Course Offerings
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- Winter 2024
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Winter 2024▲
See complete information about these courses in the course offerings database. For more information about a specific course, including course type, schedule and location, click on its title.
Introduction to Economics
ECON 100 - Goldsmith, Arthur H. (Art)
Economics is the study of how a society (individuals, firms, and governments) allocates scarce resources. The course includes a survey of the fundamental principles used to approach microeconomic questions of consumer behavior, firm behavior, market outcomes, market structure, and microeconomic policy, and macroeconomic questions of performance of the aggregate economy, including unemployment, inflation, growth, and monetary and fiscal policies. Open only to students who have not taken ECON 101 and/or ECON 102. No retakes allowed.
Introduction to Economics
ECON 100 - Smith, Chantal D.
Economics is the study of how a society (individuals, firms, and governments) allocates scarce resources. The course includes a survey of the fundamental principles used to approach microeconomic questions of consumer behavior, firm behavior, market outcomes, market structure, and microeconomic policy, and macroeconomic questions of performance of the aggregate economy, including unemployment, inflation, growth, and monetary and fiscal policies. Open only to students who have not taken ECON 101 and/or ECON 102. No retakes allowed.
Introduction to Economics
ECON 100 - Negrete, Mario E.
Economics is the study of how a society (individuals, firms, and governments) allocates scarce resources. The course includes a survey of the fundamental principles used to approach microeconomic questions of consumer behavior, firm behavior, market outcomes, market structure, and microeconomic policy, and macroeconomic questions of performance of the aggregate economy, including unemployment, inflation, growth, and monetary and fiscal policies. Open only to students who have not taken ECON 101 and/or ECON 102. No retakes allowed.
Introduction to Economics
ECON 100 - Guse, Aaron J. (Joseph)
Economics is the study of how a society (individuals, firms, and governments) allocates scarce resources. The course includes a survey of the fundamental principles used to approach microeconomic questions of consumer behavior, firm behavior, market outcomes, market structure, and microeconomic policy, and macroeconomic questions of performance of the aggregate economy, including unemployment, inflation, growth, and monetary and fiscal policies. Open only to students who have not taken ECON 101 and/or ECON 102. No retakes allowed.
Introduction to Economics
ECON 100 - Silwal, Shikha B.
Economics is the study of how a society (individuals, firms, and governments) allocates scarce resources. The course includes a survey of the fundamental principles used to approach microeconomic questions of consumer behavior, firm behavior, market outcomes, market structure, and microeconomic policy, and macroeconomic questions of performance of the aggregate economy, including unemployment, inflation, growth, and monetary and fiscal policies. Open only to students who have not taken ECON 101 and/or ECON 102. No retakes allowed.
Introduction to Economics
ECON 100 - Alvarez, Camilo
Economics is the study of how a society (individuals, firms, and governments) allocates scarce resources. The course includes a survey of the fundamental principles used to approach microeconomic questions of consumer behavior, firm behavior, market outcomes, market structure, and microeconomic policy, and macroeconomic questions of performance of the aggregate economy, including unemployment, inflation, growth, and monetary and fiscal policies. Open only to students who have not taken ECON 101 and/or ECON 102. No retakes allowed.
Statistics for Economics
ECON 202 - Anderson, Michael A.
Fundamentals of probability, statistics, estimation, and hypothesis testing and ending with an introduction to regression analysis. The topics are critical for success in upper-level economics electives and are important for careers that rely on empirical research in the social sciences. Students engage in a dialogue between theory and application and learn to think formally about data, uncertainty, and random processes, while learning hands-on methods to organize and analyze real data using modern statistical software. Not open to students with credit for BUS 202 or INTR 202.
Econometrics
ECON 203 - Blunch, Niels-Hugo (Hugo)
Explorations of regression models that relate a response variable to one or more predictor variables. The course begins with a review of the simple bivariate model used in INTR 202, and moves on to multivariate models. Underlying model assumptions and consequences are discussed. Advanced topics include non-linear regression and forecasting. Examples in each class are drawn from a number of disciplines. The course emphasizes the use of data and student-directed research.
