Average student rating of overall instructor quality: 3.72/4.00 (N = 156)

Course Description: This course extends the concepts first learned in your introductory microeconomics course using graphical and analytical tools, as well as intuition and real-life examples. We begin with a detailed analysis of consumer theory, discovering how the demand side of the economy is built from the decisions of individual consumers. Then we move to producer theory, examining how a firm’s production technology and cost structure provide the basis for the supply side of the economy. Finally, we will explore how these concepts apply to different market structures, including perfect competition, monopoly, and oligopoly. Throughout the course, you will be encouraged to think critically about how these economic concepts and tools can be applied to phenomena in business, public policy, and other related fields. 

Student Learning Outcomes: This course teaches the techniques of constrained optimization, equilibrium analysis, and comparative statics analysis, often relying heavily on differential calculus. This course will help you master these tools by presenting their graphical and algebraic mechanics, as well as by illustrating their use in many contexts. By the end of the course, you will have acquired the tools to advance further in the study of economics and to better understand the microeconomic foundations of the world around you. 

Average student rating of overall instructor quality: 3.89/4.00 (N = 69)

Course Description: This course offers an introduction to the economic analysis of labor markets, focusing on the practical application of economic theory and empirical analysis. During the first half of the course, we will examine how the conventional supply and demand framework can be adapted to the study of the labor market. Within this framework, we will investigate the motivations behind individuals' participation in the workforce, firms' hiring decisions, and the determinants of workers' compensation packages. During the second half of the course, we will examine why labor market outcomes vary across individuals and demographic groups. We will consider the impact of choices related to education, occupation, and location, as well as the existence of labor market discrimination. Our analysis will culminate in an examination of how these factors have contributed to increasing earnings inequality in the United States. Given the political and academic significance of these topics, we will allocate time throughout the semester to discuss current events and recent economic literature that relate to these issues. 

Student Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: (1) explain a broad range of topics that fall under the purview of labor economics, (2) apply microeconomic principles to the study of the labor market, (3) read and comprehend empirical studies on labor market phenomena, and (4) communicate original analyses and empirical findings to diverse audiences. 

Average student rating of overall instructor quality: 3.82/4.00 (N = 33)

Course Description: This course applies the theoretical concepts and statistical techniques learned in prior courses to public policy issues surrounding the labor market. We will begin with an overview of the field of labor economics, including the contributions its researchers have made to empirical economic analysis. We will then explore seven relevant policy topics in-depth. For each policy topic, we will consider the theoretical economic framework that motivates policy intervention, as well as the empirical evidence on the policy’s impacts. Through the lens of these policies, we will also cover a variety of core concepts in labor and public economics including labor supply, labor demand, labor market discrimination, human capital formation, taxation, and public spending. In addition, students will choose their own policy topic of interest to study throughout the semester, which will culminate in a professionally written policy memo and in-class presentation. 

Student Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: (1) use economic theory to motivate various forms of public policy intervention, (2) evaluate the merits and limitations of empirical economic studies, (3) assess the potential impacts of proposed policies using both theory and empirical evidence, and (4) communicate policy recommendations to both expert and non-expert audiences.