Economics

ECON 2001 Principles of Macroeconomics: Recitation (0 semester credit hours) This course is designed as a recitation or practice session for ECON 2301 Principles of Macroeconomics core curriculum course. Credit/No Credit only. Corequisite: ECON 2301. (1-0) S

ECON 2301 (ECON 2301) Principles of Macroeconomics (3 semester credit hours) An introduction to theories of the determination of national production and income, interest rates, inflation, and unemployment. Other topics include the banking system, balance of payments, economic growth and development. (3-0) S

ECON 2302 (ECON 2302) Principles of Microeconomics (3 semester credit hours) An introduction to theories of the behavior of markets. Topics include the theory of demand and supply, market structure, consumer behavior, firm behavior, profit maximization, international trade, and the role of government policy and regulation. Note: ECON 2302 may be taken prior to ECON 2301. (3-0) S

ECON 3305 Economic Demography (3 semester credit hours) A general introduction to economic demography, addressing the following kinds of questions: What are the economic consequences of immigration to the U.S.? Will industrial nations be able to afford the health and pension costs of aging populations? How has the size of the baby boom affected its economic well-being? Why has fertility been high in Third World countries? In industrial countries, why is marriage postponed, divorce high, fertility so low, and extramarital fertility rising? What are the economic and environmental consequences of rapid population growth? Prerequisite: ECON 3310. (3-0) R

ECON 3310 Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (3 semester credit hours) The study of the behavior of consumers, producers, and their interaction in markets. Emphasizes profit maximization, cost minimization, production, market structure, competitive environment, and strategic interaction within markets and welfare. Prerequisites: ECON 2302 and (MATH 1325 or MATH 2413 or MATH 2417) and (STAT 1342 or EPPS 2302 or EPPS 2303 or OPRE 3360). (3-0) S

ECON 3311 Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory (3 semester credit hours) A study of the determinants of national income, employment, interest rates, and the price level, including theories and evidence regarding the influence of monetary and fiscal policies on the economy. Prerequisites: ECON 2301 and ECON 2302 and (MATH 1325 or MATH 2413 or MATH 2417) and (STAT 1342 or EPPS 2302 or EPPS 2303 or OPRE 3360). (3-0) S

ECON 3312 Money and Banking (3 semester credit hours) The development, structure, and regulation of financial institutions and the roles of these institutions in determining the money supply and level of economic activity. Prerequisite: ECON 2301. (3-0) T

ECON 3315 Sports Economics (3 semester credit hours) Applies principles of economic analysis to look at the nature and characteristics of professional and amateur sports industries. Examines franchising and profit-maximization, monopoly and anti-trust, public financing of sports facilities, labor markets for players, team competitive balance, discrimination and other themes. Prerequisite: ECON 2302. (3-0) T

ECON 3330 Economics of Health (3 semester credit hours) A study of personal and public expenditures on health care, the markets for medical personnel, the medical industry, the health insurance market, and present and proposed health care policies. (3-0) R

ECON 3332 Economic Geography (3 semester credit hours) This course will provide students with an introduction to economic geography which is the study of the location, distribution, and spatial organization of economic activities. The course will cover the following concepts: (1) Location and spatial distribution of economic activities, (2) Spatial interaction and economic dependence (trade, transportation, and migration), and (3) Economic change in spatial context (economic growth and performance of regions). Students will be introduced to the use of geospatial software (ESRI ArcView) to analyze economic trends and patterns. Prerequisites: ECON 2301 and ECON 2302 and (EPPS 2302 or EPPS 2303 or STAT 1342). (3-0) R

ECON 3335 Psychology and Economics (3 semester credit hours) A study of the ways economists use basic principles from psychology in order to test and augment economic theory. Prerequisite: ECON 2302. (3-0) R

ECON 3336 Economics of Education (3 semester credit hours) This course looks at education through the lens of economics. Topics include ways to finance education, various controversies in the production of human capital, public policies that are designed to improve education and the consequences of poor educational performance. Prerequisite: ECON 2302. (3-0) R

ECON 3337 Economics of Poverty and Inequality (3 semester credit hours) Examines the economic causes and consequences of poverty and inequality. Topics include U.S. welfare policy and transfer programs. Prerequisite: ECON 2302. (3-0) R