Macroeconomic Theory
ECON 211 - Negrete, Mario E.
This course develops the classical macroeconomic framework and uses this to explore the causes and consequences of economic growth, inflation, output, and employment. This same exercise is conducted using alternative theoretical frameworks, including those associated with Keynes, Monetarists, and New Classical thinkers. Emphasis is placed on investigating the impact and effectiveness of monetary and fiscal policy under each of the theoretical paradigms or schools of thought developed.
Money and Banking
ECON 215 - Hooks, Linda M.
A study of the fundamental principles of money, credit, and banking in the United States. Emphasis is on modern conditions and problems, with particular attention to the validity of monetary and banking theory in the present domestic and international situation.
Economics of Education
ECON 236 - Smith, Chantal D.
Investigation of the role of education on outcomes for both nations and individuals. Understanding of the factors in the education production function. Emphasis on the challenges of pre-K-12 education in the United States; secondary coverage of postsecondary education. Analysis of the effect of existing policies and potential reforms on the achievement and opportunities available to poor and minority students.
Public Finance and Public Policy
ECON 250 - Guse, Aaron J. (Joseph)
Public choices and the public economy. An inquiry into how the references of individuals and groups are translated into public sector economic activity. The nature of public activity and public choice institutions. The question of social balance. The effects of government expenditures and taxes on the economic behavior of individuals and firms.
Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
ECON 255 - Casey, James F. (Jim)
The course serves as an introduction to environmental and natural resource economics. Economic principles are used to evaluate public and private decision making involving the management and use of environmental and natural resources. Aspects pertaining to fisheries, forests, species diversity, agriculture, and various policies to reduce air, water and toxic pollution will be discussed. Lectures, reading assignments, discussions and exams will emphasize the use of microeconomic analysis for managing and dealing with environmental and natural resource problems and issues.
International Finance
ECON 271 - Davies, Martin H.
International monetary arrangements, balance-of-payments adjustment processes, and the mutual dependence of macroeconomic variables and policies in trading nations. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), international investment, and the World Bank. International cooperation for economic stability.
Global Public Health
ECON 377 - Blunch, Niels-Hugo (Hugo)
A survey of the major issues of public health, with case studies from across the world. These include water and sanitation, vaccinations, contraceptive use, obesity, child work and health outcomes, quality of medical care and provider choice, and HIV-AIDS. Further explorations of regression models, building on the material from ECON 203, using a hands-on approach. The course emphasizes understanding of the use and analysis of data and student-directed research using policy-relevant applications related to public health.
Directed Individual Research
ECON 423 - Shester, Katharine L.
Independent research culminating in an honors thesis. See the departmental website for requirements for honors in the major.
Directed Individual Research
ECON 423 - Guse, Aaron J. (Joseph)
Independent research culminating in an honors thesis. See the departmental website for requirements for honors in the major.
Directed Individual Research
ECON 423 - Anderson, Michael A.
Independent research culminating in an honors thesis. See the departmental website for requirements for honors in the major.
Directed Individual Research
ECON 423 - Alvarez, Camilo
Independent research culminating in an honors thesis. See the departmental website for requirements for honors in the major.
Directed Individual Research
ECON 423 - Silwal, Shikha B.
Independent research culminating in an honors thesis. See the departmental website for requirements for honors in the major.
Honors Thesis Workshop
ECON 440 - Anderson, Michael A.
Group workshop and seminar for students pursuing an honors thesis in Economics. Includes directed readings and research as well as presentations of Individual work.
Fall 2023▲
See complete information about these courses in the course offerings database. For more information about a specific course, including course type, schedule and location, click on its title.
Introduction to Economics
ECON 100 - Shester, Katharine L.
