Economics Courses
Introduction to price theory, stressing market structures, distribution, and the organization of economic systems.Offered expecially for students in the McLaren School of Business. Offered Fall and Spring.
Introduction to aggregate economics, stressing the forces that shape overall economic activity and determine economic growth, employment, interest rates, and inflation. Offered especially for students in the McLaren School of Business. Offered Fall and Spring.
Introduction to price theory, stressing market structures, distribution, and the organization of economic systems. Offered Fall and Spring.
Introduction to aggregate economics, stressing the forces that shape overall economic activity and determine economic growth, employment, interest rates, and inflation. Offered Fall and Spring.
An introduction to the statistical tools and mathematical techniques that economists use to analyze the world. The course leads students through the tools needed for study of economics at an intermediate and advanced level. Offered every Fall.
Quantitative
and qualitative research skills with applications to international topics. Applied statistical reasoning; establishing
causal relationships; introductory regression analysis; experimental methods;
interviewing, focus group, and case study techniques; archival and oral history
methods; and data sources for international research projects. Prerequisite: Math 101 (BAIS section).
Significant changes to the world environment have been brought on by increasing levels of economic industrialization. This course studies both broad trends at the macro level in the quality of air, water, and land resources as well as the underlying causes of these changes at the micro level. Students will learn to apply basic economic theory to better understand phenomena such as the "tragedy of the commons", environmental pollution and resource degradation, and how we can become better stewards of creation.
This course offers an introduction to the world economy, international trade, and economic development, designed especially for non-economics majors. Foundations of international markets and trade, comparative advantage, foreign investment, international inequality, and the study of international institutions such as the IMF, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization will form key components of the class.
This course surveys the economic development/economic growth process, political system, and the current economic issues of the East Asian and Southeast Asian countries including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, North Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines,Thailand, Vietnam, and India. Students will emerge from the course with a solid understanding of Asian culture, society, and economics.
This course examines the making of economic societies and specifically the evolution of the African (Third World) economies from pre-capitalist traditional societies through the colonial period to the present status of economic dependency. The class will strive to make students conscious of the interaction between Africa and the developed world, and the implications of these interactions, in historical perspective. Offered Fall or Spring as demand warrants.
Economic theory and historical accounts are combined in an attempt to understand the various forces that have shaped economic development in Latin America. The first half of the course looks at historic and macroeconomic issues. We will discuss development policies ranging from the import-substituting industrialization policies of the 1950s-1970s, to the market-oriented reforms of the 1980s through the present. The second half of the course will look at microeconomic issues such as poverty, inequality, agriculture, education, and corruption. Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 111 AND ECON 102 or ECON 112, or permission of the instructor.
The growth and development of the American economy from colonial times to the present. The course emphasizes America's role as the first frontier economy to industrialize and its role as the only pre-WWI industrial economy with a frontier, as well as the growth of the giant industrial enterprise and wealth-accumulation over the last hundred years. Prerequisites: ECON 102 or ECON 112.
European economic, political, and social developments from the Industrial Revolution to modern times. Topics include Europe's key place in the development of the modern world economy, European industrial stagnation between the World Wars, Europe's economic miracle after W.W.II, and the recent movement towards European unification. Offered as demand dictates. Prerequisites: ECON 102 ECON 112.
A course in the history of economic thought, exploring the intellectual foundations of the analysis of economic problems and policies. Offered as demand dictates. Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 111 or ECON 102 or ECON 112.
Course examines the choices and decisions of consumers and firms in the context of full information, uncertainty, and imperfect information. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 111.
Analysis of national income determination; function of money and commercial banking; methods and objectives of fiscal policy. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: ECON 102 or ECON 112.
An introduction to the basic concepts of game theory with emphasis on strategic interaction in the real world. Strategic interaction affects every facet of life; from businesses jockeying for dominance in a marketplace, to politicians vying for re-election, to nations in international conflict. The class studies solution concepts for an array of games from different fields of study. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 111.
This course prepares the student in the use of econometric techniques, such as linear regression, hypothesis testing, and model-building. The focus is on the application of econometrics to applied problems in finance, macroeconomics, development, and international. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: ECON 120.
This course investigates the changing role of financial institutions, financial markets, and monetary policy in a modern economy. The focus is on how monetary policy influences macroeconomic variables and financial institutions and markets. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 111 and ECON 102 or ECON 112.
Introduction to the theory and policy of international trade and international economic relations. Course also covers areas of migration, international corporations, and investment. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 111 and ECON 102 or ECON 112.