ECON 3369 Political Economy of Terrorism (3 semester credit hours) Economic and statistical methods applied to terrorism. Topics include liberal democracy dilemma, counterterrorism, history of terrorism, international cooperation, and game theory applications. Prerequisite: ECON 2302. (3-0) R

ECON 3381 Economic History (3 semester credit hours) A review of the history of Western civilization, with particular emphasis on the economic influences of money, resources, production, and trade on political and social events. This course is also recommended for students who are not economics majors. (3-0) R

ECON 4301 Game Theory (3 semester credit hours) Rational decision-making in strategic situations where the optimal decision for one player depends upon the strategies of others. Games are illustrated through the use of economic examples, such as pricing and output decisions of firms, common property usage, bargaining, international trade games, and games of market entry. Prerequisite: ECON 3310. (3-0) T

ECON 4302 Urban and Regional Economics (3 semester credit hours) Emphasizes the spatial distribution of economic activity. The course analyzes the benefits from urbanization, as well as the problems it poses for issues such as housing, crime and transportation. The course also covers factors that contribute to the growth and decline of economic regions. Prerequisites: ECON 3310. (3-0) R

ECON 4310 Managerial Economics (3 semester credit hours) The use of economics in managerial decision making. Includes profit maximization, cost analysis, economies of scale and scope, learning curves, market structure, and strategic competition. Prerequisites: ECON 2302 and (MATH 1325 or MATH 2413 or MATH 2417). (3-0) R

ECON 4320 Public Sector Economics (3 semester credit hours) A study of the economics of the public sector, including taxation, public expenditures, and fiscal policy. Examines the theoretical foundation for government intervention in the economy, and the incentive effects of government policies on work, investment, and the spending of income. Prerequisite: ECON 3310. (3-0) Y

ECON 4330 Law and Economics (3 semester credit hours) Contracts, torts, and property rights, integrating economic theory concerning efficiency and equity with actual legal cases. Topics include medical malpractice, habitability laws, zoning, crime deterrence, environmental laws, and discrimination. This course is also recommended for students who are not economics majors. (3-0) R

ECON 4332 Energy and Natural Resources Economics (3 semester credit hours) This course is a study in the application of economics to renewable and nonrenewable natural resources problems and to the role of the energy sector in the world economy. Prerequisites: ECON 2302 and ECON 3310. (3-0) R

ECON 4333 Environmental Economics (3 semester credit hours) A study of people and their environment, emphasizing the social and economic consequences of development and pollution. Alternative public policies for dealing with environmental impacts are explored. Prerequisites: ECON 2302 and ECON 3310. (3-0) T

ECON 4334 Experimental Economics (3 semester credit hours) This is a course in the use of laboratory methods to study behavior in economics and the social sciences. Students will study state-of-the-art methodology in experimental economics, including experimental design, laboratory technique, financial incentives, and analysis of data. Students will participate in, design, and conduct experiments in bargaining, auctions, asset markets, public goods and commons situations, and risky decision-making. Prerequisite: ECON 3310. (3-0) T

ECON 4336 Environmental Economic Theory and Policy (3 semester credit hours) Economic and ecology aims at understanding the workings of highly interconnected systems in which trade-offs among goals of participants and policy makers are unavoidable. This course brings them together to study the environmental implications of environmental growth and development and to utilize the tools of economic theory to analyze ecological problems and suggest practical policy solutions that are efficient as well as effective. Topics include environmental ethics, collective goods, externalities, pollution control, energy, economics and ecology, and climate change. Prerequisite: ECON 2302. (3-0) R

ECON 4340 Labor Economics and Human Resources (3 semester credit hours) Analyses of wage and employment determination, the role of unions and government in labor market outcomes; discussion of such issues as human capital, discrimination, occupational safety and health, and labor market segmentation. Prerequisite: ECON 3310. (3-0) T

ECON 4342 Public Policies Toward Business (3 semester credit hours) Analysis of the economic rationale for government intervention in markets. The course considers direct intervention in the form of price, entry, and/or product quality directives, the economic welfare foundations of public utility economics, and the theory of regulation and deregulation, including indirect regulation through antitrust laws. Topics include collusion, price discrimination, vertical restraints, and other attempts to monopolize a market. Prerequisite: ECON 3310. (3-0) R

