Teaching

Below are brief descriptions of my current courses. Most of my course materials are in Blackboard. If you want to know more about any of these courses, feel free to email me. They are also described in more detail in my full teaching portfolio, which can be viewed here.

Economics 301: Collection and Use of Data in Economics

Description: The primary goal of this course is to make you better economists by developing your skills with data and empirical analysis. We will examine why and how economists use data, where and how to find the type of data that economists commonly use, and best practices in the presentation of empirical analysis to both economist and non-economist audiences, primarily using Microsoft Excel. The data ‘literacy’ skills you sharpen in this course will prepare you for research projects in other upper division courses, make you more attractive to potential employers, and make you a more informed consumer of empirical information in the media and elsewhere.

NOTE: This course is taught using team-based learning and the majority of class time is spent working on problems in teams. See syllabus for details.

Economics 349: Economics for Teachers

This course is for future teachers of economics and other social sciences. Economics 101 (Principles of Macroeconomics) and 102 (Principles of Microeconomics) are pre-requisites so it is expected that you are familiar with the basic subject knowledge. The objective of the course is to solidify your economic literacy, to help you identify the information that will be most meaningful for you as a teacher of others, and to do so in a way that will help you present that material to others in a way that is effective and engaging. We will also discuss the K-12 public school system in California so you will have a better understanding of the institutional context in which you may be teaching.

Economics 449W: Economic Literacy

The goal of this course is to make you better economists by making you better writers. Class discussions will explore the economic way of thinking, largely by examining how economists write. Economics 101 (Principles of Macroeconomics), Economics 102 (Principles of Microeconomics), and at least two upper-division Economics courses are pre-requisites so it is expected that you are familiar with the basic theoretical building blocks of the discipline. This course will focus on how to apply and use that knowledge, by incorporating economic material and the economic way of thinking into writing for a more general audience.