Economics is the study of how a society (individuals, firms, and governments) allocates scarce resources. The course includes a survey of the fundamental principles used to approach microeconomic questions of consumer behavior, firm behavior, market outcomes, market structure, and microeconomic policy, and macroeconomic questions of performance of the aggregate economy, including unemployment, inflation, growth, and monetary and fiscal policies.
Introduction to Economics
ECON 100 - Smith, Chantal D.
Economics is the study of how a society (individuals, firms, and governments) allocates scarce resources. The course includes a survey of the fundamental principles used to approach microeconomic questions of consumer behavior, firm behavior, market outcomes, market structure, and microeconomic policy, and macroeconomic questions of performance of the aggregate economy, including unemployment, inflation, growth, and monetary and fiscal policies.
Introduction to Economics
ECON 100 - Negrete, Mario E.
Economics is the study of how a society (individuals, firms, and governments) allocates scarce resources. The course includes a survey of the fundamental principles used to approach microeconomic questions of consumer behavior, firm behavior, market outcomes, market structure, and microeconomic policy, and macroeconomic questions of performance of the aggregate economy, including unemployment, inflation, growth, and monetary and fiscal policies.
Introduction to Economics
ECON 100 - Silwal, Shikha B.
Economics is the study of how a society (individuals, firms, and governments) allocates scarce resources. The course includes a survey of the fundamental principles used to approach microeconomic questions of consumer behavior, firm behavior, market outcomes, market structure, and microeconomic policy, and macroeconomic questions of performance of the aggregate economy, including unemployment, inflation, growth, and monetary and fiscal policies.
FS: First-Year Seminar: The 4th Industrial Revolution and the Future of Work
ECON 180A - Casey, James F. (Jim)
This fall, millions of students will head off to start college, eager to understand more about themselves and the world they will work and live in. The technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution - voice and facial recognition, machine learning, and algorithms to guide predictions, all of which fall under the umbrella of artificial intelligence, and industrial robotics - are emerging as defining features of contemporary social and economic life. This course explores the determinants and socioeconomic impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution through an economic lens, while also embracing and utilizing insights from other disciplines. The full range of fundamental economic ideas and concepts found in a conventional course on the principles of micro and macroeconomics will be introduced, mastered, and drawn upon to facilitate our exploration. Indeed, this course meets the requirement for economics courses that have Economics 100 as a pre-requisite. Students will develop their analysis, writing, and presentation skills through readings, short compositions, essay exams, class discussion, and small group activities.
FS: First-Year Seminar: The 4th Industrial Revolution and the Future of Work
ECON 180A - Goldsmith, Arthur H. (Art)
This fall, millions of students will head off to start college, eager to understand more about themselves and the world they will work and live in. The technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution - voice and facial recognition, machine learning, and algorithms to guide predictions, all of which fall under the umbrella of artificial intelligence, and industrial robotics - are emerging as defining features of contemporary social and economic life. This course explores the determinants and socioeconomic impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution through an economic lens, while also embracing and utilizing insights from other disciplines. The full range of fundamental economic ideas and concepts found in a conventional course on the principles of micro and macroeconomics will be introduced, mastered, and drawn upon to facilitate our exploration. Indeed, this course meets the requirement for economics courses that have Economics 100 as a pre-requisite. Students will develop their analysis, writing, and presentation skills through readings, short compositions, essay exams, class discussion, and small group activities.
Statistics for Economics
ECON 202 - Anderson, Michael A.
Fundamentals of probability, statistics, estimation, and hypothesis testing and ending with an introduction to regression analysis. The topics are critical for success in upper-level economics electives and are important for careers that rely on empirical research in the social sciences. Students engage in a dialogue between theory and application and learn to think formally about data, uncertainty, and random processes, while learning hands-on methods to organize and analyze real data using modern statistical software.
