In this course, we seek to elucidate our role as consumers in society and demonstrate the usefulness of economic perspectives in understanding not just the economy, but society more broadly. We are all consumers in many ways. We consume physical products, of course, but we also consume art, media, information, policy, and natural resources. This course will use economics to shed light on these many dimensions of consumption. We will begin by establishing some key economic principles and themes. We will then proceed to use these as a lens for thinking through diverse topics, ranging from classic consumer markets to education policy, from environmental issues to fashion and entertainment. Fall 2021 (Chan & Mullins) Fall 2022 (Mullins)

Students work in a team-based learning environment to develop understanding of contemporary computing tools and concepts and the higher-order skills necessary to design and develop information systems that serve the interests of an organization. Topics include data analysis and modeling using MS Excel spreadsheets and relational data management using MS Access and an introduction to SAS analytics software. Students are evaluated through a variety of means: group projects, individual homework, in class team-based exercises, informal reflections, peer evaluations, and exams. Spring 2020 Syllabus

The purpose of this course is to present intermediate level microeconomic theory.  Primarily we will focus on consumer demand theory and economics of production.  Both graphical and mathematical approaches will be presented.  This course provides the background necessary for more advanced courses in the department. Prerequisites: RES-ECON 102 or ECON 103, MATH 127 or MATH 131. Fall 2019 Syllabus, Spring 2020 Syllabus

Designed for students in the social science and business related fields of study. Introduction to basic statistical methods used to collect, summarize, and analyze numerical data. Emphasis on application to decision making; examples from the social sciences and business. Topics include: common statistical notation, elementary probability theory, sampling, descriptive statistics, statistical estimation and hypothesis testing. Basic algebra and familiarity with computer and internet necessary. Fall 2019 Syllabus, Spring 2020 Syllabus (CPE)
Also available online: Register

Economic analysis of environmental problems focusing on air, water, and land pollution. Emphasis is on analyzing the individual incentives that lead to environmental degradation, the valuation of environmental quality, and the design and evaluation of regulations that seek to improve environmental quality. Includes the economic analysis of global climate change. Spring 2020 Syllabus
Also available online: Register

This course satisfies the Junior Year Writing requirement for students in RES-ECON. The emphasis is on developing students’ skills in critical thinking, writing, and effective communication. Prerequisite: ENGLWRIT 112 and Junior Standing. Fall 2019 Syllabus, Spring 2020 Syllabus

No matter what type of job you get when you leave the ResEc family, you will need to be able to make good decisions using numbers. Some of you will get jobs performing analysis, while some of you will need to judge the credibility of the analysis done by others. The goal of this class is to introduce you to decision analysis. Decision Analysis covers how to best make decisions in an uncertain world. Topics include belief formation and updating, logical decision making and avoiding common decision errors, and appropriate information gathering. Fit with other courses: This course contributes to the quantitative sequence by further reinforcing how numbers can help us to make good decisions and by improving the students’ technical skills related to probabilities. The course contributes to the theoretical sequence by focusing on logical and consistent decision making and an understanding of behavioral biases that can adversely affect decision-making.  Prerequisite: RES-ECON 212 or STATISTC 240. Fall 2019 Syllabus, Spring 2020 Syllabus

Foundations of the interest rate theory and fundamentals of finance. A problem-solving approach to selected financial applications as they affect microeconomic units such as the individuals, households, and small businesses. Financial planning, spending, credit and saving, investing, taxes, insurance, retirement, and estate planning are examples of the topics that will be examined. Prerequisites: RES- ECON 102 or ECON 103, MATH 127 or MATH 131. Fall 2019 Syllabus, Spring 2020 Syllabus

