Teaching

This course introduces the fundamentals of microeconomics and their relationship to the domestic and international economy. We learn the basic analytic tools of modeling and critical thinking. By the end of the term, students have developed their abilities to apply and interpret economic principles of supply and demand, competition, and market structure in the analysis of market economies, including in the context of international trade, market failures, and environmental policy.

This course introduces students to mathematical language and techniques to formulate and solve problems in economics. For this purpose, the covered topics are linear algebra, differential calculus, and constrained optimization. The intent is to cover these mathematical concepts in the context of their applications to economics.

In this course, students are exposed to statistical analysis from the lens of an economist. Students learn graphical and numerical methods of summarizing data, the concept of probability, and hypothesis testing. These skills are useful in a wide range of contexts, ranging from reading and interpreting news articles critically, becoming an educated consumer, evaluating policies, and getting prepared for advanced courses in quantitative analysis. This course belongs to the category of Quantitative Reasoning (QR-B) courses.

This is a critical class in which we consider how Karl Marx addressed two important problems raised by the economists of his time: the basis of the theory of value and the origin of profit. Next, the class will consider other aspects of Marx's thought and how they contrast with some of the basic topics taught in Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics.

This course studies various economic and political systems, concentrating attention on the economic paradigms of Capitalism and Socialism. The course moves from a historic study of various economic and political systems to analysis of modern systems.