Econometrics
ECON 203 - Blunch, Niels-Hugo (Hugo)
Explorations of regression models that relate a response variable to one or more predictor variables. The course begins with a review of the simple bivariate model used in INTR 202, and moves on to multivariate models. Underlying model assumptions and consequences are discussed. Advanced topics include non-linear regression and forecasting. Examples in each class are drawn from a number of disciplines. The course emphasizes the use of data and student-directed research.
Microeconomic Theory
ECON 210 - Guse, Aaron J. (Joseph)
Contemporary theory relating to consumer behavior, the firm's optimizing behavior, the nature of competition in various types of markets and market equilibrium over time.
Macroeconomic Theory
ECON 211 - Davies, Martin H.
This course develops the classical macroeconomic framework and uses this to explore the causes and consequences of economic growth, inflation, output, and employment. This same exercise is conducted using alternative theoretical frameworks, including those associated with Keynes, Monetarists, and New Classical thinkers. Emphasis is placed on investigating the impact and effectiveness of monetary and fiscal policy under each of the theoretical paradigms or schools of thought developed.
Money and Banking
ECON 215 - Hooks, Linda M.
A study of the fundamental principles of money, credit, and banking in the United States. Emphasis is on modern conditions and problems, with particular attention to the validity of monetary and banking theory in the present domestic and international situation.
Labor Economics
ECON 230 - Smith, Chantal D.
This course addresses how labor markets and institutions allocate labor and determine earnings and the distribution of income in the United States. Economic models are used to explain labor market outcomes generated by our economy. Where such outcomes are deemed less than socially optimal, these models are used to evaluate prospective and current labor market policies intended to address these shortcomings. Some attention is given to comparing American labor market outcomes with those in other developed countries.
The Economics of Social Issues
ECON 235 - Goldsmith, Arthur H. (Art)
This seminar is based on readings that set out hypotheses developed by economists and other social scientists regarding the causes and consequences of a wide range of social problems. Evidence examining the validity of these hypotheses is scrutinized and evaluated. The course is writing intensive and interdisciplinary since readings are drawn from a wide variety of fields. Topics discussed include, but are not limited to, poverty, education, health, crime, race, ethnicity, immigration, and fiscal matters.
Economics of War and Peace
ECON 241 - Silwal, Shikha B.
In this course. we will look at the economic conditions and behaviors during periods of conflict. As such. the focus of the course is to develop a theoretical understanding of how human interaction can be modeled to study both peace and violent outcomes. To do so, we will view individuals' decision to be engaged in conflict as a rational choice. This viewpoint allows us to use economic principles to study individual behavior, design policies to alter those behaviors, and assess economic losses due to conflict. The topics covered in this class range from civil wars and genocide to international terrorism.
Development Economics
ECON 280 - Casey, James F. (Jim)
A survey of the major issues of development economics. Economic structure of low-income countries and primary causes for their limited economic growth. Economic goals and policy alternatives. Role of developed countries in the development of poor countries. Selected case studies.
Special Topics in Economics: Economy of Latin America
ECON 295A - Alvarez, Camilo
Why were many Latin American countries, which started with levels of development similar to those of the U.S. and Canada, not able to keep up? This course reviews the historic and contemporary economic issues and development in the Latin America and Caribbean region. We will start with the policies, both domestic and foreign, undertaken during the colonial and post-Independence periods and see what effects they still have today. Next, we examine the post-WWII period, exploring subjects like the import substitution of the 1970s, the debt crises of the 1980s, and the structural reforms of the 1990s. Finally, we will look at the current state of the region, emphasizing the new macroeconomic challenges and contemporary domestic social problems. Topics discussed include income inequality and poverty, inflation, macroeconomic populism, dollarization, and the more recent debt crises and restructurings.Why were many Latin American countries, which started with levels of development similar to those of the U.S. and Canada, not able to keep up? This course reviews the historic and contemporary economic issues and development in the Latin America and Caribbean region. We will start with the policies, both domestic and foreign, undertaken during the colonial and post-Independence periods and see what effects they still have today. Next, we examine the post-WWII period, exploring subjects like the import substitution of the 1970s, the debt crises of the 1980s, and the structural reforms of the 1990s. Finally, we will look at the current state of the region, emphasizing the new macroeconomic challenges and contemporary domestic social problems. Topics discussed include income inequality and poverty, inflation, macroeconomic populism, dollarization, and the more recent debt crises and restructurings.
