Principles of Economics

 

Professor:

Nurgul Ukueva

 

Course Number:

ECON 100 A

CRN Number:

10183

Class cap:

22

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    11:50 AM - 1:10 PM Olin 203

 

Distributional Area:

SA Social Analysis  

 

Crosslists: Economics & Finance; Global & International Studies

This course is a one-semester introduction to the essential ideas of economic analysis. The microeconomics component of the course develops the basic model of consumer and firm behavior, including demand and supply, in the context of an idealized competitive market and examines 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. The macroeconomics component studies the aggregate behavior of modern economies - the factors leading to economic growth, explanations of booms and recessions, unemployment, interest rates, inflation, and budget deficits or surpluses – and the government’s ability (or inability) to use monetary and fiscal policies to achieve economic goals such as full employment and price stability. This course replaces the two-semester introductory microeconomics and macroeconomics sequence and is the foundational course in the economics curriculum. Prerequisite: passing score on Part I of the Math Placement.

 

Principles of Economics

 

Professor:

Aniruddha Mitra

 

Course Number:

ECON 100 B

CRN Number:

10184

Class cap:

22

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     11:50 AM - 1:10 PM Hegeman 102

 

Distributional Area:

SA Social Analysis  

 

Crosslists: Economics & Finance; Global & International Studies

This course is a one-semester introduction to the essential ideas of economic analysis. The microeconomics component of the course develops the basic model of consumer and firm behavior, including demand and supply, in the context of an idealized competitive market and examines 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. The macroeconomics component studies the aggregate behavior of modern economies - the factors leading to economic growth, explanations of booms and recessions, unemployment, interest rates, inflation, and budget deficits or surpluses – and the government’s ability (or inability) to use monetary and fiscal policies to achieve economic goals such as full employment and price stability. This course replaces the two-semester introductory microeconomics and macroeconomics sequence and is the foundational course in the economics curriculum. Prerequisite: passing score on Part I of the Math Placement.

 

Principles of Economics

 

Professor:

Nurgul Ukueva

 

Course Number:

ECON 100 C

CRN Number:

10185

Class cap:

22

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    3:30 PM - 4:50 PM Olin Language Center 115

 

Distributional Area:

SA Social Analysis  

 

Crosslists: Economics & Finance; Global & International Studies

This course is a one-semester introduction to the essential ideas of economic analysis. The microeconomics component of the course develops the basic model of consumer and firm behavior, including demand and supply, in the context of an idealized competitive market and examines 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. The macroeconomics component studies the aggregate behavior of modern economies - the factors leading to economic growth, explanations of booms and recessions, unemployment, interest rates, inflation, and budget deficits or surpluses – and the government’s ability (or inability) to use monetary and fiscal policies to achieve economic goals such as full employment and price stability. This course replaces the two-semester introductory microeconomics and macroeconomics sequence and is the foundational course in the economics curriculum. Prerequisite: passing score on Part I of the Math Placement.

 

Intermediate Microeconomics

 

Professor:

Nurgul Ukueva

 

Course Number:

ECON 201

CRN Number:

10187

Class cap:

22

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     10:10 AM - 11:30 AM Olin 204

 

Distributional Area:

SA Social Analysis  

 

Crosslists: Economics & Finance

Microeconomics is the study of how individual households and firms interact to determine the allocation of goods and services in a market setting. In this course, we revisit concepts introduced in Principles of Economics, pursue them in further depth, and interpret them in graphical and mathematical terms. Topics include: the analysis of economic efficiency, the definition and measurement of social welfare, consumer behavior, individual and market demand, choice under uncertainty, production and cost, profit maximization, market structures (perfect competition, monopoly, duopoly, monopsony, monopolistic competition, and oligopoly), market failures, strategic behavior, price discrimination, the economics of information, the provision of public goods, the use of game theory to model economic behavior, and the market effects of taxes and other government policies. Students work through a series of problem sets as they learn to manipulate and apply microeconomic models. A final paper will examine an application or a critique of neoclassical microeconomic theory. A firm grasp of the materials covered in this course is essential for students pursuing advanced studies in economics. Economics majors should take ECON 201 and ECON 202 during the junior year, after taking several 200-level economics courses.

