Course	ECON 101 A Introduction to Microeconomics
Professor	Sanjaya DeSilva
CRN	15020
Schedule	Mon Wed 1:30 -2:50 pm OLIN 204
Distribution	OLD: A / E / Q	NEW: Social Science

Cross-listed: Environmental Studies, GISP

This course covers the essential ideas of economic analysis. Students will learn how economists explain human behavior as we seek to satisfy our needs and wants. The first part of the course develops models of consumer and firm behavior, including demand and supply, in the context of an idealized competitive market. From there we analyze several ways in which the real world deviates from this model, including monopoly and other forms of imperfect competition, information problems, minimum wages and other price controls, taxes, and government regulation. Along the way we will explore public policy problems such as pricing the environment, winners and losers from international trade, health care costs and insurance, and the high price of textbooks. Econ 101 and 102 may be taken in either order.

Course	ECON 101 B Introduction to Microeconomics
Professor	Sanjaya DeSilva
CRN	15021
Schedule	Mon Wed 3:00 -4:20 pm OLIN 205
Distribution	OLD: A / E / Q	NEW: Social Science

Cross-listed: Environmental Studies, GISP

This course covers the essential ideas of economic analysis. Students will learn how economists explain human behavior as we seek to satisfy our needs and wants. The first part of the course develops models of consumer and firm behavior, including demand and supply, in the context of an idealized competitive market. From there we analyze several ways in which the real world deviates from this model, including monopoly and other forms of imperfect competition, information problems, minimum wages and other price controls, taxes, and government regulation. Along the way we will explore public policy problems such as pricing the environment, winners and losers from international trade, health care costs and insurance, and the high price of textbooks. Econ 101 and 102 may be taken in either order.

Course	ECON 102 A Introduction to Macroeconomics
Professor	Tamar Khitarishvili
CRN	15022
Schedule	Mon Wed 10:00 - 11:20 am OLIN 201
Distribution	OLD: A / E	NEW: Social Science

Cross-listed: GISP

This course begins with the examination of the aggregate behavior of modern economies: the factors leading to economic growth, explanations of booms and recessions, unemployment, interest rates, inflation, budget deficits or surpluses, and international trade. We will also analyze the government’s ability (or inability) to use monetary and fiscal policies to achieve economic goals such as full employment and price stability. Throughout the course, we will debate whether government should use monetary and fiscal policy tools to try to “fine tune” the economy and what the likely effects of such government involvement are. We will analyze these issues using current domestic and international examples. Econ 101 and 102 may be taken in either order.

Course	ECON 102 B Introduction to Macroeconomics
Professor	Andrew Pearlman
CRN	15411
Schedule	Mon Wed 11:30 - 12:50 pm OLIN 303
Distribution	OLD: A / E / Q	NEW: Social Science

Cross-listed: GISP

This course begins with the examination of the aggregate behavior of modern economies: the factors leading to economic growth, explanations of booms and recessions, unemployment, interest rates, inflation, budget deficits or surpluses, and international trade. We will also analyze the government’s ability (or inability) to use monetary and fiscal policies to achieve economic goals such as full employment and price stability. Throughout the course, we will debate whether government should use monetary and fiscal policy tools to try to “fine tune” the economy and what the likely effects of such government involvement are. We will analyze these issues using current domestic and international examples. Econ 101 and 102 may be taken in either order.

Course	ECON 110 Economic Dimensions of Domestic Public Issues
Professor	Andrew Pearlman
CRN	15023
Schedule	Mon Wed 8:30 -9:50 am OLIN 201
Distribution	OLD: A / E	NEW: Social Science

