Academic Catalog

Economics (ECON)

ECON 1000.  Essentials of Economics.  (3 Credits)  
A one-semester general introduction to micro- and macroeconomics. Economic concepts include: opportunity costs, demand and supply, incentives, comparative advantage, inflation and employment policies, balance of international payments, and economic growth. CA 2.
Enrollment Requirements: Not open for credit to students who are currently enrolled in or who have passed ECON 1107, 1179, 1200, 1201, 1202 or ARE 1150.  
  
Content Areas: CA2: Social Science  
ECON 1101.  Economics Through Film.  (3 Credits)  
Introduction to basic economic concepts and contemporary economic issues through their portrayal in motion pictures. CA 2.
Enrollment Requirements: Not open for credit to students who have passed ECON 1000, 1200, 1201, 1202 or ARE 1150.  
  
Content Areas: CA2: Social Science  
ECON 1108.  Game Theory in the Natural and Social Sciences.  (3 Credits)  
Introduction to game theory. Applications in the natural and social sciences and technology may include electric power auctions, evolutionary biology, and elections. CA 2.
Enrollment Requirements: Not open to students who have passed ECON 2201 or 2202.  
  
Content Areas: CA2: Social Science  
ECON 1200.  Principles of Economics (Intensive).  (4 Credits)  
Same core of principles as ECON 1201 or 1202. One-half macroeconomics and one-half microeconomics. More demanding than ECON 1201 or 1202. Substitutes for ECON 1201 or 1202 as a prerequisite for all junior/senior level courses. May or may not substitute for ECON 1201 or 1202 outside economics; check Catalog. CA 2.
Enrollment Requirements: Recommended preparation: ECON 1000. Not open for credit to students who have passed ECON 1201, 1202, or ARE 1150. May not be taken concurrently with ECON 1201, 1202, or ARE 1150.  
  
Content Areas: CA2: Social Science  
ECON 1201.  Principles of Microeconomics.  (3 Credits)  
How the invisible hand of the market functions through the economic decisions of firms and individuals. How prices, wages and profits are determined, resources are allocated and income is distributed. Topical subjects (e.g., energy policy and health care). CA 2.
Enrollment Requirements: Not open for credit to students who have passed or are taking ECON 1200.May be taken before or after ECON 1202. May not be taken out of sequence after passing ECON 2198, 2201, 2211Q, or 2327. Students may not earn credit for both ARE 1150 and ECON 1201.  
  
Content Areas: CA2: Social Science  
ECON 1202.  Principles of Macroeconomics.  (3 Credits)  
The organization and function of the economic system as a total unit. Economic decisions, institutions, and policies that determine levels and rates of growth of production, employment, and prices. Topical subjects (e.g., government budget deficits and current interest-rate policy). CA 2.
Enrollment Requirements: Not open for credit to students who have passed ECON 1200. May not be taken concurrently with ECON 1200. May be taken before or after ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150). May not be taken out of sequence after passing ECON 2198, 2202, 2212Q, or 2327.  
  
