ECO 101 Contemporary Issues in Economics
ECO 103 Cities, Minorities, and Poverty
ECO 105 Economic Development
ECO 107 Economics of Pollution
ECO 111 Jobs and Discrimination
ECO 200 Computing and Information Technology Applications
ECO 231 Principles of Microeconomics
ECO 232 Principles of Macroeconomics
ECO 298 Experiential Learning
ECO 301 Intermediate Microeconomics
ECO 311 Intermediate Macroeconomics
ECO 321 Comparative Economic Systems
ECO 331 Economics of Developing Countries
ECO 332 Economic Statistics
ECO 333 Econometrics
ECO 335 Resource Economics
ECO 337 Environmental Economics
ECO 342 Labor Economics
ECO 343 The Economics of Sex and Race Discrimination
ECO 344 Work, Jobs, and Income
ECO 355 Antitrust Law and Economics ECO 362 Monetary Theory and Policy
ECO 366 Economics of Aging
ECO 371 International Trade
ECO 372 International Finance
ECO 401 Industrial Organization and Antitrust Policy
ECO 402 Economics of Regulation
ECO 416 History of Economic Thought
ECO 417 Economics and Population  Analysis
ECO 441 Public Economics I
ECO 442 Public Economics II
ECO 443 State and Local Public Economics
ECO 452 Labor and Regional Growth
ECO 461 Urban Economics
ECO 472 Coastal Resource Economics
ECO 492 Senior Seminar
ECO 495 Independent Study
ECO 196, 296, 396, 496 Directed Study
ECO 498 Honors Thesis

 
ECO 196, 296, 396, 496 Directed Study (three credits) Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor, department chairperson, and college dean.
Study under the supervision of a faculty member in an area covered in a regular course not currently being offered. Conditions and hours to be arranged.
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ECO 101 Contemporary Issues in Economics (three credits) Gen Ed: E,G
Basic economics concepts are used to analyze issues of social responsibility at global and domestic levels. Topics such as national health, aging and care of the elderly, economics of professional sports, pollution, governmental control of prices, inflation unemployment, the national debt, and economic growth are covered.
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ECO 105 Economic Development (three credits)
The meaning of economic development. The interaction of economic, social and cultural forces in development. Widely different time periods will be considered.
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ECO 231 Principles of Microeconomics (three credits) 
Gen Ed: E,G Prerequisites: none 
Survey of the American economy focusing on markets, the price system, and resource allocation. Price determination in competitive and imperfectly-competitive markets. Applications in agricultural economics, legal prices, excise taxes, labor market issues, advertising, technological change, pollution and the environment, public goods, antitrust policy, international trade, and alternative economic systems.

ECO 232 Principles of Macroeconomics (three credits)
Gen Ed: E,G Prerequisites: none. This course may be taken before ECO 231.
Survey of introductory macroeconomics with focus on economic growth, unemployment, and inflation. Topics covered include national income accounting, inflation, unemployment, fiscal policy, money, the banking system, and monetary policy. Balance of payments and currency exchange rate issues are analyzed.
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ECO 298 Experiential Learning (one to six credits)
Prerequisites: At least sophomore standing and permission of the instructor, department chairperson, and college dean.
Work experience at an elective level supervised for academic credit by a faculty member in an appropriate academic field. Conditions and hours to be arranged. Graded CR/NC. In this department, students may receive credit only for experiences in which they do not receive pay for the same work.

ECO 301 Intermediate Microeconomics (three credits)
Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232; or permission of instructor.
Contemporary intermediate treatment of microeconomic theory, applications, and price policy. Covers the theory of price determination, resource allocation, income distribution, and welfare economics. Perfectly competitive markets and models of imperfect competition are covered. Theory is integrated with public policy questions. 

ECO 321 Comparative Economic Systems (three credits)
Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232
Comparisons in terms of structure and performance between capitalist economies, centrally-planned socialist economies, decentralized or market socialist economies, and mixed economies. The case study method is used, concentrating on four to six countries. Major emphasis is on the economy of the USSR.