Cross-listed: American Studies

How do economists apply their theories to real-world policy problems? This course introduces students to economic modeling and methods by investigating some of today's most difficult public issues. Topics covered will depend somewhat on student interests; recent ones were energy markets and regulation, the impact of current tax policies, improving the quality and quantity of education, various approaches to environmental regulation, welfare reform, Social Security and demographic changes, and health care market failures. After a general review of each topic we will learn the relevant economic theory; students who are interested in each topic will then have the opportunity to do in-depth research and present their analysis and conclusions. We will draw information from a variety of sources including scholarly publications and "think tanks," popular media coverage, U.S. Government publications and statistics, and materials from advocacy groups on different sides of the issue. (Note the word "domestic" in the course title. There is a companion course, Economics 115, "Economic Dimensions of World Issues," concerned primarily with issues that cross international borders. So we will confine ourselves whenever possible to domestic considerations. Although we focus on U.S. issues and institutions, these analytical methods can be applied to domestic policies in many different countries.)

Course	ECON 202 Intermediate Macroeconomics
Professor	Dimitri Papadimitriou
CRN	15024
Schedule	Tu Th 10:00 - 11:20 am OLIN 205
Distribution	OLD: A / E	NEW: Social Science

Cross-listed: GISP

This course is the continuation of the introductory macroeconomics course. In it, students will get acquainted with main models that macroeconomists use to analyze the way economies behave. The course starts by looking at the models that explain long run economic growth. We then focus our attention on investigating economic theories that explain short run business cycles, the periods of recessions and booms that occur on a regular basis. An important part of the course is to investigate the role of governments in affecting the long run and short run economic prospects of their countries. We apply the acquired theoretical knowledge to a range of current economic issues, including budget deficits and national debt, international trade, and the role of institutions.

Prerequisite: Econ 102 (Introduction to Macroeconomics)

Course	ECON 205 Mathematical Economics
Professor	Kris Feder
CRN	15025
Schedule	Wed Fr 11:30 - 12:50 pm PRE 128
Distribution	OLD: E / Q	NEW: Math & Computing

Introduction to the use of elementary calculus and linear algebra in economic theory. This course provides the basic mathematical skills necessary to approach the professional economics literature. Emphasis is on formulating economic problems and building economic models in mathematical language. Applications are based upon simple micro- and macroeconomic models.

Prerequisites: ECON 101 or 102; calculus.

Course	ECON 210 History of Economic Thought
Professor	Kris Feder
CRN	15026
Schedule	Tu Th 4:30 -5:50 pm OLIN 204
Distribution	OLD: A / C	NEW: Social Science

Cross-listed: GISP

The early history of the yet-young science of economics: Petty, Locke, Hume, and the age of mercantilism; the Physiocrats of 18^th century France, inventors of the first circular-flow analysis of the macroeconomy; the revolutionary work of philosopher Adam Smith in 1776; and the century of classical political economy that followed him in the English-speaking world: Thomas Malthus, David Ricardo, John Stuart Mill, and others who studied the virtues and vices of the market system and debated the great questions of the relations of land, labor and capital. At its maturity, the classical school gave rise to two very different attacks on existing politico-economic institutions: in continental Europe, the socialist critique of Karl Marx; and in the United States and England, the Lockean critique of Henry George. This course focuses on the classical period to the late 19^th century, when classical political economy gave way to the "marginal revolution," which, applying the mathematical insights of calculus to economic questions, focused more on subjective choice and perhaps less on political issues and institutions. Prerequisite: One economics course.

Course	ECON 218 Economic History of Modern Asia
Professor	Sanjaya DeSilva
CRN	15027
Schedule	Tu Th 8:30 -9:50 am OLIN 201
Distribution	OLD: C	NEW: Social Science

Cross-listed: Asian Studies, GISP

This course is an analytical examination of important historical events and circumstances that have shaped the economic landscape of Asia in the Twentieth century. Topics include colonialism and economic dependency, impact of the World Wars and post-independence nation-building. Th evolution of economic development strategies such as import-substituting industrialization, national planning, export-led growth, regional integration and globalization is studied. The impact of history, geography and institutions on economic activity is emphasized.

Prerequisite: Economics 101 or 102, or permission of the instuctor.

