This course is designed to teach students how to use SQL (structured query language) for data analytics. Students first study the basics of relational database management systems (RDBMS) and database schema which are used widely in many businesses. As part of RDBMS, students learn SQL which is used to gather meaningful information from data files. Students explore various utilities of SQL such as creating reports for business as per the business’ requirements, creating tables in a database, modifying information in those tables, and so on. Students may also look at advanced SQL topics such as stored procedures, views, and triggers. By end of the course, students are familiar with different features of SQL and their use cases in businesses. (1S)

This course takes an analytical approach to economic reasoning and contemporary economic issues. It introduces microeconomic and macroeconomic theories with applications to relevant issues such as employment, growth, international trade and finance, monetary and fiscal policy, and environmental issues. (3B) Offered each semester.

This course examines how race plays a role in determining various life outcomes of the people in the United States, including the disparities in economic outcomes caused by differences in gender, sexual orientation, and other personal traits. Students are introduced to economic theories of discrimination; they review the empirical research around those theories and study the policies intended to reduce this discrimination. Students learn how to read research papers in economics and also learn econometric tools that economists use to calculate discrimination. If time permits, students look at other types of inequalities in an international context such as caste-based inequalities in India. By the end of the course, students learn how to think about various types of inequalities from an economics lens. (3B). Prerequisite: ECON 199

This course applies economics to sports in the U.S. and around the world. Applications of economics include analytical tools from the fields of industrial organization, public finance, and labor economics. Theoretical outcomes for economic variables such as revenues, costs, and profits as well as sports variables such as winning percentages, team payrolls, and competitive balance are compared with data on these variables from the real world. Cost-benefit analysis of new sports infrastructure is considered both for recurring use by local teams and for non-recurring use to host events such as Olympics or other championships. Offered each year. Prerequisite: Economics 199.

This course examines three main aspects of economic globalization: international trade, international migration, and international capital flows. We will use economic models to study why each aspect of globalization happens, who are the winners and losers from each, and the impacts of globalization on matters of interests such as economic growth, poverty and inequality, the environment, labor standards, etc. The theoretical analyses are then confronted with data and country case studies. This will enable us to understand why some people are against globalization while others embrace it, whether we should have more or less globalization, or how we should reform or change globalization. This course is recommended for students who plan to work for government and international organizations in activities affected by international economic relations. (3B) Offered once per year. Prerequisite: Economics 199.

The goal of this course is to provide a broad introduction to the main issues of development economics. This course examines the existing disparities between developed and less developed nations, problems faced by developing countries, as well as policy measures undertaken to alleviate these problems. Specific topics covered include the concepts and measurement of economic development, theories of economic growth, inequality and poverty, the role of institutions, debates over the effectiveness of foreign aid, population growth and fertility, gender inequality, and human capital investment. (3B) Offered most semesters. Prerequisite: Economics 199.

This course has two main themes: First, the most pressing environmental problems, such as climate change, are directly connected to the production and consumption of energy. Second, the design and critique of environmental policies must be grounded in a solid understanding of economics. (3B) (Also listed as Environmental Studies 205.) Offered each fall. Prerequisite: Economics 199.

In the past few decades, economies of South and East Asia have rapidly integrated into the global economy and achieved phenomenal economic success. How did they do it? In the first part of the course, students examine these countries’ economic policies and discuss lessons for other countries. In the second part of the course, against the macroeconomic background provided in part I, students learn to identify and evaluate business strategies that are relevant for international business expansion to a diverse and rapidly globalizing Asia. Offered once every other year. Prerequisite: Economics 199.

This course is an introduction to global agriculture and natural resource management. Students will learn how agriculture has been evolving to where it is now. More focus will be on agribusiness principles and how sustainability issues are shaping current and future business decisions as firms strive to remain profitable. In addition, students will learn about what the conversion to sustainable agriculture entails for different parts of the world. The course exposes students to hands on experience and interaction with experts in the sustainable agriculture field. No prior exposure to any form of agriculture is required/assumed. Offered occasionally. Prerequisite: Economics 199.

This course compares the theoretical foundations and empirical performance of various economic systems, including Marxist socialism, Soviet-type economies, and markets in different cultural contexts. The course also addresses the issues of economic reform, including monetary reform and privatization. Offered every other spring. Prerequisite: Economics 199.