ECO 331 Economics of Developing Countries (three credits)
Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232
A study of economic development in Third World nations. Emphasis is on the analysis of critical development problems from a combined theoretical, empirical, and policy-oriented perspective. The course will also explore the historical, political, social, and economic roots of underdevelopment and the future of the world economy in an age of increasing interdependence.

ECO 332 Economic Statistics (three credits) Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232, and three credits of MTH; or permission of the instructor.
Introduction to data and statistical methods used in economics. Descriptive statistics, probability distributions, sampling, estimation, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, correlation, and regression including multiple regression are covered. Applications in economics with current economic data are emphasized.
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ECO 333 Econometrics (three credits)
Prerequisites: ECO 332; or permission of the instructor.
Introduction to econometrics including development of basic techniques of bivariate and multivariate linear regression analysis; use of lagged variable and dummy variables in model building; problems of multicollinearity, autocorrelation and heteroscedasticity.

ECO 335 Resource Economics (three credits) Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232; or permission of the instructor.
The economics of renewable and nonrenewable, common and private resources. The focus of this course will be comparison between markets and planning in the use of resources. The international distribution and use of resources will also be covered.

ECO 337 Environmental Economics (three credits) Prerequisite: ECO 231
This course will study the fascinating and growing field of environmental and natural resource economics. All the topics covered (e.g., property rights and externalities, regulation and pollution control) will be examined as part of the general focus on the problem of economic growth in the presence of limited environmental and natural resources. We will employ the tools from 'basic' microeconomic theory to study the relationship between the economy and the natural environment.
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ECO 342 Labor Economics (three credits) Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232; or permission of the instructor.
The labor force, wages in competitive and noncompetitive markets, wage structures, inequalities and discrimination, impacts of unions and social standards, indexation, inflation and unemployment will be examined.

ECO 343 The Economics of Sex and Race Discrimination (three credits)
Gen Ed: E,G Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232; or permission of the instructor.
The theory of labor markets and the problem of discrimination. Current problems facing women and minorities will be examined. Existing programs and trends will be explored.

ECO 344 Work, Jobs, and Income (three credits) Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232; or permission of the instructor.
Study of changes in the labor force, the impact of labor market processes and how they effect work motivation, job performance and income distribution. Formerly ECO 453, and may not be repeated under this new number.
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ECO 355 Antitrust Law and Economics (three credits) Prerequisite: ECO 231
The main antitrust laws and the rich variety of court decisions that have influenced decades of economic activity. The arguments of the plaintiffs and prosecution are discussed and evaluated as well as the majority and minority opinions of the Court. Economic analysis is employed to view the economic motives of the firms involved. Students learn about monopolization cases from the famous ALCOA case (1945) to the AT&T case (1982). Precedent-setting cases involving "price-fixing," exchange of price information, exclusive dealing, tying contracts, price discrimination and mergers are analyzed.
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ECO 362 Monetary Theory and Policy (three credits) Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232
Structure of the American monetary and banking system. Monetary theory is developed and momentary policies are considered.

ECO 366 Economics of Aging (three credits) Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232; or permission of instructor
Economic issues associated with "growing older" as well as issues and policies related to "being older"; including the economic status of the elderly, economic implications of paid work or retirement, the economic impact of social security, health care needs, and costs.

ECO 371 International Trade (three credits) Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232
Examination of international trade theory and policy. The course develops the theoretical framework for analyzing the potential gains from, direction of, and distributional effects of international trade as well as the potential impacts of tariffs and other policies affecting trade. Among other topics, the course will examine free trade versus protectionism, governmental promotion of competitiveness and the growing importance of trading blocs.
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ECO 372 International Finance (three credits) Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232
Examination of international monetary theory and policy. The course develops the basic analytical tools for analyzing monetary relations among nations. The causes and effects of foreign exchange rate changes are explored. Macro-economic interdependence among nations and its implications for policy are examined. The pros and cons of alternative international monetary systems are compared.

