Courses

Upcoming Semester Courses

Course Descriptions for Spring 2010

The following course descriptions give the number and title of each course. Lecture hours per week, laboratory and/or tutorial hours per week, and credits each semester are in parentheses. The instructor's name, as available, is also included.

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10010/20010 10011/20011 Principles of Microeconomics
TR 9:30 - 10:45 Lipscomb
TR 11:00 - 12:15 Lipscomb
TR 2:00 - 3:15 Doran
TR 12:30 - 1:45 Mogavero
TR 3:30 - 4:45 Mogavero
MWF 8:30 - 9:20 Bee
MW 11:45 - 1:00 Moulton
MWF 3:00 - 3:50 Murray
MWF 4:05 - 4:55 Mariutto
An introduction to economics with particular attention to the pricing mechanism, competitive and monopolistic markets, government regulation of the economy, labor-management relations and programs, income determination and public policy, foreign trade and the international economy.

10020/20020 Principles of Macroeconomics
TR 11:00 - 12:15 Pries
MWF 3:00 - 3:50 Young
An introduction to economics with emphasis on the nature and method of economics, national income and its determinants, fluctuations in national income, money and credit, fiscal and monetary policies, and economic growth.

13181 Social Science University Seminar

TR 12:30-1:45 Leahy
TR 12:30 – 1:45 Mirowski

20506 Beyond Economic Man (Student Led 1 credit Seminar)
Tuesday only 7:30-9:00
Economics is often taught as a certainty or a hard science, presenting the student with "laws" of the market. However, economics is a social science and as such should seek to accurately represent human behavior and not lose descriptive power in narrow assumptions. Assumptions about the economic agent, that it is rational, competitive, and utility-maximizing, are appropriate in some but not all analysis. This student-led discussion course challenges this concept of the Economic Man, or homo economicus, from multiple perspectives through readings, films, music, discussion, and guest lectures. Exploration of the critiques of this economic model encourages critical thinking and imparts a broader understanding of the discipline of economics.

This course will center around a blog in which students will write their reactions to the assigned readings and these reactions will serve as the starting place for discussion in the upcoming class. The course will culminate in a paper further exploring a topic of the student's choice. The class will meet nine times, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday nights: every Tuesday from January 19th until March 16th. There will be nineteen spots available: 9 reserved for seniors, 5 for juniors, and 5 for sophomores. Both Principles of Microeconomics and Macroeconomics are required.

30010 Intermediate Micro
MW 3:00 – 4:15 Betson
MW 3:00 - 4:15 Sullivan
TR 3:30 - 4:45 Lugauer
TR 3:30 - 4:45 Undetermined
TR 5:00 - 6:15 Lugauer
An examination of the language and analytical tools of microeconomics, emphasizing the functional relationship between the factor and product markets and resource allocation.
Prerequisite: Econ 10010/20010 and 10020/20020

30330 Statistics for Economics
MW 11:45 – 1:00 Betson
MWF 8:30 - 9:20 Undetermined
This course seeks to introduce the student to the principles of probability and statistical theory appropriate for the study of economics. The emphasis of the course will be on hypothesis testing and regression analysis.

30331 Econometrics
MW 3:00 - 4:15 Buckles
TR 3:30 - 4:45 Evans
Provides students with an understanding of when and how to use basic econometric methods in their work as an economists, including the ability to recognize which econometric technique is appropriate in a given situation as well as what explicit and implicit assumptions are being made using the method. Topics covered include estimation and hypothesis testing using basic regression analysis, problems with basic regression analysis, alternative econometric methods, limited dependent variables, and simultaneous equation models. Prerequisites: (ECON 30330 or ECON 303) or (BAMG 20100 or BAMG 230)

30800 Development Economics
MW 3:00 – 4:15 Ros
The current problems of Third World countries are analyzed in a historical context, with attention given to competing theoretical explanations and policy prescriptions. The course will combine the study of the experiences of Latin American, African, and Asian countries with the use of the analytical tools of economics.