Course	ECON 226 Urban and Regional Economics
Professor	Kris Feder
CRN	15028
Schedule	Tu Fr 1:30 -2:50 pm OLIN 205
Distribution	OLD: A / E	NEW: Social Science

Cross-listed: Environmental Studies

An introduction to the economic analysis of the spatial distribution of human behavior, addressing such questions as: Where and why do cities arise--why do people cluster their homes and workplaces together in certain places? What factors determine the market allocation of land among users, and the variations in land value from place to place? What determines the size, density, and number of urban areas? What are the causes and consequences of suburbanization and sprawl, so evident in the US and Canada in recent decades? The spatial structure of cities and of regional systems of cities is analyzed from the perspective of central place theory. This microeconomic theory of location complements a historical review of patterns of urbanization and sprawl. Also, contemporary urban problems are examined from an economic point of view: housing and homelessness; crime; transportation; social services; segregation; inner-city blight. Issues of urban planning and policy are debated. Prerequisite: ECON 102.

Course	ECON 252 Law and Economics
Professor	Tsu-Yu Tsao
CRN	15029
Schedule	Tu Th 3:00 -4:20 pm PRE 128
Distribution	OLD: A / E	NEW: Social Science

Cross listed: Human Rights

The economic approach focuses on the choices people make in the context of given opportunities and constraints, and on how they respond to changes in incentives. This course applies economic principles to study the incentive effects that legal sanctions have on human behavior. In addition to making scientific predictions with regard to individual responses, we evaluate the welfare implications of the law on the grounds of efficiency and equity. Four areas of law are analyzed: property law, contracts, torts, and the concept of crime and punishment. Time permitting, we also address legal issues associated with racial discrimination, sex and marriage, surrogate motherhood, or prostitution. Algebra and graphs are used intensively as analytical tools.

Prerequisite: Introduction to Microeconomic.

Course	ECON 260 Religion and Economics
Professor	Tamar Khitarishvili
CRN	15412
Schedule	Tues 10:00 - 11:20 am OLIN 303 Thur 10:00 – 11:20 am HDR 302
Distribution	OLD: A / C	NEW: Social Science

Cross-listed: Human Rights, Religion

Using an interdisciplinary approach, this course analyzes the relationship between religion and economic development. We start by looking at the impact that religion and religious thinking have had on the formation of economic order in societies. What role has monotheism played in the development of economic ethics (e.g. attitude towards money, economic well-being, the meaning of work)? How have religious views affected the evolution of capitalism? What are the views of different religions on globalization? Next, we look at the role that economic incentives have played in the growth of religions. We analyze how economic factors may have influenced the spread of Christianity in the first-century Rome. We also look at the role they played in the growth of Islam. Other case studies will include the analysis of the impact of the Templar Order of 12th century on the development of financial institutions in Europe; the economic history of Russian Old Believers, a schismatic group of the Russian Orthodox Church; and the role that the lack of economic opportunities in the Middle East may have played in the growth of terrorism. A summer camp in the community of Old Believers in Russia may follow the course.

Course	ECON 317 Competition, Cooperation, and Information
Professor	Tsu-Yu Tsao
CRN	15032
Schedule	Tu Th 11:30 - 12:50 pm OLIN 307
Distribution	OLD: A / E	NEW: Social Science

This course covers industrial organization, from traditional ideas to ideas on the frontier of economic research. The traditional literature addresses the industrial structure of the US economy and antitrust policy, monopolies, and anti-competitive behavior. More recent work examines the structure of firms, markets and organizations. Other topics include vertical integration and coordination, product differentiation and patents, bilateral bargaining and the market for lemons, auction and bidding, and theories of advertising. The theory is examined in the context of real world situations, both current and historical.

Prerequisite: Economics 202

Course	ECON CONF Senior Conference
Professor	Kris Feder
CRN	15413
Schedule	Tu 6:00 -7:20 pm ALBEE 102

Students writing Senior Projects in Economics will be required to attend the Senior Conference, which will meet not more than one evening every two weeks throughout the fall and spring terms. Not for credit.