ECO 401 Industrial Organization and Antitrust Policy (three credits) Prerequisite: ECO 301;or permission of the instructor
Development of antitrust policy in the U.S. Discussion of tying arrangements, vertical integration, price discrimination, market structure and technological innovation, diversification, mergers, and patents. Theoretical and empirical discussion of barriers to new competition in American industries.

ECO 402 Economics of Regulation (three credits) Prerequisite: ECO 231
The impact of state and federal government economic and social regulation on industrial economics. Topics include economic regulation of the financial sector and natural monopoly situations (electric power, natural gas, and local telephone service); common resource problems—broadcasting; social regulation of health, safety, and the environment; and deregulation of transportation industries.
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ECO 416 History of Economic Thought (three credits) Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232
The development of economic thought with emphasis on the period beginning with Adam Smith and ending with J.M. Keynes. Methodological issues in economics are also considered, and questions concerning the current status and the future directions of the profession are addressed.

ECO 417 Economics and Population Analysis (three credits) Gen Ed: E,O,W Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232; or permission of instructor.
The measurement and behavior of the major demographic variables, fertility, mortality, and migration, and their role in determining the growth and age distribution of populations. Applications include historical demography, the relation of population growth to economic development, urban concentration and crowding, environmental deterioration, the aging of populations, and zero population growth. Population policy and prospects for both the near future and the longer run are also considered. Upperclass elective.

ECO 441 Public Economics I (three credits) Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232, 301; or permission of instructor.
First of a two semester inquiry into the role of government in a market economy. Topics include economic efficiency and the public interest, rationale for government intervention in the private sector and an economic model of the democratic process.
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ECO 442 Public Economics II (three credits) Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232, 301, 441; or permission of instructor.
Concerns itself with the economic and behavioral effects of government's spending tax policies. Topics include the effect of tax policy on private investment, saving and labor supply, as well as other issues related to the effects of different government economic policies.

ECO 443 State and Local Public Economics (three credits) Prerequisites: ECO 231, and upper-class standing.
State and local public economics explores the major economic decisions of subnational governments—taxation and expenditures—and how these decisions affect the allocation of private resources. Specifically, the course focuses on the constraints imposed on state and local governments that are not placed on the federal government.

ECO 452 Labor and Regional Growth (three credits) Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232; or permission of instructor.
Review of labor market problems and programs in growing and depressed regions, with special emphasis on New England. Attention focused on the impact of education, training and government manpower programs. Cross-listed as LST 452.
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ECO 461 Urban Economics (three credits)
An examination of the economics of urban areas with an emphasis on the location decisions of individuals, firms, and industries. Urban problems and public policy decision-making are covered.

ECO 472 Coastal Resource Economics (three credits)Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232; or permission of instructor.
An examination of the economic, public policy, and regulatory issues affecting coastal zone resources. The focus will be on specific case studies with an emphasis on examining policy and environmental issues. Students will be involved in projects on specific cases. 

ECO 492 Senior Seminar (three credits) Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232, and a 300 or 400 level Economics course. Permission of the instructor is required if prerequisites are not met.
In-depth coverage of an economic topic of contemporary interest. A research paper is required.
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ECO 495 Independent Study (variable credit) Prerequisites: Upper-division standing; permission of the instructor, department chairperson, and college dean.
Study under the supervision of a faculty member in an area not otherwise part of the discipline's course offerings. Conditions and hours to be arranged.

ECO 498 Honor Thesis (three credits) Prerequisites: Junior or Senior Economics Majors enrolled in the Economics Honors Major, and permission of the instructor.
Research and preparation of an honor thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Economics Honors Major. May be taken for credit more than once, up to a total of six credits.

Gen Ed key:
E   Ethics and Social responsibility
G   Global Awareness
D   Diversity
I     Information and Computer Literacy, advanced course
W   Writing-intensive course
O   Oral skills
For more information about Gen Ed requirements see About Major
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 Last Updated On: 11/7/05