Processes of economic change and industrialization in developing nations and comparative analysis of underlying social factors; interactions between traditional and modern sectors, and international relationships. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 111 and ECON 102 or ECON 112.
Courses not presently in the catalog which the department offers on an experimental basis.
The written permission of the instructor and the Chair of Economics is required.
Applications of linear algebra and calculus to equilibrium, dynamic, and optimizing models of economic theory. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: ECON 120 or ECON 311.
Topics may include: Applications of differential equations, phase diagrams analysis, stability analysis, optimal control theory, calculus of variations, applications in probability and statistics to financial economics and the economics of uncertainty, differential games, and dynamic programming in economics. Offered as demand merits. Prerequisite: ECON 415.
Understanding how to find and manipulate economic data is an important tool for undergraduate Economics students who are about to enter the job market. Students in this course will learn how to obtain economic and financial data on the Internet for the analysis of a wide variety of economic issues. This course will teach students how to find and utilize data measuring GDP, inflation, and unemployment statistics. Prerequisites: ECON 311 or ECON 312.
This course introduces students to the econometric theory and techniques most useful in examining and testing models common in finance and macro-economics. This includes such topics as forecasting prices and returns of financial instruments, testing hypotheses regarding market efficiency and arbitrage, and modeling the time-series nature of financial market data.
This course concentrates on the role played by money in influencing macroeconomic variables such as output, interest rates, and inflation. It also investigates the ways in which government can control economic activity through its regulation of the banking system and the supply of money. Prerequisites: ECON 120 or ECON 311.
This course is designed in conjunction with the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and San Francisco State University. Students will study closely on the functions and structure of the Federal Reserve System and its policy making.
Options, futures and other derivative contracts are widely used to manage risk by businesses and financial institutions. This course provides students with a solid understanding of: i) the economic functions of futures, forwards and options; ii) the operation of futures and options markets; iii) the pricing of futures, options and other derivatives; and iv) basic strategies in trading options. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: ECON 120 and ECON 350.
Survey of market structure, conduct, and performance of industry and the economics of regulation and anti-trust laws. Offered as demand merits. Prerequisite: ECON 311.
This course introduces modern laboratory experimental methods to students with well-developed interests in economics and with an intermediate-level knowledge of microeconomics and statistics. The course will examine experimental techniques in detail and will survey recent applications in fields such as markets, development, choice under certainty and games. Students will use the lessons to conduct original research and set up their own experiment. Prerequisite: ECON 311 Intermediate Microeconomics OR permission of the instructor.
Law and Economics offers undergraduates an understanding of how economic theory provides a framework to analyze legal systems. It will also teach students the fundamental importance of the law in fostering economic growth and development. The economic foundations of both domestic and international institutions will be studied extensively. Prerequisite: ECON 311.
The world monetary system, international monetary policy, foreign exchange markets and their uses in the fields of international investments and finance. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: ECON 312.
Study of microeconomic behavior in developing countries, especially focusing on development traps, causes and consequences of poverty, economics of corruption, credit and labor issues, and women in development. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: ECON 311.
How can countries achieve sustained growth and significantly reduce poverty? This course examines the central question of long-term growth and growth management policies. It uses an integrated approach combining theoretical material with hands-on real world data-based econometric case studies. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: ECON 312.
This course is intended for advanced undergraduates who have completed intermediate levels of micro and macroeconomics. The class will analyze the economics of foreign investment in emerging economies such as the newly industrializing economies of Asia and Latin America. Emphasis will be placed on understanding transnational capital flows, foreign direct investment, privatization of industry, the role of exchange rate and currency risk, and models of foreign portfolio investment. Prerequisites: ECON 311 and ECON 312.
Natural resources and the environment and their role in economic development are hotly debated issues. For some countries the abundance of natural resources has been a curse, for others it has been a boon. This course will examine the issues surrounding changes in the environment in developing nations during the process of industrialization, trade-offs between economic growth and resource depletion, and sustainable development. Prerequisite: ECON 311.
Study of the economic, political and technological forces that have shaped the post-war international economic system. Topics include the role of multilateral financial institutions, economic regionalism, the North-South gap, relationships between states and markets, economic globalization and its implications, and challenges to sustainable development. Prerequisite: ECON 312.
The uses of economic analysis to understand the problems of population growth and population policy, household formation, immigration, labor market discrimination, and income inequality and poverty.
This course focuses on current international economic policy issues, including the on-going global financial crisis, the challenges and opportunities of globalization for developing as well as developed countries, the stress in the current international monetary and trade systems resulting from the rapid development of India and China and the external adjustment problems of the United States, and the evolving role of the IMF.
