occupational choice. Demand for labor. Minimum wages; changing income distribution, education and open economy influence; immigration. Effect of household structure and tax-expenditure system on income structure. Prerequisite: ECON 203.

348 The Political Economy of Women

A critical review of neoclassical, Marxist, and feminist economic theories pertaining to inequality between men and women in both the family and the firm.

361 European Economic History (HS)

The emergence and development of capitalist economic organization and institutions in western Europe, 1600-1939. Comparison of British, French, German, Russian experience. The 19th-century world economy and its dissolution. Prerequisites: ECON 103, 104 and HIST 140-141 (or 150-151) or consent of instructor.

362 American Economic History (HS) (both sem)

Economic development in the U.S. from colonial era to present. America as a raw materials producer, an agrarian society, and an industrial nation. Possible topics: development of economic systems, demographic trends, industrialization, regional development, growth of large-scale enterprise and organized labor, changing role of government. Prerequisites: ECON 103, 104 and HIST 150-151 (or 140-141) or consent of instructor.

366 Economic Development

Theories of economic growth applied to Third World countries. Classical and Neoclassical economic theories and structural/historical theories. Topics such as the role of foreign investment and multinational corporations, and strategies of industrialization and employment creation, and rural development. Prerequisites: ECON 103 and 104, or consent of instructor.

371 Comparative Economic Systems

Evaluation and comparison of the structure and performance of alternative economic systems. Topics include: mechanisms of resource allocation and pricing, institutions of government policy, organization of work and labor relations, international trade and finance, and income distribution. Prerequisite: ECON 103.

373 Socialist Economics

Two interconnected topics: a socialist critique of capitalism, and a critical analysis of socialist economies with a focus on the rise and fall of the U.S.S.R. Readings on the classics of socialism, especially marxist analyses, and on the actual economic history of modern socialist economies. Prerequisites: ECON 103, 104. ECON 105 recommended.

374 Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy: Three Utopias and their Critics

Critically examines formal models of three major systems of governance and allocation using contemporary economic theory (including game theory) and political philosophy. Includes the "marriage of capitalism and democracy," socialist feminism, the market as a cultural, political, and economic institution, and economic democracy. Prerequisites: ECON 105 and 305.

383 Writing in Economics (both sem) 2 cr

Intensive course dealing with various topics in Economics. Must be taken in conjunction with ECON 400. ECON 383 and ECON 400 together fulfill the Junior Year Writing requirement. Neither course counts toward the upper-level course requirement for an Economics major or minor. Open to Economics majors only. Prerequisites: ECON 103, 104.

400 Writing Workshop in Economics (both sem) 1 cr

To be taken in conjunction with designated writing sections of upper-division courses in order to complete the Junior Year Writing requirement.

505 Advanced Marxian Economics

The Marxist conceptual framework developed and applied to the study of social formations and to the further elaboration of Marxian value theory. Prerequisite: ECON 305.

567 Latin American Economic Development

The economic systems of Latin America. Structural problems of export-oriented economics and historical comparisons of development strategies. Prerequisite: ECON 366 or consent of instructor.

Economics | Courses | Faculty