| ECON 190 - Principles of Economics | (4 semester hrs.) | J. Ankrom/F. Tiffany
M. Frost J. Goulet D. Wishart |
| An introduction to basic principles of economics. Topics covered include supply and demand, marginal analysis, perfect competition, profit maximization, aggregate demand and supply, the level of employment, inflation, fiscal policy, monetary policy, and international trade. Students must have attained the math placement level 22 to enroll. Lecture/discussion format. | ||
| ECON 240 - American Economic History | (4 semester hrs.) | M. Frost |
| American Economic History will acquaint students with several important areas of recent research in the new economic history. Readings and lecture/discussion sessions will enable students to explain colonial trade with European powers, the cost of British mercantilist policy to the American colonists, the transportation revolution of the early 19th century, mechanization of agriculture, the origins of slavery and its implications for American economic growth, the costs of the Civil War, the rise of big business, labor unions, and a regulatory governmental bureaucracy, the creation of modern monetary institutions in the United States, the economic consequences of World War I, the causes of the Great Depression, and economic mobilization during World War II. Students will be required to take midterm and final exams. A 10 to 15 page research paper that surveys the literature on a topic in American Economic History is required. Writing Intensive. Prerequisites: ECON 190. | ||
| ECON 290 - Labor Relations | (4 semester hrs.) | J. Goulet |
| This course focuses on the relationship between the management of an organization and its certified union representatives. The legal foundations of labor relations will be presented as well as the historical foundations of the American labor movement. The basis of the relationship between the parties is the labor contract which is negotiated through the collective bargaining process. The course will deal with contract administration, the day-to-day application of the contract as well as its grievance procedure mechanism. Discipline, due process and the just cause standard for it are also discussed in the course. The course covers public sector labor relations as well as those of private sector firms. Three examinations and a paper presentation are required. | ||
| ECON 310 - Intermediate Microeconomic Theory | (4 semester hrs.) | F. Tiffany |
| Economics 310 is a rigorous examination and extension of the microeconomic principles learned in ECON 190. Formal models of consumer and producer behavior are presented, along with theories of market behavior under assumptions of both perfect and imperfect competition. It is essential that students taking this course have a thorough understanding of ECON 190 and MATH 120. Lecture/discussion format. Grade is based on two midterm exams and a comprehensive final exam. Prerequisites: ECON 190 and MATH 120 | ||
| ECON 320 - History of Economic Thought | (4 semester hrs.) | D. Wishart |
| This course critically examines the work of economic thinkers from the time of Plato through the early 20th century. The goal of this course is to both enable students to understand how the environment economic thinkers lived in influenced their analysis and to appreciate how economic thought has been refined and improved through the ages. The centerpiece of the course will continue to be a detailed textual analysis of Adam Smith's classic work, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations Readings will focus on original texts as much as possible throughout the course. Students will be expected to write two short papers, give one in-class presentation, write midterm and final exams, and participate actively in class discussions. The format for the course is lecture-discussion. This course is writing intensive. Prerequisites: ECON 101, 102 | ||
| ECON 350 - Environmental & Natural Resource Economics | (4 semester hrs.) | D. Wishart |
| This course will enable students to discuss alternative views on the relationship between population growth and the prospects for improvement in living standards over time. The relationship between population growth and living standards will be examined in the context of different economic models in the light of empirical evidence. Students will also learn about the role that markets play in allocating scarce renewable and nonrenewable natural resources. Limitations of a market approach to allocation of natural resources will be considered. Policy options for coping with environmental degradation that embody market and nonmarket approaches will be evaluated. Two exams and a final will be given. Students will write a 10 to 15 page research paper. The course is writing intensive. The format is lecture/discussion. ECON 190 and MATH 120 or their equivalents are prerequisites. | ||
| ECON 391 - Advanced Economic Theory | (4 semester hrs.) | J. Ankrom/F. Tiffany |
| This course broadens and deepens understanding of intermediate economic theory through the coverage of a series of advanced topics in both microeconomic and macroeconomic theory. The microeconomic portion of the course focuses on game theory and its use in economics while the macroeconomic portion is devoted to developing a market-clearing macroeconomic model and contrasting it with traditional Keynesian models. The course assumes basic knowledge of both calculus and probability. Lecture/discussion format. Prerequisites: ECON 310 and 311, MGT 210, MATH 131 or 201. | ||
| Wittenberg’s official curriculum and academic policies are contained in the Academic Catalog. The latest edition of the Catalog is available online. | ||
