Course Offerings

Fall 2023 Courses:

ECON 1001: Principles of Mathematics for Economics

Prepares students for college instruction in principles of microeconomic and macroeconomic theory, as well as instruction in business, social science, and basic science courses that do not require knowledge of calculus. Restricted to students who have successfully completed high school algebra I and basic geometry prior to matriculation and who have taken the Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) placement examination at GW; No minimum ALEKS score is required for this course.

ECON 1011: Principles of Economics I

Major economic principles, institutions, and problems in contemporary life. Microeconomics—supply and demand, the price system and how it works, competitive and monopolistic markets. Prerequisite: ECON 1001 with a grade of B- or above or ALEKS test score of 61 or above. Credit cannot be earned for this course and HONR 2043.

ECON 1012: Principles of Economics II

Continuation of ECON 1011. Major economic principles, institutions, and problems in contemporary life. Topics in macroeconomics, including national income concepts, unemployment and inflation, institutions of monetary control. Prerequisite: ECON 1011 OR HONR 2043. Credit cannot be earned for this course and HONR 2044.

ECON 2101: Intermediate Microeconomic Theory

Analysis of household economic behavior, including derivation of demand functions. Analysis of firm behavior, including derivation of supply frameworks. Demand and supply interaction under various market structures and in factor markets. Prerequisites: ECON 1011 or HONR 2043; and ECON 1012 or HONR 2044; and MATH 1221 or MATH 1231 or MATH 1252. Credit cannot be earned for this course and ECON 2103.

ECON 2102: Intermediate Macroeconomics Theory

Investigation of the determinants of national income, inflation, unemployment, and interest rates. Alternative business cycle theories, with emphasis on the role of imperfect information, uncertainty, and expectations. Prerequisites: ECON 1011 or HONR 2043; and ECON 1012 or HONR 2044; and MATH 1221 or MATH 1231 or MATH 1252. Credit cannot be earned for this course and ECON 2104.

ECON 2103: Intermediate Microeconomic Theory - A Mathematical Approach

Analysis of household economic behavior, including derivation of demand functions, and of firm behavior, including derivation of supply frameworks; demand and supply interaction under various market structures and in factor markets; reliance on constrained and unconstrained optimization techniques when analyzing household and firm behavior. Corequisite: MATH 1232. Recommended for students pursuing the BS degree in economics. Prerequisites: ECON 1011 and ECON 1012; or HONR 2043 and HONR 2044; MATH 1221 or MATH 1231 or MATH 1252. Credit cannot be earned for this course and ECON 2101.

ECON 2121: Financial Economics

Economic analysis of key financial institutions, markets, and variables. Investigation of performance of asset markets and the roles of money, credit, interest rates, exchange rates. Examination of private sector institutions. Roles of regulators. Prerequisites: ECON 1011 and ECON 1012; or HONR 2043 and HONR 2044. Credit cannot be earned for this course and FINA 3301.

ECON 2123: Introduction to Econometrics

Construction and testing of economic models: regression theory, parameter estimation, and statistical techniques applicable to economic models. Prerequisites: ECON 1011 or HONR 2043; and ECON 1012 or HONR 2044; and MATH 1221 or MATH 1231; and STAT 1051 or STAT 1053 or STAT 1111. Same As: STAT 2123.

ECON 2151: Economic Development

Theories and empirical studies of the economic problems of developing countries. Prerequisites: ECON 1011 or HONR 2043 and ECON 1012 or HONR 2044. Credit cannot be earned for this course and ECON 6250.

ECON 2169: Introduction to the Economy of China

Background, organization, and operation of the economy. Appraisal of performance and analysis of problems of development. Prerequisites: ECON 1011 or HONR 2043 and ECON 1012 or HONR 2044.

ECON 2180: Survey of International Economics

Basic concepts of international trade and international finance, emphasizing policy issues. Does not satisfy ECON major or minor elective requirements if taken concurrent with or after successful completion of ECON 2181, or ECON 2182, or ECON 3181. Prerequisites: ECON 1011 or HONR 2043; and ECON 1012 or HONR 2044. Credit cannot be earned for this course and ECON 6280.

ECON 2181: International Trade Theory & Policy

International trade and the effects of trade on consumers, producers, and workers; cause and effect of international movement of factors, e.g., foreign direct investment, outsourcing, and migration; impacts of trade policies and trade agreements. Prerequisites: ECON 1011 or HONR 2043; and ECON 1012 or HONR 2044. Credit cannot be earned for this course and ECON 6283.

ECON 2182: International Macroeconomic Theory & Policy

Topics include the balance of payments, the determination of exchange rates and prices in open economies, the interaction of the exchange rate and domestic economic activity, international financial markets, and exchange rate and financial crises. Prerequisites: ECON 1011 or HONR 2043; and ECON 1012 and HONR 2044. Credit cannot be earned for this course and ECON 6284.

ECON 2199

2199.10 - Students will investigate Outer Space, the beginning & the present; determine the achievements and goals in Outer Space (possible benefits & costs); learn about Space Sectors (US, Chinese, Other countries, commercial, Defense, National and Commercial space stations); understand various services provided by satellites, the Future of Spacefaring, and the importance of International Cooperation.

2199.11 - Please email [email protected] to request course description.

2199.12 - Please email [email protected] to request course description.

ECON 3142: Labor Economics

If you've ever asked "when are we ever going to use this?" Econ 3142: Labor Economics is an applied course covering the empirics of how workers and firms respond to public policy. The course covers empirical analyses that evaluate the effectiveness of social welfare programs; the effects of the minimum wage; the consequences of education policy; the costs and benefits of immigration policy; and gender and racial disparities in the labor market. The goal of the course is to highlight the importance of research designs in making a compelling case for causality and testing the predictiveness of economic models. Students learn to critically evaluate real-world examples and what makes causal arguments more or less convincing, skills useful for writing proseminar theses. Prerequisites: ECON 1011 or HONR 2043; and ECON 1012 or HONR 2044; and ECON 2101 or ECON 2103.

View the Syllabus for ECON 3142

ECON 3162: Public Finance - Taxation

Economic analysis of taxes. Topics include individual and corporate income taxes, payroll taxes, sales and excise taxes, property and wealth taxes, design of tax systems, and effects of taxation on labor and capital markets. Prerequisites: ECON 1011 or HONR 2043; and ECON 1012 and HONR 2044; and ECON 2101 or ECON 2103.

ECON 3191: Game Theory

Introduction to game theory, covering concepts such as Nash equilibrium, evolutionary games, backward induction and subgame perfection, Bayesian–Nash games of imperfect information, adverse selection, and moral hazard. Prerequisites: ECON 1011 or HONR 2043; and ECON 1012 or HONR 2044; and ECON 2101 or ECON 2103.

ECON 4198W: Proseminar in Economics

Preparation and presentation of a research paper in any field of economics agreed upon by the student and instructor. Restricted to seniors in the economics program. Prerequisites: ECON 2101 or ECON 2103; and ECON 2102 or ECON 2104; and ECON 2123 or STAT 2123 or STAT 2112 or STAT 2118; and completion of at least three ECON elective courses taken at the 2000 level or above. Includes a significant engagement in writing as a form of critical inquiry and scholarly expression to satisfy the WID requirement.

ECON 4199: Independent Research - Economics

Independent research. Prerequisites: ECON 1011 and ECON 1012; and completion of 12 credits of upper-division economics courses, including ECON 2101 or ECON 2103 and ECON 2102 or ECON 2104, with a minimum grade-point average of 3.4; and approval of an independent research project by a faculty member of the economics department.