A study of the historical evolution of economic thought and economic systems with major emphasis on the "market system" (capitalism). Topics include scarcity, economic systems, supply and demand, competition, monopoly power, income distribution and the role of government in the economy.
Every Fall, Interim and Spring
A study of the aggregate economy (including the international economy). Topics include national income accounting, economic indicators, business cycles, economic growth, the role of money in the economy, and monetary and fiscal policies. Alternative schools of economic thought are also presented.
Every Fall and Spring in person, online every Summer
The basic course in statistical inference oriented toward the elements of description, estimation, and the testing of hypotheses. Topics include probability distributions, confidence intervals, tests of means, proportions, and differences, correlation and regression, analysis of variance, and chi-square tests of qualitative data. Principles are applicable to both social and physical sciences.
Every Fall and Spring in person, online every Summer
Special Topics course.
Every other Fall, odd years
Development of the monetary and financial system: nature and functions of money, organization and operation of commercial banks and the Federal Reserve System and an introduction to monetary theory and policy.
Occasionally
This course focuses on applications of economic analysis to environmental problems. Topics include markets, externalities and property rights; economic value of the environment; cost-benefit analysis and discounting; sustainable economic growth; management of renewable and nonrenewable resources; economics of climate change; environmental policy and welfare analysis.
Every odd Spring
Intermediate Microeconomics applies economic analysis to the process of managerial decision making. Topics include consumer theory, production theory, supply and demand, elasticity, and managerial decision making under various market structures. Additional topics may include regression analysis, alternative explanations of wage rate determination, income inequality, and discrimination.
Every Spring
An analysis of aggregate production, employment, income, and price level from different theoretical perspectives.
Every Fall
This course offers an introduction to mathematical models of economic behavior. Part I focuses on basic concepts in game theory, including best response analysis, Nash equilibria in pure and mixed strategies, simultaneous and sequential games, repeated games, and games with incomplete information. These concepts will be used to analyze various forms of economic competition. Part II applies the techniques of linear algebra, calculus, and optimal control theory to a wide range of micro and macroeconomic settings. Topics include comparative statics, multivariable and constrained optimization, and economic dynamics.
ECON 320 (preferable as a prerequisite; may be a co-requisite)
Every other Spring, even years
this course is proposed to support the new Quantitive Economics major
The study of economic concepts and doctrines within the social context of the past and their impact on the development of economic theory and methodology.
HIST 337
Every other Spring, even years
Ordinary least squares regression, including underlying assumptions and interference in both simple and multiple regression models is discussed, as are dummy variables, model structure, and functional form. Methods designed to detect and correct for the violations of the standard assumptions are examined. The effects of individual observations and of correlation among independent variables are also discussed. Additional topics include simultaneous equations, time series, limited dependent variable, and panel data models.
Every other Fall, even years
Special Topics course.
An internship permits an individual to explore and obtain practical experience in a professional area of interest. Consult a department member for available opportunities. Plans for an internship must be made well in advance of the term in which the internship is to be carried out. Additional fees may apply.
Permission of the Department Chair
Every Fall, Interim, Spring and Summer