ECONOMICS
College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
(See Economics in the Academic Programs section for information on degrees)
Undergraduate Courses
100 Introduction to Macroeconomic Analysis (3) [GE]
F,S
Basic economic methodology, analysis, and policy; economic institutions, organizations, and industrial structure; the monetary system; measurement, determination, and stability of national income; monetary, fiscal, and balance of payments problems and policies. [CAN ECON 2]
101 Introduction to Microeconomic Analysis (3)
F,S
Prerequisite: ECON 100. Basic analysis of prices and markets; consumer behavior; behavior of the firm; factor markets. [CAN ECON 4]
102 Introduction to Economic Analysis I and II (6)
The same material as in ECON 100 and 101 taught as an integrated course. Economic methodology, analysis, and policy; economic institutions, industrial structure; national income measurement and determination; monetary and fiscal policy; price and market analysis; income distribution; international trade, economic development.
300 Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory (3)
Prerequisites: ECON 100, 101, and 310 (or BA/MATH 110). Determinants of important aggregate economic variables: levels of real and nominal output; rates of unemployment, inflation, and economic growth. Causes of changes in these variables and consequences of alternative macroeconomic policies.
301 Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (3)
Prerequisites: ECON 100, 101, and completion of or concurrent enrollment in ECON 310 or MATH/BA 110. Behavior of firms and households in the market economy; production of the firm; determination of costs and prices; income distribution; examination of alternative market structures.
305 Economic Analysis for Non-Majors (3) [GE]
Macro- and microeconomic theories and their applications to the problems of resource allocation, employment, inflation, economic growth; competition and monopoly. Not open to students who have completed ECON 100 and 101.
310 Mathematics for Economists (3)
Prerequisite: completion of General Education quantitative reasoning requirement. Basic mathematical tools employed by the economist: set theory, relations and functions, vectors and matrices, differential calculus. Classwork, two units; laboratory, one unit.
311 Statistical Method and Interpretation I (3)
F,S
Prerequisite: ECON 310 or equivalent. Statistical methods essential in solving economic problems, including probability theory, methods of statistical description and inference, sampling theory, estimation, and tests of hypotheses; linear regression and correlation analysis. Classwork, two units; laboratory, one unit. (Also offered as STAT 311.)
312 Statistical Method and Interpretation II (3)
F,S
Prerequisite: ECON 311 or equivalent. Applications of regression and correlation; time series; index numbers; chi-square; computer applications. Classwork, two units; laboratory, one unit. (Also offered as STAT 312.)
315 Mathematical Economics (3)
S
Prerequisite: ECON 310 or equivalent. Optimization, equilibrium analysis, and decision-making. Classwork, two units; laboratory, one unit.
320 Introduction to Econometrics (3)
S
Prerequisites: ECON 100, 101, 311, or equivalents. Theories of estimation; illustrations of econometric research. Forecasting with econometric models. Computer applications. Classwork, two units; laboratory, one unit.
325 Economic Modeling and Computer Simulation (3)
S
Prerequisites: ECON 100, 101, 310, 311, or equivalents. Quantitative modeling of economic systems. Application of computer methods to economic modeling and simulation. Introduction to select computer software with specific applications in economic modeling, time series, regression, and simulation methods. Classwork, one unit; laboratory, two units.
400 Economic and Social History of the United States (3) [US]
F,S
Prerequisite: ECON 100 or 305. Economic and social development of the United States. (See U.S. History and Government Requirement.)
402 Economic History of Europe, 1870–1970 (3)
Prerequisite: ECON 101 or equivalent. Late nineteenth century through post-World War II European economic history. Examination and analysis of industrial and agricultural growth, living standard changes, retreat from colonialism, and international trade expansion. Emphasis on interwar years.
425 Economic Geography (4) [GE]
For course description, see GEOG 425.
450 Health Economics (3) [GE]
Prerequisites: ENG 214. Application of economic theory to the problems of health care. Issues include: supply, demand, and price of health care; cost control; preventive health care; regulation; national health insurance.
474 History of Labor in the United States (3)
S
For course description, see HIST 474. (Also offered as LABR 474.)
500 Money and Banking (3)
Prerequisite: ECON 300 or equivalent. The roles of the Federal Reserve System, private commercial banks, and the public in the determination of the money supply. Analysis of the level and structure of interest rates. Methods, objectives, and actual consequences of monetary policy; international monetary problems.
501 Money and Capital Markets (3)
Prerequisite: ECON 500 or equivalent. Savings and investments; financial intermediaries; the flow of funds; structure of interest rates; debts, real assets, and the level of economic activity.
505 Public Finance (3)
Prerequisite: ECON 100, 101, or equivalents. Economic analysis of the public sector and its impact on the allocation of resources and distribution of income. Emphasis on the economics of government spending, taxation, and debt management.
506 Economics of State and Local Government (3)
S
Prerequisite: ECON 100, 101, or equivalents. Application of economic theory to the problems of state and local governments. Examines public expenditures, revenue structure, intergovernmental fiscal relations with special emphasis on California and its local governments.
510 Labor Economics (3)
F,S
For course description, see LABR 510. Paired with ECON/LABR 810. Students enrolling in ECON/LABR 510 may not take ECON 810 later for credit. ECON 810 covers more advanced material, written assignments, and oral presentations.
511 Collective Bargaining (3)
F,S
Collective bargaining, legislation; case studies in labor law. (Also offered as LABR 511.)
