Teaching

Economics Capstone Seminar

This is the culminating course in your economic major and it will help you synthesize what you have learned about economic theories and data and about writing, research, and thinking.

 

In addition to using what you have learned in microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, and your field courses.,I also give you the opportunity to demonstrate the skills that you have acquired. You will work both in groups and individually, present your findings both orally and in written form, utilize both research and data analysis skills, and practice both analytical and critical thinking skills. Perhaps most importantly, rather than completing problem sets to hone your thinking skills and master a particular theory or technique, you will work independently to answer an interesting question—a question that doesn’t necessarily have a “right” answer (unlike those problem sets you have spent so much time on). Instead, I ask you to produce a “good” answer: one that uses reliable data, appropriate techniques and models, logical thinking and argument, and clear communication of your ideas. I will provide guidance and assistance as you work to find those answers, but the answers will be yours and they will showcase how much you have learned.

 

International Trade: Causes, Consequences, and Controversies

This course introduces you to the fundamental questions, concepts, and techniques used in the study of international trade.  You will master theories that explain the causes and consequences of international trade and understand the institutions and policies that affect a country’s trade with the rest of the world. Through data and case studies, we will look at how well the theories reflect the reality of international trade and what that reality looks like for individual workers and consumers. We will also consider many of the current challenges in trade, such as tariff wars, dumping and anti-dumping, international supply chains and offshoring, and regional trade agreements.

 

We will use four different approaches to study the economics of international trade: verbal/intuitive, graphical, mathematical, and case studies.  Since each approach provides different insights, they complement each other in presenting answers to, and enhancing understanding of, these topics.  We will complement the theoretical analysis with empirical studies and application to case studies as well as multi-disciplinary perspectives.

 

Upon completion, you will be able to reference ideas and methods from class as well as from other disciplines to answer the following questions:


Principles of Microeconomics

This course introduces students to the fundamental questions, concepts, and techniques used in the study of microeconomics.  It is a required course for any student wishing to major or minor in business or economics, and it is recommended for any student who would like to understand how market economies function or for any student who is interested in studying the choices that people make and how people respond to incentives. In other words, this course will be of interest to anyone who finds the world we live in interesting and has questions about it.

 

Limitations are crucial to the study of economics: economic actors (consumers, workers, firms, the government) are constantly faced with scarce resources, and this scarcity forces them to make trade-offs.  We make trade-offs in deciding not only what to buy or make or do, but also when and where, how, and for whom.  Microeconomics tries to understand and explain the choices and trade-offs when faced with a scarcity of resources, and to apply this understanding to various problems and policies. 

 

This class has two main themes.  The first focuses on markets and the interaction between consumers and firms as a way of answering the question of which resources are used to make what and for whom. This is the more traditional stuff of economics, and we will discover that prices are critical in mediating those decisions. You will gain insight into the ways that markets function, the role of government in markets, and some of the limitations of market-based analysis. The second theme focuses on dating, sex, and marriage. We will apply economic concepts and theories to topics related to this theme as a way of exploring how concepts that were originally developed to study markets can be applied to a much broader range of topics.

At Johns Hopkins University

International Trade Theory (M.A. level)

War and Peace in International Trade

Apocalyptic Economics

Principles of Microeconomics