Content Areas: CA2: Social Science  
ECON 1493.  Foreign Study.  (1-6 Credits)  
Special topics taken in a foreign study program.
May be repeated for credit  
ECON 1495.  Special Topics.  (1-3 Credits)  
May be repeated for credit  
ECON 1498.  Variable Topics.  (3 Credits)  
May be repeated for credit  
ECON 2101.  Economic History of Europe.  (3 Credits)  
Economic evolution of Europe from feudal times to the present, emphasizing the modern period: the rise of commerce, industry, and banking; the growth of population and the labor force; the changing position of agriculture; business fluctuations; and forms of economic organization. CA 1.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) and ECON 1202; ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) may be taken concurrently.  
  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities  
ECON 2101W.  Economic History of Europe.  (3 Credits)  
Economic evolution of Europe from feudal times to the present, emphasizing the modern period: the rise of commerce, industry, and banking; the growth of population and the labor force; the changing position of agriculture; business fluctuations; and forms of economic organization. CA 1.
Enrollment Requirements: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011; ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) and ECON 1202; ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) may be taken concurrently.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Writing Competency  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities  
ECON 2102.  Economic History of the United States.  (3 Credits)  
Issues in American economic development, including the political economy of the Constitution, the economics of slavery, the rise of modern corporations and the causes of the Great Depression. CA 1.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) and ECON 1202; ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) may be taken concurrently.  
  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities  
ECON 2102W.  Economic History of the United States.  (3 Credits)  
Issues in American economic development, including the political economy of the Constitution, the economics of slavery, the rise of modern corporations and the causes of the Great Depression. CA 1.
Enrollment Requirements: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011; ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) and ECON 1202; ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) may be taken concurrently.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Writing Competency  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities  
ECON 2103.  Deep Roots of Modern Societies.  (3 Credits)  
Historical and comparative analysis of deep-rooted issues affecting modern societies. The evolution of societies and the origins of poverty, discrimination, conflict and war, income inequality, gender roles, and other challenging issues. CA 1.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 and 1202. Not open for credit to students who have passed ECON 3103.  
  
Grading Basis: Honors Credit  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities  
ECON 2120.  Honors Core: Rights and Harms.  (3 Credits)  
Basic concepts in the economics and philosophy of law as a framework for discussing controversial social issues. Topics may include intellectual property rights, eminent domain, freedom of speech, and "repugnant" transactions like the sale of human organs. CA 1.
Enrollment Requirements: Any 1000-level course in Economics, which may be taken concurrently; open to students in the Honors program; others by instructor permission.  
  
Grading Basis: Honors Credit  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities  
ECON 2198.  Topics in Economic History and Thought.  (3 Credits)  
Special topics in economic history, the history of economic thought, the philosophy and methodology of economics, or alternative economic theories.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) and ECON 1202 or instructor consent.  
May be repeated for credit  
ECON 2201.  Intermediate Microeconomic Theory.  (3 Credits)  
Intermediate microeconomic theory, covering demand and supply, exchange and production, pricing, and welfare economics.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or 1201 or ARE 1150; MATH 1071Q or 1110Q or 1120Q or 1125Q or 1131Q or 1151Q or 2141Q. Recommended preparation: ECON 1202. Not open for credit to students who have passed ECON 2211Q or 3441.  
  
ECON 2202.  Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory.  (3 Credits)  
Intermediate macroeconomic theory, covering national income accounting; the determination of aggregate output, employment and price levels; elements of business cycles and economic growth.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or 1202; one of MATH 1071Q, 1110Q, 1121Q, 1131Q, 1151Q, or 2141Q. Recommended preparation: ECON 1201. Not open for credit to students who have passed ECON 2212Q.  
  
ECON 2211Q.  Quantitative Intermediate Microeconomics.  (3 Credits)  
Intermediate microeconomic theory presented with calculus and other quantitative techniques. Demand and supply, exchange and production, pricing, and welfare economics.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 and 1202; MATH 1071Q or 1110Q or 1125Q or 1131Q or 1151Q or 2141Q. Not open to students who have taken ECON 2201.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Quantitative Competency  
ECON 2212Q.  Quantitative Intermediate Macroeconomics.  (3 Credits)  
Intermediate macroeconomic theory using quantitative techniques. Definition and measurement of major economic variables; business cycles; economic growth; labor supply; savings and production decision; the effect of government policies; and general equilibrium.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 and 1202; MATH 1071Q or 1110Q or 1125Q or 1131Q or 1151Q or 2141Q. Not open for credit to students who have taken ECON 2202.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Quantitative Competency  
ECON 2301Q.  Mathematical Economics.  (3 Credits)  
Application of mathematical techniques to economic problems. Methods studied: set theory, linear algebra, equilibrium analysis, unconstrained and constrained optimization, comparative statics, and linear programming.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) and ECON 1202; MATH 1071Q or MATH 1131Q or equivalent.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Quantitative Competency  
ECON 2311Q.  Econometrics I.  (3 Credits)  
Recommended for all students majoring in Economics. Introduction to the application of statistical methods for the estimation, testing, and prediction of economic relationships. Emphasizes ordinary least squares regression.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) and ECON 1202; MATH 1071Q or 1110Q or 1125Q or 1131Q or 1151Q or 2141Q; and STAT 1000Q or 1100Q.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Quantitative Competency  
ECON 2312Q.  Econometrics II.  (3 Credits)  
Topics may include endogeneity problems and instrumental variables, panel-data models, binary-choice models including probit and logit, and time-series econometrics.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2311Q.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Quantitative Competency  
ECON 2326.  Operations Research.  (3 Credits)  
Extensive use of computer spreadsheets to find efficient solutions to problems faced by managers in both the public and private sectors. Optimization of input and output mixes, of delivery routes, and communication networks.
Enrollment Requirements: Recommended preparation: ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 and 1202. Not open for credit to students who have passed ECON 4326.  
  
