ACTION RESEARCH I:FINANCIAL&ECON ED
ECON 680
ECON
(1.00 credits)
Initial exploration of the methodology of action research projects. Students will develop program evaluations for the National Institute of Financial and Economic Literacy courses. Students will develop assessment techniques in the general area of financial and economic education. Prerequisites: None.
COMPARATIVE ECONOMIC SYSTEMS
ECON 331 G
ECON
(4.00 credits)
A seminar designed to study the response of different societies to the economic problem of production, distribution and consumption. The creation of market institutions as the most prevalent solution to the basic economic problem will be the major focus of the course. Alternative solutions to the basic economic problem will be analyzed with the special emphasis on traditional and command style solutions to the economic problem. Comparative institutional responses will be explored with special attention to Japan, China, India, Russia, Poland and Bangladesh. The difficulties associated with the transition from a traditional society to a market driven society and the equally perilous transition from a socialist economy to a market driven economy will be explored through case studies.
ECON OF LABOR, POVERTY,& INCOME DIS
ECON 350
ECON
(4.00 credits)
The methodology of economics to evaluate current issues in the labor market, including, but are not limited to, unions, collective bargaining, poverty, income distribution, wage differentials, discrimination, unemployment, education, technological change, and employer monopsony power. Prerequisites: None.
ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS
ECON 325
ECON
(2.00 credits)
Examines the mechanisms societies employ to allocate limited natural resources among unlimited demands. By seeing environmental issues as economic issues, this course identifies the incentives faced by consumers and producers that lead to environmental problems and how alternative incentives might alleviate problems like pollution, global warming, and vanishing rainforests; or to promote sustainable resource use. Prerequisites: None.
FINANCIAL & ECON ED III
ECON 652
ECON
(3.00 credits)
An intensive overview of basic tax issues such as income taxes, social security taxes, and estate taxes. An additional section will deal with retirement planning and related taxation issues. A final section will focus on entrepreneurial opportunities for workers displaced by technology. Prerequisites: None.
HEALTH CARE ECONOMICS
ECON 315
ECON
(2.00 credits)
An intensive exposure to the economics of health care with special emphasis on rising health care cost, comparative health care systems, access to health care, and economic implications of local and national health care policy. Offered in alternate years. Prerequisites: None.
INDEPENDENT STUDY - ECONOMICS
ECON 379
ECON
(1.00 credits)
Topics (e.g., financial economics, industrial organization, European economic history) and credits to be arranged. Prerequisites: consent of instructor.
INDEPENDENT STUDY - ECONOMICS
ECON 279
ECON
(4.00 credits)
INTERMEDIATE FINANCIAL ECONOMICS
ECON 651
ECON
(3.00 credits)
Builds on ECON 650. Covers topics in insurance, retirement financing, personal finances, financial decision making and estate planning. Prerequisites: None.
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS
ECON 450
ECON
(4.00 credits)
An advanced course in economics with emphasis on international trade theory, open macro-economic models, and foreign exchange markets. For the first part of the course, economic theory will be used to analyze patterns of trade and the impact of trade policy arrangements such as NAFTA and WTO. The latter half of the course will be used to analyze modern theories of exchange rate determination and the impact of trade imbalances on the macroeconomy. Prerequisites: One of ECON 255, ECON 256 or ECON 240.
INTRO TO FINANCIAL & ECONOMIC ED
ECON 650
ECON
(3.00 credits)
A three credit graduate course intended to serve as introduction to financial economics with a heavy emphasis on savings, the future value of money, present value calculations, and the role of credit in the modern economy. There will be a section devoted to the role of money and credit in the overall macro-economy with special emphasis on the role of the Federal Reserve in controlling the quantity of money and credit in the economy. The last section of the course will focus on the role of hedging interest rate risk by utilizing futures markets and traded options on the Chicago Board of Trade and Chicago Mercantile Exchange. A field trip to Chicago will provide the students with a direct experience with the futures markets and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Prerequisites: None.
MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS
ECON 495
ECON
(4.00 credits)
Economic theory applied to managerial decision-making. This course combines the theoretical concepts and quantitative tools used by economists for practical applications to decisions concerning prices, demand, production, costs, risk, market structure, and government policy toward business. Prerequisites: ECON 256 or ECON 240.
MONEY, BANKING & CAPITAL MARKETS
ECON 460
ECON
(4.00 credits)
This course covers the evolution of money, the development of banking institutions, the theory and implementation of monetary policy, and recent developments in international monetary affairs. A final section focuses on international banking, the Eurocurrency market and the international monetary system. Prerequisites: ECON 255 recommended.
PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS
ECON 240 J
ECON
(4.00 credits)
An introduction and integrated treatment of macroeconomics and microeconomics. Markets and pricing as resource allocation mechanisms, issues in fiscal and monetary policy. Exposure to economic methodology in decision making and policy evaluation.
PRINCIPLES OF MACROECONOMICS
ECON 255 GJ
ECON
(4.00 credits)
A one semester course in macroeconomics designed to meet the needs of students who wish to be informed about the economic problems which beset the world. A brief and intensive exposure to traditional analytical models will constitute the first part of the course. The second part will deal with the fiscal and monetary policy in a global economy, the current account deficit, different exchange rate regimes, inflation, unemployment, the current credit crisis and the state of the world economy. Prerequisites: None.
PRINCIPLES OF MICROECONOMICS
ECON 256 J
ECON
(4.00 credits)
The course will survey the basic principles of microeconomics. Students learn 1) how the market system operates to determine prices, allocate resources into alternative productive uses and impact social welfare; 2) circumstances under which markets may fail to provide an optimal or efficient allocation of resources and the policy options for dealing with this failure. These economic principles will be applied to an analysis of various current social issues. Prerequisites: None.
READING IN HISTORY OF ECON THOUGHT
ECON 465
ECON
(4.00 credits)
Intensive overview of the major economic theorists in the 19th and 20th centuries. Offered by arrangement. Prerequisites: None.
SCARCITY & SOCIAL JUSTICE
ECON 121 J
ECON
(4.00 credits)
Multiple pertinent and contemporary social issues are examined with an approach used in the field of economics. In the process, an understanding of economic systems and institutions is gained. Methodology is elementary and issues covered should be of interest to a broad range of majors/disciplines. A capacity to interpret graphs and tables is appropriate for the course.
SELECTED TOPICS IN ECONOMICS
ECON 310
ECON
(1.00 credits)
A course which will examine vital areas of contemporary concern in economics. Prerequisites: None.
THE CHALLENGES OF POOR COUNTRIES
ECON 291
ECON
(4.00 credits)
This Course is an introduction to the field of economic development. The problems faced by poor nations including, inequality, and corruption will be analyzed and discussed through case studies and cross-country comparisons. additional topics include the role that rich nations play in promoting or stunting poor countries' economic growth.
THE GLOBAL ECONOMY
ECON 290 GJ
ECON
(4.00 credits)
An analysis of the economic, political and cultural forces that influence relations between the United States and other countries in the world. International monetary systems, trade relationships and international capital flows will be explored in depth. The problems of developing countries will be investigated, and specific countries' financial crises will be analyzed in depth. Prerequisites: None.
TOPICS IN AMERICAN ECONOMIC HISTORY
ECON 341A
ECON
(2.00 credits)
A course which will examine significant topics in the development of the American economy. Modules on the Great Depression, the economics of slavery and the cotton trade, monetary and banking history, and case studies of specific urban areas (e.g., New York, Chicago, Los Angeles) will be developed. Two-credit courses will be offered as half-semester, Winterim, or Summer Session courses. Prerequisites: None.
TPC: DEVEL & SOC PROGRAMS MODRN MEX
ECON 310A G
ECON
(2.00 credits)
Course content will be rooted in an economic history of Mexico from 1920. This culminates in an analysis of economic policy and institutions as they impact current conditions in Mexico. Perspectives are provided on the level of development and prosperity in Mexico as well as options for future economic policy. Prerequisites: None.
TPC: ECONOMICS OF CREDIT
ECON 310B
ECON
(2.00 credits)
A course which will examine vital areas of contemporary concern in economics. Prerequisites: None.
WORLD FOOD SYSTEMS
ECON 328 EG
ECON
(4.00 credits)
In the last decades, the food system has undergone significant structural changes: agriculture has become a heavily-mechanized industry and the number of miles food travels from producer to consumer has multiplied. As buyers, we are no longer constrained to the local food variety or its seasonal availability. In addition, as incomes in poor countries have risen, people's diets have become increasingly diversified with a greater reliance upon processed foods. In this course we will use basic economic theory to analyze world food production and distribution. We will explore and compare the benefits and problems experienced by rich and poor nations due to transformations of the food system. Topics to be discussed include international food aid programs, growth of urban food markets, and impact of government policies in food prices, health, labor structure, and the environment.