Courses

ECONOMICS 102: Principles of Macroeconomics

The course is designed to introduce you to macroeconomics, the study of the overall economy. The topics discussed in this class fall into two categories: issues related to the growth of the economy and issues related to periodic fluctuations in the size of the economy. The course will also examine what role, if any, there is for economic policy in helping the economy grow faster and in keeping economic fluctuations relatively smooth.

Check out the course syllabus here.

ECONOMICS 202: Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis

The course is designed to be a rigorous, model based study of intermediate macroeconomic theory. While some of the basic concepts may be familiar to you from Economics 102, this course will explore issues in greater depth and with a more mathematical approach (including calculus). A solid mathematical background is, therefore, essential for your success in this course. We will learn, in-depth, two macroeconomic models: the Solow growth model and the AD-IA model. The final section of the course addresses complications that arise when drawing policy conclusions from simplified models and applying those conclusions to real-world economics problems.

Check out the course syllabus here.

ECONOMICS 213: International Finance and Macroeconomic Policy

This course is broken up into three sections: the first section will cover the basic tools of international finance including basic definitions of exchange rates, different types of foreign exchange markets, the myriad types of exchange regimes, how exchange rates are determined and the complicated structure of the balance of payments accounts, the system of accounts that tracks international economic transactions. The second section of the course, focuses on international macroeconomic policy, specifically in developing a model for analyzing macroeconomic policy under fixed and flexible exchange rate regimes. In the last section of the course we take all the concepts we have learned and examine topical issues, complemented by your own term papers

Check out the course syllabus here.

ECONOMICS 251H: Wellesley Initiative for Scholars of Economics (WISE)

Economics 251 is a course designed to deepen students’ engagement with scholarship in Economics. ECON 251H “flips the curriculum” by exposing students to the research and policy work of faculty and recent economics graduates, so that students will be excited about the payoff from further study of the technical core of economics. In a typical week, students may: hear a faculty member or a visiting speaker present their work in an approachable way; work collaboratively with peers and the instructors to connect materials from Econ 101 to the work presented by a speaker; and/or debate/discuss with peers about the economics (and broader social implications) of contemporary policy issues.

Check out the course syllabus here.

ECONOMICS 300: Mathematics for Economics

The topics discussed in this class fall into two categories. First, the course will introduce you to mathematical tools that are critical for advanced economic analysis. We will do a quick review of multi-variable calculus, following which you will be introduced to topics in linear al- gebra, differential equations and static and dynamic optimization. Second, the course will focus on practical applications of these mathematical tools: studying economic applications such as the maximization decisions of consumers and producers, comparative static analysis, phase diagram analysis of dynamic systems and basic features of dynamic optimization. Topics will be drawn from a variety of fields including macroeconomics, econometrics, game theory, development eco- nomics and international economics.

Check out the course syllabus here.

ECONOMICS 302: Advanced Macroeconomics

Economics 302 is a course in advanced macroeconomic analysis. It is one of a sequence of 3 courses - Economics 301,302 and 303 - offered in the Economics department with the goal of pushing Wellesley students to explore economic concepts and techniques that are more typically studied at the graduate level. However, this is by no means a graduate-level course, simply a more challenging undergraduate course. The primary goal of this course is to get you to understand, appreciate and work with macroeconomic models that are used in macroeconomics research. The primary requirement for taking this class is an excellent work ethic and a desire to be challenged.

We will cover some of the most important fundamental models and techniques that underpin more sophisticated research in macroeconomics. In the process, the course will also give you an introduction to the mathematical tools that are critical for understanding these models. For example, some of the early models you will work with are models (e.g. the Solow model) that are typically taught in undergraduate courses but even with these models, you will be working with them at a higher level - solving difference and differential equations, writing MATLAB code to simulate the models etc.

Check out the course syllabus here.

ECONOMICS 331: Seminar: Monetary Theory and Policy

Economics 331 is a seminar course that focuses on theoretical and practical aspects of conducting monetary policy. You will be asked to learn and find yourself tested in a variety of ways. We will develop economic models and analyze their implications in increasingly sophisticated settings. We will read complicated academic journal articles and discuss them in class, You will also be asked to do a couple of small empirical projects that require you to do data analysis, and last but not least, you will be asked to read and analyze details of actual programs and the underlying motivations of the Federal Reserve.

Check out the course syllabus here.