ECON 2411.  Money and Banking.  (3 Credits)  
The nature of money, the origins of monetary standards and systems, the development and operation of commercial banking, the Federal Reserve System, and international monetary agencies.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) and ECON 1202; ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) may be taken concurrently.  
  
ECON 2413.  Economics of Financial Markets and Institutions.  (3 Credits)  
Interactions between the financial system and the real economy. The form and function of various financial markets and financial institutions Theories of interest rates. Theories of asymmetric information and transaction cost. The evolving role of the financial system in understanding key macroeconomic phenomena.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) and 1202.  
  
ECON 2431.  Economics of Taxation and Government Spending.  (3 Credits)  
Critical issues in taxation and government expenditures. Emphasis on institutions and public policy. Topics include: rationale for and effects of progressive taxation, reform of the tax system, Social Security and Medicare, welfare reform, defense, and fiscal federalism.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or 1201 or ARE 1150. Recommended preparation for students who have passed ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) is ECON 1202.  
  
ECON 2439.  Urban Development and Policy.  (3 Credits)  
Education, housing, anti-poverty, economic development, and transportation policies for American cities and metropolitan areas. Emphasis on different roles of policies that act upon people versus places. Analysis tools for regional economic development such as input-output matrices and cost-benefit analysis.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or 1201 or ARE 1150.  
  
ECON 2440.  Economics of the Global Economy.  (3 Credits)  
Analysis of economic integration in the global economy with emphasis on the position of the USA. Several specialist areas of economic thought brought to bear-economic history, economics of the multinational enterprise, international trade, international finance, labor economics, environmental economics, and economics of the internet. Institutional historical, and political economy approaches are emphasized.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) and 1202.  
  
ECON 2441.  Labor Economics.  (3 Credits)  
Economics of labor: human capital theory, discrimination, unemployment, manpower policy, and trade unions.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or 1201 or ARE 1150. Recommended preparation: ECON 2201.  
  
ECON 2441W.  Labor Economics.  (3 Credits)  
Economics of labor: human capital theory, discrimination, unemployment, manpower policy, and trade unions.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or 1201 or ARE 1150; ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011. Recommended preparation: ECON 2201.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Writing Competency  
ECON 2444.  Women and Minorities in the Labor Market.  (3 Credits)  
Issues and problems confronting women and minorities in the workplace, using economic theory, institutional analysis, and empirical investigation. Historical background, allocation of time, discrimination, earnings determination, occupational structure, labor unions, and public policy.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) and 1202.  
  
ECON 2445.  Economic Foundations of Gender Inequality.  (3 Credits)  
Economic approaches to gender inequality in political representation, economic opportunities, access to education, and health.
Enrollment Requirements: Not open to students who have passed or are taking HRTS or WGSS 3445  
  
ECON 2447.  Economics of Sports.  (3 Credits)  
Microeconomic principles applied to the business of sports. Player salaries; antitrust issues and collective bargaining; discrimination; economics of franchising; ticket pricing, revenue sharing, and competitive balance; impact of franchises on local economies.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or 1201 or ARE 1150.  
  
