Courses Offered
Economics
A list of regularly offered courses follows. The indication of when a course will be offered is based on the best projection of the home department and can be subject to change.
Please note the key for the following abbreviations: (A) Arts; (H) Humanities; (S) Social Sciences; (N) Natural Sciences with Laboratory; (LS) Language Studies requirement; (NSP) Natural Science in Perspective; (NW) Non-Western Cultures requirement.
100. Introduction to Economic Principles. (S) Every Semester
Introduction to micro- and macroeconomics. Neoclassical models of economic behavior, market structures and aggregate economic performance. Topics include: supply and demand analysis; consumer and business behavior; market structures (competition, monopoly, oligopoly) and failures: inflation and unemployment; government fiscal and monetary policies. Dasgupta, Flaherty, Guleyruz, Maynard, Montgomery, White, Wright
103. Introduction to Economic Perspectives. (S) Every Semester
Introduction to economic institutions, history and competing paradigms and ideologies in economics. Conservative, liberal and radical perspectives; orthodox and heterodox economic theories. Topics include: the role of cultural, legal, economic and political institutions; class, gender and race; wealth and poverty; and the environment. Brennan, Nersisyan, Zein-Elabdin
130. Marxian Political Economy. (S) 2012 – 2013
Marx’s analysis of capitalism as an economic, social and historical system. Areas covered are: market economies and alienation; exploitation and class conflicts; the working “class”; competitive and monopolistic tendencies of capitalism; capitalist accumulation and economic crises; the role of the state; colonialism, imperialism and globalization. Particular attention will be paid to the contemporary relevance of Marx’s theory. Students are also introduced to the problems and methods of critical inquiry. Callari
201. Macroeconomics. (S) Every Semester
Aggregate economic activity: an examination of the factors that influence its level, stability and rate of growth. Consumption, savings, investment, fiscal and monetary policy and international trade and finance as influences on the level of prices, output, employment and income. Prerequisites: ECO 100 and 103. Flaherty, Koohi-Kamali, Nersisyan, White
205. Microeconomics. (S) Every Semester
The analytical foundations of neoclassical price theory: theory of the consumer; theory of the firm; market structure and efficiency; factor markets and income distribution; general equilibrium. Prerequisites: ECO 100 and 103. Dasgupta, Flaherty, Montgomery
207. Value and Distribution. (S) Every Semester
The analytical foundations of heterodox economic theories. Theoretical critiques of and alternatives to orthodox theories of: “factor” pricing and the distribution of income; macroeconomic dynamics of growth and stability; the neutrality and exogeneity of money; gendered (and non-market) economic relations. Prerequisites: ECO 100 and 103. Callari, Zein-Elabdin
210. Economic Statistics. (S) Every Fall
An introduction to statistical concepts and techniques as used in economics. Topics include descriptive statistics, sampling, probability, estimation, confidence intervals, hypothesis tests and regression analysis. Prerequisites: ECO 100 and 103. (ECO 210 is waived as a requirement for the economics major for students who have completed MAT 216). Guleyruz, Wright
231. Money and Banking. (S) 2012 – 2013
Commercial and central banking in the United States, including: Federal Reserve responsibility for influencing economic activity; the role of money in determining the level of national income and prices; and the nature of the international monetary system. Prerequisite: ECO 100 and 103. Nersisyan, Tcherneva
238. The Economy of Cities. (S) 2013 – 2014
An overview of the economic forces that have shaped the formation and transformation of cities in history, with particular focus on urban patterns since the 18th century. Topics covered include the effects of technological change (in production, transportation and marketing), urban sprawl, the role of “place” in the power dynamics and conflicts of capitalist societies and the history of urban- economic-development public policy initiates in the U.S. Required work includes a term paper. Prerequisites: ECO 100 and ECO 103. Callari
240. Environmental and Natural Resource Economics. (S) Fall 2013
A survey of environmental and natural resource issues in economic theory and policy. History of the environmental movement and environmental debates; theory of natural resource allocation, natural resource issues; theory of environmental management — for example, externalities, public goods and common property. Topics covered will include pollution, resource depletion and global climate change. Prerequisite: ECO 100 and 103, or permission of the instructor. Same as ENV 240. Wright, Zein-Elabdin
244. Women in the Economy. (S) Spring 2013
An analysis of the roles women and men have historically played and continue to play in the economy, both within and outside of the labor market. Topics include the historical conditions under which dominant gender ideals emerged, the value of unpaid work and national accounting, occupational segregation and labor market discrimination. Economic and interdisciplinary approaches are used. Prerequisite: ECO 100 and 103, or permission of the instructor. Same as WGS 244. Nersisyan
248. History of Economic Thought. (S) Fall 2012
A survey of ways of thinking about “economic” issues from antiquity to contemporary times, with each way placed in the context of the intellectual and social climate of its times. Special attention is paid to key analytical and methodological issues. Key figures studied include: Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, John Locke, Thomas Munn, David Hume, Adam Smith, Thomas Malthus, David Ricardo, Jeremy Bentham, Karl Marx, Thorstein Veblen, John Marshall, John M. Keynes, Fredrick Hayek, Paul Samuelson, Milton Friedman, Piero Sraffa, Paul Sweezy, Robert Lucas, Alan Greenspan and Callari Paul Krugman.