This course introduces students to a holistic framework for understanding the relationships between global inequality, economic development, and environmental degradation.  A range of practical pathways toward more sustainable global development are discussed and evaluated from economic, societal, and environmental perspectives. Topics include: the development gap; climate change; food security; population growth and distribution; approaches to addressing extreme poverty; biodiversity and ecosystem services; health, education, agriculture, and political institutions in the context of economic development; global carrying capacity and environmental load. Prerequisite: RES-ECON 102 or ECON 103 or RES-ECON 262 or RES-ECON 263. Spring 2020 Syllabus Spring 2021 Syllabus Spring 2022 Syllabus

This course introduces students to the theory and methods of health economics and demonstrates how these methods can be applied to understand phenomena and analyze issues in health policy, business, and management. We will explore how scholars and practitioners address empirical questions in health economics and the methods and data that are available. Topics include: COVID-19 and the diffusion and innovation in health care; the demand for health care; health insurance; geographic variation in medical spending; physician labor market; hospital and health systems; pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical devices; drug development, pricing, and FDA regulation; technology assessment; special topics (poll). Prerequisite: RES-ECON 202 or ECON 203 or consent of the instructor. Fall 2021 Syllabus (Wang, L.) Fall 2022 Syllabus (Wang, L.)

Independent Study courses are available to students who wish to pursue a particular topic in depth. They generally take the form of a reading course with weekly one-on-one discussions with the professor about the reading, a research experience with completion of a written mini-thesis report involving regular consultation with the professor, or a combination of these two formats. Other formats are possible with the approval of the professor selected by the student to direct the course. Independent study courses do not count toward any departmental requirements.

See the Resource Economics Independent Study Course Approval Form for details. 

We will explore and develop a variety of univariate time-series techniques. We will show how to use these techniques to make forecasts for different economic variables. We will compare forecasts using univariate methods with forecasts obtained using econometric models. Prerequisite: RES-ECON 213. Spring 2020 Syllabus

The purpose of this class is to introduce the methodology of experimental economics and what we have learned from the application of these techniques. Economics is fundamentally the study of how individuals, firms and governments allocate scarce resources. This involves decision making which is the focus of experimental economics. The techniques of Experimental Economics are used for a myriad of purposes. Roth (1995) in the introduction to the Handbook of Experimental Economics categorizes these as “Speaking to Theorists”, “Searching for Facts”, and “Whispering in the Ears of Princes” (p. 22). We will focus on “Speaking to Theorists” – how the decision making of real economic agents relates to theory and the implications for public policy “Whispering in the Ears of Princes”. When students complete this class they will be expected to understand how individuals make decisions in a wide range of situations. Students will understand the importance of taking into account preferences for altruism, fairness and reciprocity to the predictions of standard theory, and also be able to identify situations where these preferences are important and when they are overshadowed by factors such as competition. Prerequisite: RES-ECON 202 or ECON 203. Spring 2020 Syllabus

Rationale and structure of public policies that affect the operation of private markets in the U.S., with special emphasis on consumer goods industries.  Focus on antitrust and competition policies (e.g., those covering collusive restraints of trade, monopolization, and mergers) and on policies that affect product quality and information (e.g., product standards, regulation of advertising and labeling). BS Managerial Economics majors can satisfy their Integrative Experience requirement by taking this course plus Res-Econ 394LI and 452.  Prerequisite: RES-ECON 452. Integrative Experience Course. Fall 2019 Syllabus, Spring 2020 Syllabus (Mohapatra), Spring 2020 Syllabus (Rojas)

This course addresses advanced topics in environmental and natural resource economics. It applies tools from microeconomic theory and statistics to analyze a wide array of environmental issues, including energy efficiency programs, conservation initiatives, climate change mitigation, ‘green’ products and ecolabeling, and the impacts of pollution on human health. BS-ResEc majors can satisfy their Integrative Experience requirement by taking this course plus Res-Econ 394LI and 471. Prerequisite: RES-ECON 202 or ECON 203 and RES-ECON 212 or STATISTCS 240. Integrative Experience & Capstone Course. Fall 2019 Syllabus