ECON 4345 Industrial Organization (3 semester credit hours) Market structure, firm conduct, and social performance of industries with emphasis on firms' strategic behavior in price and nonprice competition. Topics include oligopoly pricing, strategic entry deterrence, location strategies, product differentiation, advertising, research and development, and the effect of firms' conduct on economic welfare and market structure. Prerequisite: ECON 3310. (3-0) T

ECON 4346 Technology, Economy, and Society (3 semester credit hours) This course explores the ways technology and society shape one another in an economic context. Drawing on theoretical and research contributions from several social sciences, the course devotes primary attention to the economic impacts of so-called information and communication technologies (ICT) on employment and earnings, job creation and destruction, new firm formation and failure, as well as profit and productivity. (3-0) R

ECON 4348 Business and Technology (3 semester credit hours) This course explores the role of technological innovation in macroeconomic performance and firm-level business activity. It highlights theoretical and research contributions from across several social sciences, engineering, and management. Topics include reflection on how technical advances emerge from - and have their impacts shaped within - markets and broader societal organization. The roles of domestic political institutions and public policy, as well as geo-political contexts, will be used to illustrate the broader implications of the technology-business relationship. Prerequisite: ECON 2302 or instructor consent required. (3-0) R

ECON 4351 Mathematical Economics (3 semester credit hours) Mathematical formulation of economic theories such as static and dynamic analysis of market behavior and macroeconomic models. Introduction to optimization techniques and linear algebra. Prerequisites: (STAT 1342 or EPPS 2302 or EPPS 2303 or OPRE 3360) and (MATH 1326 or MATH 2414 or MATH 2419). (3-0) Y

ECON 4355 Econometrics (3 semester credit hours) The application of statistical methods to economic analysis; particular attention is given to regression analysis, hypothesis testing, and forecasting. Includes the analysis of cross-sectional, time series and panel data. Prerequisites: (STAT 1342 or EPPS 2302 or EPPS 2303 or OPRE 3360) and (MATH 1326 or MATH 2414 or MATH 2419). (3-0) Y

ECON 4360 International Trade (3 semester credit hours) Studies international relationships among national economies with a principal focus on trade relationships. Examines theories of trade, rationale for protectionism, and the foundation of exchange markets. Prerequisite: ECON 3310. (3-0) Y

ECON 4362 Development Economics (3 semester credit hours) A study of development and economic growth, with a principal focus on less developed countries. Includes theories and patterns of development, the role of human resources, capital resources, agriculture, and international markets. Prerequisites: ECON 2302 and ECON 3311. (3-0) R

ECON 4370 Advanced Experimental Economics (3 semester credit hours) Students will design and implement economic experiments in order to test hypotheses about human behavior and institutional arrangements. Prerequisites: ECON 4334 and instructor consent required. (3-0) R

ECON 4381 History of Economic Ideas (3 semester credit hours) An investigation into the writings and ideas of economists past and present. Beginning with the ancient Greeks and ending with contemporary radical economic thought, the course places current economic issues into historical perspective. Works by Smith, Malthus, Mill, Marx, Veblen, Schumpeter, Galbraith, and others are covered. This course is also recommended for students who are not economics majors. (3-0) R

ECON 4382 International Finance (3 semester credit hours) Studies the international financial system, including the foreign exchange markets and the balance of payment accounts. Includes a discussion of international monetary theory. Prerequisite: ECON 3311. (3-0) T

ECON 4385 Business and Economic Forecasting (3 semester credit hours) Techniques, statistical and otherwise, for forecasting events relevant to business and economic activities. Prerequisite: (MATH 1326 or MATH 2414 or MATH 2419) and (STAT 1342 or EPPS 2302 or EPPS 2303 or OPRE 3360). (3-0) R

ECON 4396 Selected Topics in Economics (3 semester credit hours) May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) R

ECON 4V97 Independent Study in Economics (1-6 semester credit hours) Independent study under a faculty member's direction. May be repeated for credit (6 semester credit hours maximum). Program Head consent required. ([1-6]-0) S

ECON 4V98 Internship (1-6 semester credit hours) Credit/No Credit only. May be repeated for credit (6 semester credit hours maximum). Instructor consent required. ([1-6]-0) S

ECON 4V99 Senior Honors in Economics (1-6 semester credit hours) For students conducting independent research for honors theses or projects. May be repeated for credit (6 semester credit hours maximum). Instructor consent required. ([1-6]-0) S