Game Theory
ECON 302 - Guse, Aaron J. (Joseph)
This course abandons the assumptions of perfect competition. Buyers and sellers may be few; information may be privately held; property rights may poorly enforced; externalities abound and uncertainty is the rule. Game theory is a general framework for analyzing the messy world of strategic interactions. Standard solution concepts such as Nash Equilibrium, subgame perfection, and Bayesian equilibrium are introduced in the context of a broad array of microeconomic topics. These include auctions, bargaining, oligopoly, labor market signaling, public finance and insurance. Class time combines lectures, problem-solving workshops, and classroom experiments.
Advanced International Finance
ECON 312 - Davies, Martin H.
The objective of this course is to give the student a strong grounding in international finance through the examination of both theoretical and applied material. The balance of each (theory/application) will be approximately equal, and there will be a strong focus on economic policy. Throughout the course there will be a special emphasis on relating course material to recent and current economic shocks and trends, for example COVID-pandemic, the Global Financial Crisis and secular stagnation. The course is aimed at the student who intends to undertake a career in economics or finance, or to undertake graduate work. A primary goal of the course is to give the student insight by teaching them the skill of applying models of international finance to real world situations.
Special Topics in Economics: Macro Forecasting
ECON 395E - Negrete, Mario E.
Time-series analysis and forecasting methodologies that are applied to issues in business, finance, and economics. The course covers various analytical techniques used by economists to model and forecast macroeconomic levels of economic activity. Topics include smoothing techniques, time-series decomposition methods, regression-based forecasting, unit root tests, and ARMA and SVAR modeling. Students learn to perform time-series regressions, undertake forecasting exercises, and test a variety of hypotheses involving time-series data. Stata and Excel software are used throughout.
Directed Individual Research
ECON 423 - Shester, Katharine L.
Independent research culminating in an honors thesis. See the departmental website for requirements for honors in the major.
Directed Individual Research
ECON 423 - Zhang, Tianbo (Alice Tianbo)
Independent research culminating in an honors thesis. See the departmental website for requirements for honors in the major.
Directed Individual Research
ECON 423 - Anderson, Michael A.
Independent research culminating in an honors thesis. See the departmental website for requirements for honors in the major.
Directed Individual Research
ECON 423 - Alvarez, Camilo
Independent research culminating in an honors thesis. See the departmental website for requirements for honors in the major.
Directed Individual Research
ECON 423 - Silwal, Shikha B.
Independent research culminating in an honors thesis. See the departmental website for requirements for honors in the major.
Honors Thesis Workshop
ECON 440 - Anderson, Michael A.
Group workshop and seminar for students pursuing an honors thesis in Economics. Includes directed readings and research as well as presentations of Individual work.
Spring 2023▲
See complete information about these courses in the course offerings database. For more information about a specific course, including course type, schedule and location, click on its title.
Lakota Land Culture, Economics and History
ECON 286 - Guse, Aaron J. (Joseph)
Same as SOAN 286. This class focuses on the cultural, economic, and historical dimensions of the Lakotas' (Titonwan tawapi ) ties to their lands as expressed in their pre- and post-reservation lifeways. It includes a 10 day field trip to western South Dakota to visit and meet with people in the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations and the Black Hills.
Supervised Study Abroad
ECON 288 - Hooks, Linda M.
For advanced students, the course covers a topic of current interest for which foreign travel provides a unique opportunity for significantly greater understanding. Likely destinations are Europe, Latin America, Africa, or Asia.