264. Introduction to International Economics. (S) Every Fall
Introduction of key concepts to describe and analyze international economic linkages. Analysis of international transactions in various markets including goods and services, capital, labor and foreign exchange. Core topics include: reasons for and benefits from international trade; exchange rate developments; benefits and risks of international capital flows; globalization; liberalization; regional integration; and development. Empirical approach with introduction of core theoretical concepts and policy perspectives. Prerequisite: ECO 100. Maynard, White
281. Political Economy of Africa. (S) (NW) 2013 – 2014
A broad idea of economic and social conditions in Africa and the factors that influence economic development in the region, power structures and processes of change. Historical analysis of pre- colonial systems of production and exchange and modifications introduced during the European colonial period. Examination of major current economic and political problems such as food production, external debt and the role of the state. Reflection on the question of economic development. Prerequisites: ECO 100 and 103, or permission of instructor. Same as AFS 281. Zein-Elabdin
282. Women, Culture and Development. (NW) (S) Fall 2012
Role of gender in different cultures across the non-industrialized world and impact of economic development on the position of women and gender relations in these societies. Women’s contribution to economic and social change and the extent to which conventional methods of analysis in development economics can be applied to their situations. Examination of the development of the “Third World woman” in the development literature. Prerequisite: ECO 100 and 103, or permission of the instructor. Same as WGS 282. Zein-Elabdin
291. Directed Readings. Every Semester
Tutorial for students who have not yet completed ECO 201, 205, 207 and 210. Students who have a special interest may arrange a tutorial with a faculty member. Enrollment is conditional on instructor’s permission.
310. Econometrics. (S) Every Spring
An introduction to statistical analysis of economic data, with a balance of theory, applications and original research. The Classical Linear Regression Model is covered in detail, along with typical departures from its assumptions including heteroscedasticity, serial correlation and non-stationarity. Further subjects can include instrumental variables, limited dependent variables and advanced time-series topics, depending on time and student interest. Prerequisites: ECO 100, 103 and ECO 210 or MAT 216. Koohi-Kamali, White
315. Macroeconomic Stability. (S) Spring 2013
John Maynard Keynes and Hyman Minsky on financial crises and economic recessions. Keynes’s critique of the neoclassical approach and his revolutionary investment theory of the business cycle. Minsky’s financial theory of investment as an evolutionary understanding of modern financial institutions and their role in preserving or undermining economic stability. Contemporary research to assess the relative effectiveness of monetary and fiscal policies in stabilizing an unstable economy, as well as their impact on employment, prices, and income distribution. Prerequisite: ECO 201 and Nersisyan ECO 207.
320. International Trade. (S) Spring 2013
Intermediate and advanced topics in international trade. Introduces theoretical structures and evaluates associated empirical literature. Core topics include examination of the determinants of international trade patterns, the gains from trade, trade policy, the relationship between trade and growth and the institutional evolution of the international trading system. Emphasis on different theoretical approaches, including models based on assumptions of perfect competition and of imperfect competition. Prerequisite: ECO 205 and ECO 264. Maynard, White
325. International Finance. (S) Spring 2013
Intermediate and advanced topics in international finance. Introduces theoretical structures and evaluates associated empirical literature. Core topics include determination of exchange rates, the functioning of the macroeconomy under different exchange rate regimes, foreign exchange intervention, currency crises, debt crises, coordinated macroeconomic policy, the evolution and future of the international monetary system as a whole. Emphasis on open-economy macroeconomics. Prerequisite: ECO 201 and ECO 264 Maynard, White
335. Economic Development. (S) (NW) 2013 – 2014
Theories of economic growth and development. Historical and political context of the emergence of the “less developed” world and the project of international development. Structure and performance of “less developed” economies. Current major policy issues including agriculture, industry, technology, foreign investment and international trade and debt. Prerequisite: ECO 201, or permission of the instructor. Zein-Elabdin
350. Game Theory. (S) 2012 – 2013
Game Theory provides a framework for analyzing strategic situations. Where to put your first serve in tennis, why some professors will never accept late submissions and why do Circuit City and BestBuy offer price matching guarantees are examples of strategic situations. Here each participant’s action can affect the outcome for others. The course teaches how to build models of strategic situations and introduces techniques to solve them. The solutions provide benchmark predictions of behavior observed in our lives. Prerequisite ECO 205. Dasgupta
391. Directed Reading. (S) Every Semester
Tutorial for students who have completed ECO 201, 205 and 207. Students who have a special interest may arrange a tutorial with a faculty member. Enrollment is conditional on instructor’s permission.
490. Independent Study. Every Semester
Independent research directed by the Economics staff. Permission of the instructor.