ECON 2447W.  Economics of Sports.  (3 Credits)  
Microeconomic principles applied to the business of sports. Player salaries; anti-trust issues and collective bargaining; discrimination; economics of franchising; ticket pricing, revenue sharing, and competitive balance; impact of franchises on local economies.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or 1201 or ARE 1150; ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Writing Competency  
ECON 2451.  Economic Behavior and Health Policy.  (3 Credits)  
Basic principles of health economics, including the demand for health, health behaviors, public-health economics, and behavioral health economics, applied to five topics: smoking, obesity, opioid and other drug addictions, depression, and infectious diseases.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) and 1202. Not open for credit to students who have passed ECON 3451.  
  
ECON 2456.  Economics of Poverty.  (3 Credits)  
Analysis of poverty and income maintenance programs: theories of income distribution and comparison of public policies in the U.S. and other countries.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) and 1202.  
  
ECON 2467E.  Economics of the Oceans.  (3 Credits)  
(Also offered as MAST 2467E.) Economies of industries that use and manage ocean resources. Applications of industrial organization, law and economics, natural resource theory, and environmental economics.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or 1201 or ARE 1150.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Environmental Literacy  
ECON 2474.  Economic Development in Latin America and the Caribbean.  (3 Credits)  
(Also offered as LLAS 2474.) Survey of the economic history of Latin America and the Caribbean. Analysis of present-day development issues in the region, including economic growth, poverty, education, and health.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 and 1202.  
  
ECON 2477.  Transitional Economies of Russia and Eastern Europe.  (3 Credits)  
Economic transition of these formerly socialist economies into capitalist, market economies. Comparison of centrally planned and market economies. Problems of macroeconomic imbalance, economic distortions, shortages and repressed inflation. Means and timing of price liberalization, privatization, restructuring, currency convertibility, and building legal and financial institutions.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) and 1202.  
  
ECON 2481.  Internship Field Study.  (1-6 Credits)  
Supervised fieldwork relevant to some area of economics, with a business firm, government agency or non-profit organization. Evaluation by the field supervisor and by the instructor (based on a detailed written report submitted by the student). Students taking this course will be assigned a final grade of S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory.) Does not count toward the economics major. Students must secure a satisfactory intern position before the end of the second week of the semester of enrollment in this course; they should begin consultation with the instructor several months in advance.
Enrollment Requirements: Nine credits of 2000 level or above ECON (6 of which may be taken concurrently). Must be 6th semester and have a min CGPA of 2.25 or a min of 2.5 in 2000-level or above ECON. Must secure satisfactory intern position before end of 2nd week of semester.  
May be repeated for a total of 15 credits  
ECON 2491.  Internship Research Paper.  (1 Credit)  
Research paper of 3,000-4,000 words on approved topic related to the internship field study.
Enrollment Requirements: Nine credits of 2000 level or above ECON (six of which may be taken concurrently). Students must be 6th semester and have a min CGPA of 2.25 or a min of 2.5 in 2000 level or above economics courses.  
  
