Economics
ECON 115 Production, Distribution, and Power in Contemporary Economics (4)
What determines a worker’s wages and why do black women in America earn about 2/3rds the wage of white men? Why do basic goods seem to cost much more since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and how does this relate to unemployment? What does it mean that climate change could cut world output by $23 trillion by 2050 and what can governments do to alter such outcomes? This course will introduce you to a pluralistic framework that economists use to think about complex issues such as these, using discussions of contemporary issues and policies as a lens to explore arguments about the nature and functioning of a capitalist economy. The basic building blocks include an understanding of market institutions, government policies and societal structures. Topics will be drawn from both macroeconomics (unemployment, inflation,economic growth) and microeconomics (wages, prices, firm and consumer behavior) with the aim of supporting students’ ability to recognize, understand, assess, construct, and communicate economic arguments.
- General Education Requirement Fulfillment: Social Sciences, PDE
- Offering: Every semester
- Instructor: Staff