This course is an introduction to health economics. Topics that are covered include: demand for health care, economics of health innovation, the supply of health care, moral hazard, adverse selection, health policy, social determinants of health, public health economics, behavioral health economics and economic epidemiology (population aging, obesity, environmental health, and infectious diseases). The main objective of the course is to equip students with the tools to understand healthcare markets and health outcomes. The course is designed be as approachable as possible and does not require a strong background in mathematics or quantitative methods to do well. (3B). Prerequisite: ECON 199

Microeconomics is the study of how households and firms allocate scarce resources to competing ends. Students learn to use economic models and optimizing techniques to address a variety of decision-making processes, including consumer utility optimization and producer profit maximization in the context of competitive markets, monopoly, oligopoly, and monopolistic competition. (3B) Offered most semesters. Prerequisite: Economics 199.

In this course, construction of an organized theoretical framework facilitates an understanding of the behavior of variables such as GDP, inflation, and unemployment. An open economy approach is taken, and international analyses abound. Alternative fiscal and monetary policy strategies receive scrutiny in a variety of environments. Important contributions from macroeconomists representing schools of thought (e.g., Classical, Keynesian, New Classical, New Keynesian) from throughout the 20th century are presented. Offered each spring. Prerequisite: Economics 199 and 211.

A one-semester survey of financial accounting designed to make the student “accounting literate” and to lay the accounting foundations required for the study of business finance. Offered occasionally. Prerequisite: Economics 199 and 211. Not open to students who have taken Economics 216.

This course develops the theoretical principles of financial management as an extension of general economic principles. It applies accounting and statistical tools to the management of working capital, capital budgeting, and long-term financing. Students gain proficiency using computer spreadsheets by building financial models. Offered occasionally. Prerequisite: Economics 199, 211, and 214. Not open to students who have taken Economics 216.

A one-semester survey of fundamental concepts in financial accounting and corporate finance. Students will learn how to do accounting and finance on their own if they run their own small businesses. Offered each spring. Prerequisite: Economics 199. Not open to students who have taken Economics 214 or 215.

The purpose of this course is to apply the tools from microeconomic theory to the analysis of labor markets. Topics covered include labor supply and demand, wage structures, compensating wage differentials, investment in human capital, labor market discrimination, labor unions, and unemployment. In addition to theory, emphasis will also be placed on empirical applications, and examination of public policies and labor laws. Offered each year. Prerequisite: Economics 211.

In the first half, students will learn international finance and macroeconomic theories for an open economy: exchange rate determination; pros and cons of different types of exchange rate regimes; the relationships among exchange rate, interest rate, inflation rate, and national income and economic growth; trade deficit; and causes and consequences of financial crises. In the second half, students will learn classical and new trade theories to understand the forces that drive international trade and international migration, analyze their benefits and costs, and examine who get these benefits and who bear the costs. Offered once per year. Prerequisite: Economics 199 and 211; 212 and 251 recommended but not required.

The nature and functions of money and of commercial banks and a critical analysis of the operation of the modern commercial banking system. Central banking, the Federal Reserve System, and monetary policy. The relationships of money and credit to price levels and national income. Offered each fall. Prerequisite: Economics 199 and 211.

An introduction to the quantitative tools used by decision makers in both private business and public institutions. The course reviews introductory statistical methods and builds to the multiple regression model. Applications of these techniques are then developed to explain, predict, and forecast economic and business events. Offered each semester. Prerequisite: Economics 199 and 211.

This course is an introduction to experimental economics. Students will learn about laboratory and field experiments and major subject areas where laboratory experiments have been used such as auctions. The origins of experimental economics and some of the most important results to date will be explored. To get a better understanding, students will learn how to design, perform, and engage in experiments and how to interpret their results. Additionally, this course will introduce selected topics in behavioral economics. Offered occasionally. Prerequisite: Economics 199 and 211.

A first course in industrial organization that examines the market efficiency implications of competition, monopoly, and the various forms of oligopoly. The structure-conduct-performance framework is used as a basis for predicting the behavior of firms (e.g., pricing, advertising, and product differentiation) and the performance of industries (e.g., market prices and product quality). The government’s role as a promoter of market efficiency through antitrust policy and regulation is debated, including the views of the conservative “Chicago School.” Case studies and empirical evidence from regulated and unregulated industries are presented. Offered occasionally. Prerequisite: Economics 199 and 211.

In-depth study of one or more selected topics in administration. Stress upon primary research materials, case studies, and/or applied experience of management practitioners. May be repeated for credit if topic is different. Offered occasionally. Prerequisite: Economics 199.

In-depth study of one or more selected topics in economics. Stress upon primary research materials, case studies, and/or applied experience of economists or policy analysts. May be repeated for credit if topic is different. Offered occasionally. Prerequisite: Economics 199 and 211.