ECON 2491W.  Internship Research Paper.  (1 Credit)  
Research paper of 3,000-4,000 words on approved topic related to the internship field study.
Enrollment Requirements: Nine credits of 2000 level or above ECON (six may be concurrent). At least 6th semester with a min CGPA of 2.25 or a min of 2.5 in 2000 level or above ECON courses; ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Writing Competency  
ECON 2493.  Foreign Study.  (1-6 Credits)  
Special topics taken in a foreign study program. Consent of Department Head required, prior to the student's departure. May count toward the major with consent of the advisor.
May be repeated for credit  
ECON 2495.  Special Topics.  (1-6 Credits)  
Enrollment Requirements: Prerequisites and recommended preparation vary.  
May be repeated for credit  
ECON 2498.  Variable Topics.  (3 Credits)  
Enrollment Requirements: Prerequisites and recommended preparation vary.  
May be repeated for credit  
ECON 2499.  Independent Study.  (1-6 Credits)  
Tutorial course to enable qualified students to round out their training in economics. Independent reading conferences and short research papers. No more than six credits of ECON 2499/3499 may be counted toward major requirements.
May be repeated for credit  
ECON 2500W.  Writing in Economics.  (1 Credit)  
Techniques for, and practice in, research, writing, citation, and data presentation in economics.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or both ECON 1201 (or ARE 1150) and ECON 1202; ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Writing Competency  
ECON 3103.  Global Economic History: Deep Roots of Modern Societies.  (3 Credits)  
Historical and comparative analysis of deep-rooted issues affecting modern societies. The evolution of societies and the origins of poverty, discrimination, conflict and war, income inequality, gender roles, and other challenging issues.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201, ECON 2202, ECON 2211Q, or ECON 2212Q. Not open for credit to students who are currently enrolled in or who have passed ECON 2103.  
  
ECON 3198.  Variable Topics in Economic History.  (3 Credits)  
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201, 2202, 2211Q, or 2212Q.  
May be repeated for credit  
ECON 3208.  Game Theory.  (3 Credits)  
Analysis of economic situations as games. Nash equilibrium, backward induction, auctions, commitment, credibility, and asymmetric information.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211; open to juniors or higher. Not open for credit to students who have taken ECON 3210.  
  
ECON 3209.  Behavioral Economics.  (3 Credits)  
Overview of the field of behavioral economics, the intersection between economics and psychology. Behavioral models of individual decision-making, with particular focus on intertemporal choice, decisions under uncertainty, and probabilistic judgments and learning. Applications to fields such as development economics and health economics.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q; STAT 1000Q or 1100Q.  
  
ECON 3210.  Game Theory for Blockchains.  (3 Credits)  
Analysis and modeling of strategic interaction, with a focus on the strategic challenges of blockchains. Topics include identification of strategic issues in using blockchains, choice of correct tools of analysis, formal modeling of interaction, and design of governance algorithms.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q. Not open for credit to students who have passed ECON 3208.  
  
ECON 3313.  Elementary Economic Forecasting.  (3 Credits)  
Economic forecasting for macroeconomics and financial economics. Econometric analysis of time-series data.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2202 or 2212Q; ECON 2311Q; ECON 2312Q; STAT 1000Q or 1100Q; open to juniors or higher.  
  
ECON 3315.  Financial Econometrics.  (3 Credits)  
Introduction to the mathematics of finance. Theoretical reasoning (proofs), modeling, useful simplifying approximations, and computing. Students will write basic programs in R.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q; ECON 2202 or 2212Q; ECON 2311Q; ECON 2312Q; STAT 1000Q or 1100Q.  
  
ECON 3317.  Machine Learning for Economists.  (3 Credits)  
Machine learning techniques and causal inference. Applications to economic data.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2311Q, 2312Q, and 3321. Not open for credit to students who have passed ECON 5317.  
  
ECON 3318.  Panel Data Econometrics.  (3 Credits)  
Standard panel data models with an emphasis on determining when causal relationships can be inferred from panel data.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2311Q, 2312Q and 3321. Not open for credit to students who have passed ECON 5318.  
  
ECON 3321.  Programming and Computation with R for Economists.  (3 Credits)  
Basics of R programming. Objects, data structures, logical design, functions. Applications to matrix algebra, optimization, data visualization, and econometric analysis.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q; ECON 2202 or 2212Q. Not open for credit to students who have passed ECON 5321.  
  
ECON 3322.  Open Source Programming with Python for Economists.  (3 Credits)  
Introduction to Python. Code structure; control flow; data input/output in various formats; testing and debugging.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q; ECON 2202 or ECON 2212Q. Not open for credit to students who have passed ECON 5322.  
  