33210 Economics, Ethics and Public Policy
MW 3:00 - 4:15 Dutt
This course examines how economics and public policy are closely linked with ethical issues. It argues that the claim made by many economists that (at least a part) of economics can be value neutral is unwarranted, and discusses especially how values enter into what is called positive economics. It then provides a brief discussion of ethical and justice theories, by way of background. The bulk of the course then explores different ways in which ethical considerations enter economic and policy analysis. First, it examines the consequences of the fact that people have ethical values. It are not just self-interested optimizing agents, but have values which affect their behavior. It examines the implications of this for how the economy functions when people interact with each other in markets and other economic arenas. Second, it examines normative issues such as: whether and to what extent markets and other economic institutions are moral; and whether economic processes, outcomes and policies should be evaluated in terms of utility and social welfare functions and cost benefit analysis, and quantitative measures such as GDP and national income. Finally, it examines the importance of ethics for several subfields of economics, including development economics, international economics, labor economics, environmental economics, and the economics of the firm. WRITING INTENSIVE

33260 PE of Development
MW 11:45 – 1:00 Kim
This course is the seminar version of ECON 30260. The course is divided into two parts. The first part provides an overview of the institutional and empirical features of the developing world, followed by a survey and critical evaluation of the conventional development theories. The second part looks into the selected topics evoking the critical, controversial stakes in Third World development debates today. The topics include; rent-seeking activities, land tenure and peasantry, micro-financing, corporate governance, state and market failure, market and democracy, income-distribution and poverty, feminism in development, ethnic conflicts in resource use, and population pressures. The approach taken in this course is a political-economy perspective with references to the historical, cross-cultural, and empirical materials. The course aims at providing the students with intellectual spaces for alternative development paradigms and strategies. Where appropriate, the tools used in economic analysis will be reviewed at an elementary and accessible level. WRITING INTENSIVE

33440 Collective Bargaining
TR 9:30 - 10:45 Leahy
This course will examine the relevant state and federal laws covering the public-sector collective bargaining. It will examine the various issues and techniques covering
collective bargaining in government. The major part of this course will be a game theory in which an actual contra t will be bargained. WRITING INTENSIVE

30481 Topics in the Development of the American Labor Force

8:00-9:15 MW Wozniak

This course uses the tools of economics to understand the major forces shaping the American labor force, in both the past and the present.Examples of course topics include: the major waves of European migration to the U.S., including waves of Irish immigration; the development and rise of the high school in America; important trends in educational attainment particularly of women and minorities; the economic effects of Civil Rights legislation; and the English language only debate.This course is closely related to Econ 33480 (Migration, Education and Assimilation) but does not require a research paper.Prerequisites: Principles of Microeconomics.Concurrent enrollment in or completion of a statistics course, Econometrics, or Intermediate Microeconomics is helpful but not required.

40050 (408) Game Theory
MW 1:30 - 2:45 Gresik
The objective of this course is to help students develop a good understanding of the basic
concepts of game theory and learn how to employ these concepts to better understand strategic interactions. Topics covered will include normal form games, extensive form games, pure and mixed strategies, Nash Equilibrium, subgam3e perfect equilibrium, repeat games, and introduction to games of incomplete information. Selected applications will include competition and collusion in oligopoly, entry deterrence, political competition and rent seeking, social norms and strategic interaction. Prerequisite: Math 105, Econ 30010 (301) or permission of instructor.

40060 Advanced Microeconomics Theory
TH 3:30 - 4:45 Rath
This course will focus on some selective topics in modern micro economic theory. It
may vary from term to term. A possible choice of a broad range of topics are: Choice
under uncertainty, Game theory, Market mechanisms, Coalitional analysis, Public goods
and Welfare economics. Each of these topics will be discussed with mathematical rigor.
Some of the objectives of the course are to familiarize students with important analytical
techniques of micro theory and their applications to the study of various economic
phenomena and to help students to cultivate the ability to critically evaluate the
usefulness and limitations of economic models. Prerequisite: Econ 30010 or permission of instructor.