 

Intermediate macroeconomics

 

Professor:

Kyle Mohr

 

Course Number:

ECON 202

CRN Number:

10188

Class cap:

22

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    1:30 PM - 2:50 PM Hegeman 102

 

Distributional Area:

SA Social Analysis  

 

Crosslists: Global & International Studies

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: either ECON 100, or the combination ECON 101 / ECON 102, MATH 110.

 

Asian Economies: A Comparative History

 

Professor:

Sanjay DeSilva

 

Course Number:

ECON 218

CRN Number:

10189

Class cap:

18

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     5:10 PM - 6:30 PM Hegeman 102

 

Distributional Area:

HA Historical Analysis  

 

Crosslists: Asian Studies; Global & International Studies

This course surveys the historical events and circumstances that have shaped the economic landscape of modern Asia. We begin in the nineteenth century when European contact had initiated a process of dramatic change throughout the continent; Japan began a process of unprecedented modernization, China confronted a series of internal conflicts and external threats, and much of the rest of the continent was absorbed directly into the colonial economy. We then compare the trajectories of economic change during the twentieth century. Particular attention is paid to the various economic models pursued in the region, including the colonial export economy of Southeast Asia, export-oriented industrialization in Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia, import-substituting industrialization in India, and the communist economy of Mao’s China and mainland Southeast Asia. The regions covered are East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Prerequisite: Econ 100 or prior coursework in Asian Studies.

 

Economic Perspectives

 

Professor:

Kyle Mohr

 

Course Number:

ECON 225

CRN Number:

10640

Class cap:

22

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    5:10 PM - 6:30 PM Olin 202

 

Distributional Area:

SA Social Analysis  

Why do economists disagree? As economic systems evolve, so have the theories used to explain them. Since Adam Smith, economists have used different assumptions, models and methodologies to study the role of markets, states, and institutions in the process of social provisioning. This course will survey the diverse traditions in economics and introduce students to competing paradigms. It covers several distinct approaches including Classical Political Economy, Neoclassical, Institutionalist, Post Keynesian, Marxist, Feminist, Development and Green Economics. The objective is to gain a broad appreciation of the specific problems that each of these traditions emphasizes and the contributions to theory and policy each has made. Students will examine not only the evolution of ideas and theories, but also their practical application today. Some of the specific issues that the course will consider include the causes and cures for unemployment, the evolution and interaction of culture, technology and the environment, and the role and nature of money in shaping the modern world. As we contemplate modern economic problems, sometimes the good old ideas produce the best new ideas. Prerequisite: Econ 100. This is an OSUN network collaborative course, and it fulfills one of the core requirements for the OSUN Certificate in Public Policy and Economic Analysis.

 

Introduction to Econometrics

 

Professor:

Sanjay DeSilva

 

Course Number:

ECON 229

CRN Number:

10190

Class cap:

18

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     3:30 PM - 4:50 PM Hegeman 102

 

Distributional Area:

MC Mathematics and Computing  

 

Crosslists: Economics & Finance; Environmental & Urban Studies; Global & International Studies

This course explores the tools economists use to summarize and interpret data. The first half of the course introduces the concepts of random variables, probability distributions, sampling, descriptive statistics and statistical inference. The second half of the course focuses on simple and multiple regression analysis. The emphasis is on acquiring a practical knowledge of econometric methods (theoretical foundations and advanced techniques are covered in Econ 329); students will learn how to organize and analyze data, using Excel and STATA, and how to carry out an empirical research project. This course fulfills the statistical methods requirement for the economics major. Prerequisite: Economics 100, one other economics course, and Calculus I (which may be taken concurrently).