ECON 3413.  Financial Economics.  (3 Credits)  
Basic principles used in investment decisions and their applications to pricing financial assets and to portfolio management. Asset pricing models including the Capital Asset Pricing Model and Arbitrage Pricing Theory. Fixed-income securities. Options and futures.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q; ECON 2202 or 2212Q; STAT 1000Q or 1100Q.  
  
ECON 3416.  Special Problems in Money and Banking.  (3 Credits)  
Emphasis on public policy: commercial bank regulations; the relation of liquidity to economic fluctuations; government lending agencies; and central bank policies and credit control.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2202 or 2212; ECON 2411.  
  
ECON 3421.  International Trade.  (3 Credits)  
Economic basis of international trade, trade policies, and international economic organizations.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q. Recommended preparation: ECON 1200 or 1202; MATH 1071 or 1110 or 1121 or 1131 or 1151.  
  
ECON 3422.  International Finance.  (3 Credits)  
Payments and financing of international trade: foreign exchange markets, the balance of payments, capital flows, and international monetary arrangements.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2202 or 2212Q. Recommended preparation: ECON 1200 or 1201.  
  
ECON 3431.  Public Economics.  (3 Credits)  
The role of the government in the economy. Topics may include: government policies relating to environmental protection, healthcare, social security, and education; public choice theory; fiscal policy, finance, and taxation.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q. Recommended preparation: ECON 1200 or 1202.  
  
ECON 3431W.  Public Economics.  (3 Credits)  
The role of the government in the economy. Topics may include: government policies relating to environmental protection, healthcare, social security, and education; public choice theory; fiscal policy, finance, and taxation.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q; ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011. Recommended preparation: ECON 1200 or 1202.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Writing Competency  
ECON 3438.  Contemporary Problems in Economics.  (3 Credits)  
Current issues of government economic policy, primarily microeconomic: energy, income maintenance, labor markets for minorities and women, government regulation, health care, and others.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201, 2202, 2211Q, or 2212Q.  
  
ECON 3438W.  Contemporary Problems in Economics.  (3 Credits)  
Current issues of government economic policy, primarily microeconomic: energy, income maintenance, labor markets for minorities and women, government regulation, health care, and others.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q; ECON 2202 or 2212Q; ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Writing Competency  
ECON 3439.  Urban and Regional Economics.  (3 Credits)  
(Also offered as URBN 3439.) Economic problems of cities and regions: urban markets for land, labor, and housing; location decisions of businesses and households; metropolitan transportation problems; urban/suburban fiscal relations; urban and regional environmental quality; and the economics of crime.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q. Recommended preparation: ECON 1200 or 1202; MATH 1071 or 1110 or 1121 or 1131 or 1151.  
  
ECON 3441.  Theory of Labor Markets.  (3 Credits)  
Theoretical analysis of labor markets: labor supply and demand; wage differentials; human capital; and the inflation-unemployment tradeoff.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q.  
  
ECON 3451.  Health Economics.  (3 Credits)  
Economic analysis of the health sector: organization and performance of health care delivery systems; economic behavior of patients and providers; markets for health services; health-care finance and insurance; health-care policy; and cost-benefit analysis of health-care programs.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q. Not open for credit to students who have passed ECON 2498 when taught as Health/Labor Economics  
  
ECON 3453.  Economics of Global Health.  (3 Credits)  
Examination of health issues in developing countries from the standpoint of applied microeconomic research. Emphasis on the analysis of real-world data.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q.  
  
ECON 3461.  Organization of Industry.  (3 Credits)  
The nature of competition and economic organization. Competitive effects of business practices, and their influence on price, production, and technological change.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q.  
  
ECON 3466E.  Environmental Economics.  (3 Credits)  
Application of economic reasoning to environmental issues. Topics include air and water pollution and the management of natural resources; market failure and environmental regulation; market-based mechanisms; cost-benefit analysis, environmental valuation, and program evaluation; environmental justice from an economic perspective.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Environmental Literacy  
ECON 3468.  Economics of the Law.  (3 Credits)  
The law as an economic institution. Primary focus on the Common Law, property, tort, and contract. Applications to pollution control, land-use, hazardous wastes, product liability, and worker safety. Ethical as well as economic approaches to the law.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q.  
  
