Economics 300-Level Courses (Tier Two) (ECON)
314 Economics of Financial Institutions and Markets. (4)
Description and economic analysis of the financial sector.
Emphasis on the function, structure and regulation of financial markets; the behavior of
financial institutions; the behavior of interest rates; and international finance.
Prerequisite: 111. Fall.
315 American Economic History. (4)
Examination of the growth and development of the American economy
from the 17th -century colonization to the present. Application of basic tools of economic
analysis to explore the effects of the natural environment, public policies, changes in
technology, and social and cultural forces on historical economic events, institutions and
processes of economic growth and development. Prerequisite: 111. Fall, alternate years.
317 International Economics. (4)
Uses elementary techniques to examine the reasons for and
consequences of international trade. Explores the gains from trade, impact of trade on
factor markets, the problems of labor and capital mobility and current commercial policy
disputes (such as tariffs, quotas and other trade restrictions). Also examines financial
aspects of trade, including the balance of payments and exchange rates. Prerequisite: 111.
Fall, alternate years.
318 Natural Resource and Environmental Economics. (4)
Examination of the economics of natural resources and the
environment with special focus on environmental policy formulation. Topics include
inter-temporal efficiency criteria, cost/benefit analysis, and sustainability issues.
Prerequisite: 111. Spring, alternate years.
320 Market Structure and Industrial Organization. (4)
Application of microeconomic theory to the study of markets, their
operation and regulation. Examination of the basic conditions and structures underlying
perfect competition, monopoly, oligopoly and monopolistic competition; the conduct and
performance of firms in perfect and imperfect competition. Prerequisite: 111. Spring.
323 Economics of the Public Sector. (4)
Examination of the economic rationale for the government sector;
issues of economic efficiency and equity. Evaluation of government expenditures. The
nature and incidence of taxation. Federal government debt. Prerequisite: 111. Spring,
alternate years.
325 Political Economy of Race and Gender. (4)
Comparison of the dreams of Americans with the current situation
facing American workers. Examination of economic and noneconomic explanations behind
changes in workforce participation, earnings, occupational patterns, income distribution
and poverty with particular focus on the categories of race and gender. Prerequisite: 111.
Spring, alternate years.
326 History of Economic Thought. (4)
Examination of the development of economic thought. Schools and
views considered include the ancients, scholastics, mercantilism, classical political
economy, Marxian, neo-classical and institutionalism. Prerequisite: 111. Spring, alternate
years.
327 Economic Thought and Religious Values. (4)
An examination of how economic life has been viewed from the
perspective of religion, particularly Western Christianity: from roots in the Hebrew and
Christian scriptures, through the early church, middle ages and the Protestant
Reformation, up to contemporary debates about free markets, Marxism, feminism and the
social teaching of the Roman Catholic Church today. Prerequisite: 111. Fall.
328 Economics, Philosophy and Method. (4)
An inquiry into the philosophy of social science and the
methodology of economics. A survey of philosophical debates concerning what makes a
"good" explanation in natural science and social science, and an examination of
the debates within the history of economics concerning the requirements for good
explanations of economic events. Prerequisite: Two courses in economics or two courses in
philosophy. Spring, alternate years.
329 Topics in Economics. (4)
Economic analysis of major social concerns in past, present and/or
future. Emphasis on the economist's role in perceiving and developing policy to address
these issues. Consult course schedule for current offerings. May be repeated for credit
with different topics. Prerequisite: 111.
332 Microeconomic Theory. (4)
Development of the theory of microeconomics. Demand theory and
analysis of consumer behavior. Theory of the firm, analysis of production, costs and
market structure in determination of supply. Factor markets. Introduction to theory of
welfare economics. Prerequisites: 111 and either MATH 119 or 123. Fall and spring.
333 Macroeconomic Theory. (4)
Development of the theory of macroeconomics. Determination and
analysis of macroeconomic activity using IS-LM, aggregate demand and aggregate supply
models within the context of an international economy. Microeconomic foundations of
macro-behavior. Evaluation of monetary and fiscal policies directed to problems of
unemployment, inflation, growth and macroeconomic stability from classical and
contemporary approaches. Prerequisite: 332. Fall and spring.
334 Quantitative Methods in Economics. (4)
An examination of quantitative methods employed in economic
research. Students will regularly employ spreadsheets and data sets available in print and
on the Internet. Emphasis will be placed on a working knowledge of quantitative methods in
economics, the economic meaning of quantitative results, and the ability to evaluate the
appropriateness of alternative methods and types of data for particular economic
questions. Prerequisites: 332, MATH 124 or 345, and either one other 300-level economics
course or concurrent enrollment in ECON 333. Fall and spring. |