 

Environmental Economics

 

Professor:

Gautam Sethi

 

Course Number:

ECON 242

CRN Number:

10672

Class cap:

22

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    3:30 PM - 4:50 PM Hegeman 102

 

Distributional Area:

SA Social Analysis  

 

Crosslists: Environmental Studies; Environmental & Urban Studies

Humanity is facing several challenges at the moment. For example, given the existential threat of climate change, what combination of mitigation, adaptation, and retreat should we adopt? How do we ensure that the transition to green energy will be just, both across space and time? How do we sustainably manage the commons? Is environmental conservation antithetical to improving livelihoods, or could sustainability go hand in hand in reducing poverty? Does participation in labeling programs such as Fair Trade improve small farmer livelihoods? While economists agree that free markets are inherently incapable of bringing about efficient and equitable outcomes, there is significant disagreement among various scholars around the appropriate role of the market, the state, and civil society in the policy space. This course will foster discussion about the roles of these institutions in helping communities create meaningful solutions to the challenges we collectively face.

 

International Economics

 

Professor:

Youssef Ait Benasser

 

Course Number:

ECON 249

CRN Number:

10186

Class cap:

22

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    10:10 AM - 11:30 AM Olin 203

 

Distributional Area:

SA Social Analysis  

 

Crosslists: Global & International Studies

This course provides a topological survey of the patterns and implications of cross-border flows in the modern globalized economy. The course begins by mapping the landscape of international trade flows - examining what goods and services are traded, between which nations, and in what volumes. The drivers of global value chains and production fragmentation across borders will be explored. The course then turns to international finance, describing the motions of investment capital, credit, and financial transfers between countries. The core focus is on characterizing the intricate global networks through which goods, services, capital, technology and people move across borders. Contemporary debates around globalization's implications for workers, consumers, and economic sovereignty, will be examined through case studies and examples.

 

Developing Cities

 

Professor:

Sanjay DeSilva

 

Course Number:

ECON 319

CRN Number:

10191

Class cap:

15

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

 Tue      3:10 PM - 5:30 PM Olin 304

 

Distributional Area:

SA Social Analysis  

 

Crosslists: Environmental & Urban Studies; Global & International Studies

Economic theorists and policymakers have long worked under the assumption that developed economies are urban and industrial while developing economies are rural and agricultural. This historical dichotomy is no longer meaningful. Today, a majority of the world’s people live in urban areas, not just in the West but also in the developing regions of Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and Central Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, and Middle East and North Africa. Almost all of the world’s future urban growth will occur in developing economies, and much of this growth will be concentrated in mega-cities; already, of the 27 urban areas that have more than 10 million people, 22 are in developing economies. This dramatic urbanization of the developing world offers tremendous opportunities and poses difficult challenges. This research seminar will introduce upper college students to the economics literature on important urban issues: for example, causes of urban growth; spatial patterns of growth; rural-urban migration; industrial and post-industrial cities; urban inequality; informality, property rights and political representation; infrastructure and urban renewal; congestion, pollution and other environmental problems. The seminar will be organized around student-led independent and group research on these themes. Prerequisites: Moderation in economics or EUS and prior coursework in economics, or permission of instructor.

 

Corporate Finance

 

Professor:

Emanuele Citera

 

Course Number:

ECON 391

CRN Number:

10192

Class cap:

15

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    11:50 AM - 1:10 PM Olin 304

 

Distributional Area:

SA Social Analysis  

 

Crosslists: Economics & Finance

The course discusses how corporations can raise and allocate capital to maximize shareholder value. Topics include allocating capital for investments, measuring the opportunity cost of capital, capital structure choice, payout policy, corporate restructuring, and short- and long-term financing. The essential component of the course is corporate valuation, which will be performed through financial statement analysis, working capital management, debt and payout policies, and advanced valuation techniques. Pre-requisites: ECON 100, ECON 291

 

Cross-listed Courses:

 

Economic Thought and Policy in Modern American History: A Seminar

 

Professor:

Daniel Wortel-London

 

Course Number:

HIST 396

CRN Number:

10366

Class cap:

15

Credits:

4

 

Schedule/Location:

Mon       12:30 PM - 2:50 PM Hegeman 300

 

Distributional Area:

HA Historical Analysis  

 

Crosslists: Economics; Politics