512 Economics of Poverty and Discrimination (3) [GE]
S
Prerequisites: ECON 100 and 101 or equivalent. Application of economic theory to problems of poverty and discrimination. Examines current structure of income distribution, poverty and empirical evidence on discrimination, and surveys current policy.
516 Law and Economics (3)
Prerequisites: ECON 100 and 101 or 305. Application of economics to law and legal institutions. Effects of laws on resource allocation. Public regulation of the market. Antimonopoly, landlord-tenant laws, regulation of business and financial markets, environment, zoning, income and wealth distribution, tort and property law.
520 Industrial Organization (3)
Prerequisite: ECON 100 and 101 or equivalents. Market structure, conduct and performance of selected industries; problems of property rights, law, contract, organization, ownership, and control; problems of product quality, advertising, and consumer sovereignty.
535 Urban Economics (3) [GE]
Analysis of the economic forces which determine a city's income, employment, land use pattern, industrial structure, and public sector. Particular attention to housing, central city-suburban relationships, transportation, local labor market, local public finance and neighborhood economic development. (Also offered as URBS 535.)
550 Economics of Energy and the Environment (3) [GE]
The economics of resource utilization and conservation; the economics of energy, including petroleum; recreation area economics; economic growth and population growth analysis; analysis of the economic impact of pollution; income redistribution effects of environmental change; the environment and price theory.
600 International Economics (3)
Prerequisites: ECON 100 and 101 or equivalents. Theoretical, historical, and institutional aspects of international trade, investment, and the international monetary system. Focuses on current issues such as multinational corporations, international cartels, and the evolving structure of the world economy.
601 Applied Microeconomics (3)
Prerequisite: ECON 301. Intertemporal microeconomic theory applied to problems of investment and capital budgeting; application of microeconomic theory to policy problems in private and public sector; extensive use of microcomputers in development of problem solutions.
605 Senior Seminar in Economic Thought (3)
F,S
Prerequisite: ECON 301. Development of economic thought. Reports and discussions based on the works of classical, neoclassical, and contemporary economics.
611 Socialist Economic Systems (3)
Study of theoretical and applied Marxist economics, with emphasis on contemporary Marxist socialist economic systems. Analysis of economic performance, including efficiency and equity criteria, of Marxist economies and comparison with non-Marxist socialist and capitalist market economies.
620 Economic Development (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: ECON 100 and 101 or equivalents. Comprehensive study of the economic problems, both domestic and international, facing less developed countries. Analysis of the roles of domestic, private, and public sectors as well as international institutions such as the World Bank, the United Nations, and multinational corporations.
699 Special Study (1-3)
F,S
Prerequisite: consent of instructor, major adviser, and department chair. Supervised study of a particular problem selected by the student.
Graduate Courses
700 Seminar: Macroeconomic Theory (3)
F,S
Prerequisites: ECON 300 and 301. National income and employment determination: income distribution; wages, prices and economic growth; government policy.
701 Seminar: Microeconomic Theory (3)
F,S
Prerequisites: ECON 300 and 301. Behavior of firms and households; determination of prices and resource allocation in a decentralized economy.
720 Seminar: Applied Quantitative Techniques (3)
Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Statistical analysis in economics. Individual research.
730 Seminar: Econometric Methods (3)
F
Prerequisite: ECON 320 or consent of instructor. Application of statistical methods to mathematical economic models. Econometric research.
800 Applications of Monetary Analysis (3)
S
Prerequisites: ECON 300 and 301. Modeling in macro and money; monetary and real sector interactions; finance and policies, growth and stabilization. Portfolio theory, risk, models of bank behavior, level and structure of interest rates; Federal Reserve System and government regulation of financial intermediaries.
805 Seminar: Applied Analysis in the Public Sector (3)
S
Prerequisites: ECON 300 and 301. Treatment of applied topics in public finance, externality, and collective choice. Theory and welfare aspects of public expenditure are examined at the national, state, and local levels of government. Stabilization policy, taxation, cost-benefit analysis, and government budgeting; fiscal decision process and fiscal choice theory. Analysis draws upon developments in fields of law, economics, and public choice theory.
810 Seminar: Labor Economics (3)
F
Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Wage and employment theory; legislation and control of industrial conflict. Paired with ECON/LABR 510. Students who have completed ECON/LABR 510 may not take ECON 810 later for credit. ECON 810 covers more advanced material, written assignments, and oral presentations.
860 Seminar: International Economics (3)
Prerequisites: ECON 300 and 301 or equivalent. Analysis of the major theoretical and empirical issues in the international economy including commercial policy, foreign exchange regimes, and trade-induced growth. Role of the private and public international institutions.
865 Applied Analysis of Trade and Development (3)
Economic problems of developing countries analyzed both from a theoretical and case study approach; modeling and empirical evidence. Money, finance, capital and economic development in open economies. Exchange rate problems, inflation, government policy; LDC trade relations with industrialized nations.
898 Master's Thesis (6)
F,S
Prerequisite: consent of chair of candidate's committee for the Master of Arts. An investigation of a topic or problem in economics. The student develops the project, organizes and completes the written study, and defends the findings with the committee. Graduate Approved Program and Proposal for Culminating Experience Requirement forms must be approved by the Graduate Division before registration.
899 Special Study (1-3)
F,S
Open to graduate students who have demonstrated ability to do independent work. Enrollment by petition to department.