Economics

This course builds upon the concepts studied in INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMICS A and introduces business strategies. The course covers cost calculations, market structures, firms' decision making, supply chains and such other topics. 

The regular version of this course is worth 3.0 UC quarter units. The Q version of this course is worth 4 or 4.5 UC quarter units. Students must submit a special study project form which outlines the requirements for the additional units. This is typically an additional paper graded by the instructor of the course.

This course focuses on the analysis of financial transactions as an instrument for financial valuation to assist the decision-making process within organizations and within companies. It discusses different financial concepts and systems and the general approach of financial transactions. Other topics include financial values of annuities, the financial transactions of accumulation (sinking funds), and financial transactions of amortization (loans).  

This course analyzes the driving forces behind income, prices and other macroeconomic variables in closed and open economies. Topics include: macroeconomic problems and national accounts; goods market; financial markets; IS-LM Model; opening goods and financial markets; Mundell-Fleming Model; expectations-- instruments, consumption, investment, and financial market. Pre-Requisites: Macroeconomics I

This course provides an overview of the dynamics of the global financial and international monetary systems. It develops knowledge of the fundamental concepts needed to understand foreign direct investment, financial flows, international trade, and investment deals. As political risk and economic exposure to global events have become more immediate, special attention is given to the 2007-2012 world banking crisis, the role of central banks in the stabilization of national economies, national debts, and the specific economic challenges to which individual countries have been exposed in varying ways. Alternative views and policy measures to help struggling economies overcome the economic and financial crisis like contracting (or expanding) government spending are assessed and critically analyzed.

Tracing the history of beer from China in 7000 BCE, through to the impact of U.S. federal law and European Union regulations, this course explores the determinants and drivers of the economics of beer. This course includes an examination of the labor market and brewing, technology and innovation, national beer market trends, media and marketing of beer, new and emerging beer markets, cultural and political factors impacting the beer market, and the decline and rise of local, import, and craft beers.

The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the key analytical methods and leading applications in the field of game theory. At the end of the course, students should be able to identify and formalize problems that involve strategic interaction between different economic agents, and to analyze them with game-theoretical thinking.

This course focuses on the introduction of dynamic modeling and its application for policy analysis. The aim is to provide an understanding of the reasons for government policy intervention in the economy; analyze the benefits of possible government policies, and the response of economic agents to the government's actions. The course covers tax policy and inequality, social insurance programs, and public goods. Special emphasis is on current policy issues such as inequality and poverty, health care reform, income tax reform, and budget deficits. 

This course is a study of consumer behavior and the variables affecting the purchasing decision process. It reviews the characteristics of consumer behavior, including internal variables such as motivations of buying behavior and the perception of marketing stimuli, as well as external socio-cultural demographic variables.

This course discusses game theory for economic analysis at the undergraduate level. For undergraduate students, the course, Intro to Game Theory, is a prerequisite. Students are also expected to have a basic knowledge of mathematics such as basic differentiation and basic probability theory.

The course aims to teach formal concepts in game theory and provide hands on experience in solving games with different solution concepts.

This course introduces key concepts and major issues of urban and regional economics for students with a knowledge of economic and econometric analysis at the undergraduate level. It emphasizes the role of market forces in the development of cities. Recent advances and empirical evidence are used to cover the following topics: market forces in the development of cities (spatial equilibrium, agglomeration and congestion forces, and transportation costs); land rents and land-use patterns (urban land rents, land-use patterns, neighborhood choice, zoning, and growth controls); urban transportation; housing; urban distress; and cities and public policy.