This course develops and applies microeconomic theory to determine optimal business management strategies while considering scarce resources, risk, and competitive market structures. Students learn how to apply economic concepts in analyzing production, pricing, and risk in a firm. In addition, students learn and develop Excel spreadsheet skills as a quantitative tool applied to managerial economic problems such as sensitivity analysis, cost analysis, data analysis, and linear programming. Offered most fall semesters. Prerequisite: Economics 199 and 211.

In this course, students learn different tools used in analytics to answer real-world business questions. The course is divided in two parts. The first part introduces Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) used widely by many businesses. Here, students learn languages such as Structured Query Language (SQL) to communicate with the relational databases. In the second part, students conduct exploratory data analysis and build data models to make predictions using data analysis languages such as Python. Towards the end of the course, students work on a group project where they will apply skills learned during the course. Offered each year. Prerequisite: Economics 251.

An introduction to the research methods used by organizations (public and private, profit and non-profit) to understand the wants and desires of their customers, clients, and constituents to more effectively deliver a product or service. Topics covered will include: the research process, use of secondary data, collection of primary data (from focus groups to experimental design), survey design, attitude measurement, sampling, data analysis, and presentation of research finding. Offered occasionally. Prerequisite: Economics 199, 211, and 251.

This course introduces students to techniques of econometric analysis and to models of economic activity. It treats issues about specification and estimation of single- and simultaneous-equation models. Students become acquainted with methods of interpreting statistics describing the performance of estimated models, and they learn techniques for addressing any problems such statistics may reveal. Offered each spring. Prerequisite: Economics 199, 211, and 251.

This course teaches the basic methods, implementation, and applications of machine learning for understanding and solving contemporary business and economic problems using large datasets. The course builds upon students’ understanding of traditional statistical models. The topics that are covered include: OLS (Ordinary Least Squares) regressions, LASSO (Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator) regressions, regression model selection, and regularization; classification; tree-based methods (Decision Trees, Random Forests, Casual Trees); causal inference; and applications of machine learning methods in economic policy analysis. (1S). Prerequisites: ECON 199, ECON 251 (or comparable quantitative\statistics based research methods course like MATH 205) and CSCI 111.

This course uses techniques from mathematics to extend the models developed in the Intermediate Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Theory courses. Static, comparative static, dynamic, and optimal control models track the behavior of economic variables. These models illustrate applications of linear algebra, differential calculus, and integral calculus. Offered occassionally. Prerequisite: Economics 199, 211, 212, Mathematics 115.

Tools and concepts from game theory (e.g., simultaneous-move games, sequential-move games, Nash equilibrium, and Bayesian equilibrium) are used to model topics from international political economy (e.g., strategic trade policy, bargaining, and voting games), macroeconomics (e.g., unemployment and optimal policymaking), industrial organization (e.g., cartels, oligopoly, contestable markets, and mergers and acquisitions) and the financial sector (e.g., insurance, credit rationing, and auctions). Offered each spring. Prerequisite: Economics 199 and Mathematics 110 or 115.

Government spending and revenue activities in the U.S. economy. Fiscal activities of government as they affect welfare and resource allocation. Principles of taxation, the theory of public goods and non-market decision-making. The role of the public sector in attaining optimality. Offered occasionally. Prerequisite: Economics 199, 211, and 251.

This course surveys the major thinkers and debates in the Austrian School of economics. The two dominant schools of thought within the economics discipline in the 20th century have been mainstream neoclassical economics and Marxist economics. Austrian economics provides an alternative to both theoretical approaches. It seeks to understand the market as a dynamic, self-ordering, and evolutionary process. Topics covered include Austrian arguments on the evolution of money, capital formation and its structure, the use of knowledge in the market economy, entrepreneurship, and the philosophy of science. Offered every other spring. Prerequisite: Economics 199 and 211.

This capstone course is for all majors in the department of economics. As the title suggests, the central question raised in this course is, “What are the nature and causes of wealth and well-being?” This is among the discipline’s most important questions, and it is therefore a fitting one to pursue in this capstone course. Economists have addressed this question with a wide variety of intellectual tools and paradigms, and it is the source of continuing debate and discovery. Each year this course is redesigned around the ideas and influence of a major thinker, school of thought, and/or sub-discipline within economics. This design will reflect the content of an annual event: The Wealth and Well-Being of Nations: A Forum in Honor of Miller Upton. (CP) Offered each fall. Prerequisite: senior standing.

Individual work, under faculty supervision, on projects acceptable to the department. This course affords the opportunity to qualified seniors for more intensive work in fields in which they already have taken the appropriate intermediate level course (e.g., Money and Banking, International Trade and Finance, etc.). Offered occasionally. Prerequisite: Economics 199.

Work with faculty in classroom instruction. Graded credit/no credit.

Course and curriculum development projects with faculty.

Research work under faculty supervision. Graded credit/no credit. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.