Teaching

Economics 102: Introduction to Macroeconomics:

Description

Analysis of aggregate economic activity. Topics include consumption, investment, and public spending; money and credit; theories of inflation and unemployment; the role of government in influencing total expenditures and regulating financial institutions; the international role of the United States.

Economics 222: Economic Analysis of Contemporary Policy Issues:

Description

This course is designed to illustrate the role of economic analysis in real world policy-making situations. After reviewing and expanding relevant theoretical concepts learned in Introductory Microeconomics, we will analyze case studies of actual circumstances faced by policy analysts. The case studies will cover the following topics: U.S. industrial policy and its effects on firm competitiveness and consumer welfare, antitrust policy and regulation of natural monopolies, market attempts by the government to control sulphur-dioxide emissions and acid rain, government attempts to impose consumer safety standards, and policy initiatives aimed at fighting poverty. Prerequisites: Econ 101 or Econ 100 with approval of the chair and conditional on a grade of 3.0 or higher.

Economics 224: Women in the Labor Market:

Description

This course examines the experiences of American women in the labor market over the last 50 years. After an examination of the historical trends of female labor force participation, the course will investigate such important issues facing women in the labor market as: investments in education; participation decisions and the relation between participation and family responsibilities; occupational location; salary growth and salary determinants. Supporting material on institutional factors such as equal employment opportunity legislation and on theoretical concepts in areas such as labor supply, human capital investment, and discrimination will be presented to help understand the empirical labor market outcomes. Comparisons of labor market races will be made throughout the course with the hope of increasing our understanding of why differences arise and whether policy initiatives might be helpful in reducing these differences.

Economics 302: Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis:

Description

Analysis of the behavior of aggregate economic variables such as GDP, inflation, unemployment, interest rates, and the budget and trade deficits. Structured around the development of a New Keynesian/Neoclassical general equilibrium model which relates the markets for goods, money, and labor. Specific topics include: determinants of the business cycle, effects of fiscal and monetary policies, supply shocks, inflationary expectations. Prerequisites: Economics 101, 102 and Mathematics 114 (or equivalent) or Economics 105 and one other economics course, excluding Mathematics 114 (or equivalent). Economics 100 can be applied with approval of the Chair, and conditioned on a grade of 3.0 or higher.

Economics 304: Introduction to Econometrics:

Description

Development of econometric theory introduced in Economics 203. Includes topics such as ordinary least squares estimation, weighted least squares estimation, estimation of models with nonlinear forms, instrumental variables, and maximum likelihood estimation. Emphasis will be on application of econometric techniques to real economic and social policy issues such as the optimality of speed limit control, AIDS awareness and behavior modification, labor market discrimination, and worker productivity. Students will be expected to use data sets to evaluate policy issues and will be required to make a final presentation of findings in class. Prerequisite: Economics 203.

Tri-College Course Guide