ECON 132: Introduction to Economic Inquiry
This course introduces students to economic inquiry. We will address questions such as: What kinds of questions do economists ask? How do they go about trying to answer those questions? Why do economists disagree with one another? and How does this conversation connect to current public discourse? Drawing on the work of important figures in the history of economic thought, students will encounter the arguments of two major approaches to economic analysis as developed by E. K. Hunt in History of Economic Thought: A Critical Perspective.
ECON 344: The Economics Of Race & Gender
In this course students are exposed to the political economy of race and gender and will evaluate labor market outcomes and inequality from both the neoclassical and heterodox perspectives. Each perspective will be evaluated in terms of its assumptions, theories, and policy conclusions. Additionally, students will work through advanced race and/or gender related models from feminist, institutional, and behavioral perspectives. Within the context of these multiple paradigms the following topics/models will be addressed: labor market outcomes such as work, wages, and discrimination; household decision making and bargaining; institutional discrimination; public policies and race/gender; experimental economics and irrational behavior; and structures of constraint.
ECON 364: Macroeconomic Theory
Formal models are an important way in which economists develop and communicate their arguments. This course builds on Introduction to Economic Inquiry, introducing students to the formal tools, models and methods from two major approaches to economic analysis. Students will explore theories that seek to explain the total level of economic activity in an economic system with special attention to the business cycle and the ways in which government spending, taxation and monetary policies influence unemployment, inflation and the rate of economic growth.
ECON TOPIC: Gender & Economic Development
In this course, students will be introduced to the foundational role gender plays in the development process and the gender dimensions of economic development models and strategies. Throughout the semester, students will engage with data regarding the current status of women in many different developing countries and will regularly delve into country-specific studies, mostly student-led. They will also work through multiple alternative development strategies to evaluate how these strategies affect women and men differently. Finally, we will discuss policy options, both development and gender-equality related, and the role of international institutions in the development process.
ECON TOPIC: Money, Banking, & Crises
This course will build upon the macroeconomic side of Introduction to Economic Inquiry to include both an introduction to the role of money and banking in the economy and an exploration in recent economic history related to financial crises. Topics addressed will include an introduction to basic money markets, central banks, and banking systems at large including discussions of regulations, interest rates, and financial markets.
ECON 498W: Independent Research Seminar
This seminar will develop your abilities to do independent research using the concepts and tools of economic analysis. Your principal assignment is to undertake a research project and to develop and present a senior thesis. I expect your papers to be well written and organized, supported by appropriate data and evidence, and reveal a command of economic tools and concepts that you have acquired in the course of your economics major. Evaluation is based primarily on the quality of your economic analysis. Several related assignments will help you develop your thesis and write your paper.
College Colloquium: Harry Potter and the Ethics of Difference
In the robust, complex, and intriguing wizarding world of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling masterfully weaves fantasy with reality to create underlying subplots related to dealing with difference. In this course, we will journey together through the Harry Potter series to analyze, discuss, and evaluate many of these subplots to guide our inquiry into questions such as: what is the social hierarchy in the wizarding world and how does it overlap with or differ from the real world? How do the natures of the characters and their manifestations of prejudice allow readers to connect to the characters and better understand prejudice? What does Rowling offer as solutions to prejudicial social attitudes and institutions and would these solutions “solve” these issues in the real world today? We will draw upon J.K. Rowling’s series, in addition to other sources that will help guide our conversations on these topics.
College Colloquium: Rhetoric in children's film
In this course we will analyze the messages we ourselves have received and those we are passing onto the next generation in the context of children’s movies--including "The Lego Movie" (2014), "Wall-E" (2008), "The Incredibles" (2004), "Beauty and the Beast" (1991), "Despicable Me" (2010), and "Megamind" (2010). We will draw upon works, such as Milton Friedman’s Capitalism and Freedom and Karl Marx’s Capital in addition to readings on gender socialization and the hero/antihero to inform our critical inquiry into questions such as: What messages do these films convey about gender roles? How is capitalism portrayed in these films? What do these films teach us about the natures of villainy and heroism?
