ECON 190S – Principles of Economics
4 semester hours
Frost, Marcia; Tiffany, Frederick; Wishart, David
Prerequisites: Students must have attained the math placement level 22 to enroll.
An introduction to basic principles of economics. Topics covered include supply and demand, marginal analysis, competition, profit maximization, aggregate demand, and supply, the level of employment, inflation, fiscal policy, monetary policy, and international trade. Lecture/discussion format.
ECON 205 - Macroeconomic Stabilization Policy
2 semester hours
Gwinn, Lawrence
Prerequisite: Economics 190S
Macroeconomic Stabilization Policy is a two-semester hour course building on the fundamentals learned in Economics 190. The course is intended to elevate the understanding of economics, financial economics, and management majors to a level that allows them to understand the macroeconomic environment in which institutions operate and to easily transition to upper level economics courses that employ macroeconomic analysis. Economics 205 also covers the relationship between foreign exchange rate systems and the domestic economy. The course will be of interest to any student desiring further study of how central banks and governments respond to the problems of inflation and unemployment using monetary and fiscal policy.
ECON 240 – American Economic History
4 semester hours
Frost, Marcia
Prerequisites: ECON 190.
This course is primarily an exploration of the economic development of what is now the United States from pre-history into the 20th century. We will survey the “new economic history” that has been researched and written over the past four decades. Among the topics and issues we will examine are: economic growth in the long run and over the business cycle, including the pace, composition and proximate cause; human inputs and outcomes, including population growth, immigration, labor force and per capita income; and institutions, including money, government regulation & provision of goods and services, business and slavery. Lecture/discussion format. Students may register for a cultures and languages across the curriculum module. See the language descriptions
for details about the CLAC Program.
ECON 275 – Economies in Transition
4 semester hours
Frost, Marcia
Prerequisite: Econ 190
Transition economics, a new field since the early 1990s, explores the process and results of the decisions of the nation states of the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and East Asia to move from centrally-planned toward market and from socialist toward capitalist economies. A central focus of the course will be the examination of the strategies pursued and progress of transition in these countries at the macro and sectoral levels, the institutions that have evolved, and the human welfare consequences of the transition process. This course meets the non-Western goal (C) and is cross-listed with East Asian, Russian, and Central Eurasian Area Studies; offered every 3rd semester. Writing Intensive.
Students may register for a cultures and languages across the curriculum module. See the language descriptions for details about the CLAC Program.
ECON 300 – Econometrics
4 semester hours
Gwinn, Lawrence
Prerequisites: ECON 190 and MATH 131Q or its equivalent and BUSN 210 or its equivalent.
Econometrics revolves around constructing and statistically testing economic models. The lectures will focus on discussing methodology in economics and learning the fundamentals of regression analysis. In addition, a large portion of the course will be devoted to research projects in which students use a computer regression package to test economic theory against empirical evidence, analyze economic policies, and forecast economic variables. Writing Intensive.
ECON 301 – Financial Markets and Institutions
4 semester hours
Ankrom, Jeff
Prerequisites: ECON 190 and MATH 120.
The course is meant to impart a basic understanding of money and financial institutions and their impact on the working of the economy. This will be accomplished by examining the following topics.
The course will have a lecture/discussion format and will involve regular reading of the Wall Street Journal. Exams, quizzes, and class discussion form the basis for the course grade.
ECON 311 – Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory
4 semester hours
Gwinn, Lawrence
Prerequisites: ECON 190 and MATH 120 or its equivalent.
This course builds on the ideas presented in ECON 190 and develops in greater detail models that analyze the national economy, with an emphasis on the distinction between short-run and long-run equilibrium, and on the various schools of thought. We discuss problems inherent in fiscal and monetary stabilization policy and their relationship to unemployment, inflation, and economic growth. A good understanding of algebra is necessary.
ECON 350 – Environmental & Natural Resource Economics
4 semester hours
Wishart, David
Prerequisites: ECON 190 and MATH 120 or their equivalents.
This course examines economic approaches to coping with environmental problems and natural resource scarcity. Emphasis is given to the clear definition and enforcement of property rights as a means to avoid environmental problems. Models for pricing various renewable and nonrenewable natural resources are explored. The role of population change in environmental and natural resource issues is considered. Two exams and a final will be given. Students will write a 10 to 15 page term paper. Writing Intensive.
ECON 390 – Advanced Topics: Game Theory
4 semester hours
Tiffany, Frederick
Prerequisites: MATH 131 or 201 and any statistics course and ECON 310 or permission.
This course is an introduction to non-cooperative game theory and its applications to economics. Topics will include simultaneous and sequential games, Nash equilibrium, and related equilibrium concepts, methods for finding equilibria, the Prisoners’ Dilemma, various models of oligopoly, and the roles of uncertainty and imperfect information in games
The course will have a lecture/discussion format. Students will be evaluated on the basis of two or three midterm examinations, a final examination, and frequent homework assignments.
Mathematics majors and minors who have taken ECON 190S are invited to seek permission to take the course.
ECON 400 – Senior Seminar in Economics
4 semester hours
Wishart, David
Prerequisites: ECON 280 or 310, ECON 301 or 311, ECON 300, MATH 131 or 201, and senior standing.
This capstone course for both the Economics and Financial Economics majors requires students to synthesize their knowledge of economics by applying rigorous economic analysis to contemporary policy issues or historical questions of interest. Depending on instructor and student preferences, the course may take different forms: A series of short papers and student presentations based on current issues in economics and political economy as reported in the news media, such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Economist, a semester-long research project culminating in a thesis, or the course could emerge as a hybrid with some students opting for shorter papers and others a major project. It is possible that work can be accomplished in groups of two or three students. In any event, students will be expected to apply economic theory and use econometrics to examine economic questions. Grades will be based on the quality of papers, presentations, and class participation. Seminar format.