43203 PE of Globalization
TR 11:00 – 12:15 Wolfson
Reviews key economic concepts and methods relevant for peace research, and examines the relation between political economy issues and war and peace. It examines the political economy of the causes of war, including the roles of arms races, poverty, inequality, ethnicity, natural resources, the environment, and globalization. It explores the economic consequences of war and military expenditures, including those on human development indicators and economic growth. Finally, it discusses the political economy of the prevention of conflict and of post-war reconstruction. For Kroc M.A. students; others by permission only. Spring (CORE) WRITING INTENSIVE

43280 Consumption and Happiness
MW 11:45 – 1:00 Dutt
This course is the seminar version of ECON 40280. Do increases in consumption increase happiness? This course will look at the available evidence which suggests that happiness does not increase with consumption and income for people beyond a point, by their own reckoning. This course will examine why this may be so, looking especially at the idea that happiness from consumption depends not on the amount we consume but rather on the amount we consume relative to others. It will also examine how increases in consumption can adversely affect other things many people think are important - including time with family and friends, the environment, economic growth, and income distribution. WRITING INTENSIVE

43860 Mexico’s Economic Development
MW 4:30-5:45 Ros
This course is an introduction to the study of Mexico’s economic development, its historical background and contemporary problems. WRITING INTESIVE

CSEM 23102 Labor, Race, and the Struggle for Dignity
TR 2:00 – 3:15 Wolfson
This course will examine the lives of workers and the lives of people of color in America. It will examine their struggles for dignity and respect, especially as they come together in our nation's workplaces. The perspective will be on people's own stories about the conditions of their daily lives, as expressed in nonfiction, novels, films, and oral histories. The course will also examine the methods that have been used to struggle for dignity, especially the roles of unions and nonviolent campaigns.
The content of the course will focus on three areas: 1) the African-American civil rights movement, especially as it linked up with workers' lives in the campaign of the Memphis sanitation workers in 1968; 2) the Farmworkers' campaign, led by Cesar Chavez, and influenced by the philosophy of nonviolent direct action of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and 3) the struggles of workers in the meatpacking industry, as representative of current labor developments, and especially as related to the issues of interracial conflict and unity.
A requirement of the course is to conduct an oral history with a worker and/or person of color, to understand their life experiences in the context of the issues discussed in the course.

CSEM 23102 The Global Economy
MW 3:00 – 4:15 Kim
Economic globalization, while seen as a powerful force for economic growth, is
replete with social and economic conflicts among peoples and nations. This seminar introduces today's controversial global issues while confronting, in particular, the developing world. Included in the seminar discussions are such topics as global income gap and poverty, market and democracy for emerging nations, population growth and economic development, migration of peoples, free trade and environment, outsourcing of jobs and sweatshops, world energy crisis, and global marginalization and security.
The themes and questions to be discussed in this seminar stretch beyond narrow
disciplinary boundaries of particular fields and draw from a broad range of works in social sciences, humanities, and arts. Videos, film strips, and artistic works related to the global issues will be used. As an integral part of this seminar, the meaning of globalization will be assessed from the ethical, inter-religious dimension, in particular, from the perspective of Catholic Social Thought.
This is a seminar course with a significant oral participation component consisting of a group-debate format and individual research presentations on assigned topics. ND College Seminars are designed for the students to develop an appreciation for learning social sciences and humanities and to cultivate skills in oral presentation on an issue. Mastering the challenging socioeconomic and political issues facing today's global economy will be accomplished by your own reading of assigned articles and other related materials and through intensive dialogues with your colleagues in class. As the instructor of the seminar, I will play the role of a referee in a game. You are the ball carriers. I may occasionally serve as an academic consultant to clarify concepts and methods of analysis whenever deemed necessary. It is your responsibility as a proactive seminar participant to come up with ideas, questions, and constructive criticism.