Economics

This course is a one-semester combination of both micro- and macro-economics. In this course, students are introduced to analysis of supply and demand, national income theory, the banking system, fiscal and monetary policy and the corresponding usage for economic stabilization, theory of the consumer, theory of the firm, and other selected microeconomic topics.

Have you ever looked around at your possessions, like your food, backpack, or phone, and thought: Where did this stuff come from? How do these things get made when and how I need them? Why do I have it instead of somebody else? By asking about “the economics of everyday things,” this course will get you thinking about how key institutions like businesses and governments cooperate (and compete!) to supply us with the goods and services that we demand in order to survive and thrive. By learning about the markets for a variety of products, we’ll discover some of the many ways that our world economy is interconnected and get ideas for how you can chart your own course through it.

How does religion trouble the traditional assumptions like rationality and perfect information made by economics? How are religion and economics allies? Howa re religion and economics enemies? Explore how religion and economics have come together to create the globalized capitalistic world we inhabit today and how we can envision more productive ways for the two to work together.

An introduction to the use of statistics. Topics include summary statistics, introduction to probability estimation, hypothesis testing, regression analysis, time series and non-parametric statistics.

This course is an overview of the differences and discrimination associated with race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, citizenship status, the nation of birth, other identities, and their intersections, specifically related to economic outcomes. We will focus on the sources of economic inequality and the resulting differences in outcomes such as wages, wealth, consumption, entrepreneurship, incarceration, and health. We will study theories of discrimination, applied empirical work testing those theories, and policies intended to mitigate these group differences.

An introduction to the principles of economics including production principles; production costs, supply and revenue; profit maximization; consumption and demand; price elasticity; market price determination; and competitive versus noncompetitive market models. These principles are applied to agriculture and the role of agriculture in the United States and world economies. Other topics include a survey of the world food situation; natural, human and capital resources; commodity product marketing; and agricultural problems and policies.

A study of the theory of Money and Banking. Topics covered include an overview of the financial system, different perspectives on the nature and origin of money, operations of commercial banks and the Federal Reserve System, and financial crises.

This course is an introduction to the theory of economic development. Why have some parts of the world developed economically while other parts of the world have remained underdeveloped? The purpose of this class is to develop a deeper understanding of the social, political, and economic conditions necessary to promote economic development.

This course analyzes the economic theories related to the labor market and the problems workers face. Topics include labor supply and demand, wage determination, the impact of unions and collective bargaining, discrimination, earnings differentials, labor force participation, and unemployment.

A theoretical analysis of environmental pollution generation and of suggestions for corrective policies. Emphasis is on resource allocation and the welfare and income distributional implications of public policy decisions.

An individual reading or project course for advanced qualified students under the direction of a member of the department, on a subject mutually satisfactory to student and instructor. May be repeated with different subject matter for a maximum of 6 hours.

A practical application of theoretical skills in actual job-related situations. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 hours. Open to junior and senior majors