ECON 3473.  Economic Development.  (3 Credits)  
Economics of problems facing developing nations: theories of development, and stategies and policies to promote economic development.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or 1202; ECON 2201 or 2211Q. Recommended preparation: MATH 1071, 1110, 1121, 1131 or 1151.  
  
ECON 3473W.  Economic Development.  (3 Credits)  
Economics of problems facing developing nations: theories of development, and strategies and policies to promote economic development.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 1200 or 1202; ECON 2201 or 2211Q; ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011. Recommended preparation: MATH 1071, 1110, 1121, 1131, or 1151.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Writing Competency  
ECON 3479.  Economic Growth.  (3 Credits)  
Causes and consequences of economic growth examined through theory, data, and economic history. Interactions between economic growth and population growth, technology, education, health and life expectancy, and social institutions. Public policies to promote growth.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2202 or 2212Q.  
  
ECON 3492.  Practicum.  (1-6 Credits)  
A maximum of six credits may be counted toward the major.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or ECON 2211Q; ECON 2202 or ECON 2212Q; instructor consent required.  
May be repeated for credit  
ECON 3493.  Foreign Study.  (1-6 Credits)  
Special topics taken in a foreign study program. Consent of Department Head required, prior to the student's departure. May count toward the major with consent of the advisor.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201, 2202, 2211Q, or 2212Q.  
May be repeated for credit  
ECON 3495.  Special Topics.  (1-6 Credits)  
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201, 2202, 2211Q, or 2212Q.  
May be repeated for credit  
ECON 3498.  Variable Topics.  (3 Credits)  
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201, 2202, 2211Q, or 2212Q.  
May be repeated for credit  
ECON 3499.  Independent Study.  (1-6 Credits)  
Tutorial course to enable qualified students to round out their training in economics. Independent reading conferences and short research papers. No more than six credits in ECON 2499/3499 may be counted toward major requirements.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201, 2202, 2211Q, or 2212Q.  
May be repeated for credit  
ECON 4206.  Mechanism Design.  (3 Credits)  
Designing incentives to encourage an intended result. Applications may include public goods provision; two-sided matching, as in labor and marriage markets; and peer evaluation of performance.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q.  
  
ECON 4323.  Convex Optimization with Python.  (3 Credits)  
Methods of convex optimization, including linear, quadratic, and general constrained and unconstrained problems. Applications, using Python, in economics and finance.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or ECON 2211Q; MATH 1131Q or MATH 1151Q or MATH 2141Q.  
  
ECON 4326.  Operations Research for Benchmarking.  (3 Credits)  
Resource allocation decisions in complex organizations formulated as standard mathematical optimization problems that can be solved using Excel. Focus on the interface between Neoclassical Production Economics and Operations Research for performance evaluation by benchmarking.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2301, and ECON 2201 or 2211Q. Recommended preparation: ECON 2326.  
  
ECON 4494W.  Seminar in Economics.  (3 Credits)  
Special topics in micro - and macroeconomic theory, applications, and testing. Recommended for capable students who are motivated to develop and extend their knowledge of economics in creative ways. Required for Honors Scholars in Economics and Economics Scholars.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 2201 or 2211Q; ECON 2202 or 2212Q; ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Writing Competency  
ECON 4497W.  Senior Thesis in Economics.  (3 Credits)  
The student should define a general subject area for the thesis before choosing a thesis advisor and seeking consent at the time of registration. The student should then submit a written proposal for the senior thesis to the advisor by the end of the semester preceding enrollment for thesis credit.
Enrollment Requirements: ECON 4494W or consent of the Department Honors Advisor; ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.  
  
Grading Basis: Honors Credit  
Skill Codes: COMP: Writing Competency