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Catalogue 2019-2020 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Course Descriptions
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Japanese: II. Intermediate |
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JAPA 222 - Narratives of Japan: Fiction and Film
1 unit(s)
(Same as ASIA 222 ) This course examines the characteristics of Japanese narratives in written and cinematic forms. Through selected novels and films that are based on the literary works or related to them thematically, the course explores the different ways in which Japanese fiction and film tell a story and how each work interacts with the time and culture that produced it. While appreciating the aesthetic pursuit of each author or film director, attention is also given to the interplay of tradition and modernity in the cinematic representation of the literary masterpieces and themes. No previous knowledge of Japanese language is required. Peipei Qiu.
Prerequisite(s): One course in language, literature, culture, film or Asian Studies, or permission of the instructor.
Not offered in 2019/20.
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JAPA 223 - The Gothic and the Supernatural in Japanese Literature
1 unit(s)
(Same as ASIA 223 ) This course introduces students to Japanese supernatural stories. We interpret the hidden psyche of the Japanese people and culture that create such bizarre tales. We see not only to what extent the supernatural creatures - demons, vampires, and mountain witches - in these stories represent the “hysteria” of Japanese commoners resulting from social and cultural oppression, but also to what extent these supernatural motifs have been adopted and modified by writers of various literary periods. This course consists of four parts; female ghosts, master authors of ghost stories, Gothic fantasy and dark urban psyche. Hiromi Dollase.
Prerequisite(s): One course in language, literature, culture or Asian Studies, or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2019/20.
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JAPA 224 - Japanese Popular Culture and Literature
1 unit(s)
(Same as ASIA 224 ) This course examines Japanese popular culture as seen through popular fiction. Works by such writers as Murakami Haruki, Yoshimoto Banana, Murakami Ryu, Yamada Eimi, etc. who emerged in the late 1980s to the early 1990s, are discussed. Literary works are compared with various popular media such as film, music, manga, and animation to see how popular youth culture is constructed and reflects young people’s views on social conditions. Theoretical readings are assigned. This course emphasizes discussion and requires research presentations. This course is conducted in English. Hiromi Dollase.
Prerequisite(s): One course in Japanese language, literature, culture or Asian Studies, or permission of the instructor.
Not offered in 2019/20.
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JAPA 298 - Independent Study Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
One-half or one unit individual or group research project or reading course. May be elected during the academic year. Offered only pass/fail and permission of the chair is required. Open to all students. The Department.
Prerequisite(s): Two units of Japanese.
Course Format: INT
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Japanese: III. Advanced |
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JAPA 300 - Senior Thesis Semester Offered: Fall
0.5 unit(s)
A 1-unit thesis written over two semesters. The Department.
Open only to majors. Permission required.
Yearlong course 300-JAPA 301 .
Course Format: INT
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JAPA 301 - Senior Thesis Semester Offered: Spring
0.5 unit(s)
A 1-unit thesis written over two semesters. The Department.
Open only to majors. Permission required.
Yearlong course JAPA 300 -301.
Course Format: INT
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JAPA 302 - Senior Project Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
1 unit(s)
The Japanese senior project is an opportunity to do independent research on a topic of choice in the major discipline. It is part of the honor’s requirement. The senior project can take several forms. The most common is a translation of an original text in Japanese, such as a short story, a play, or pieces of poetry. Other possibilities include translation of a video recording of a performance of an original play written in Japanese, developing original computer software for language learning, etc. Students should consult with their advisor regarding the possibilities. Students are expected to schedule regular meetings with their project advisor and are responsible for meeting deadlines. The Department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission required
Open only to majors. One-unit project done in one semester. Permission required.
Course Format: INT
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JAPA 303 - Senior Project Semester Offered: Fall
0.5 unit(s)
The Japanese senior project is an opportunity to do independent research on a topic of choice in the major discipline. It is part of the honor’s requirement. The senior project can take several forms. The most common is a translation of an original text in Japanese, such as a short story, a play, or pieces of poetry. Other possibilities include translation of a video recording of a performance of an original play written in Japanese, developing original computer software for language learning, etc. Students should consult with their advisor regarding the possibilities. Students are expected to schedule regular meetings with their project advisor and are responsible for meeting deadlines. The Department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission required
Open only to majors. One-unit project done in two semesters. Permission required.
Yearlong course 303-JAPA 304 .
Course Format: INT
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JAPA 304 - Senior Project Semester Offered: Spring
0.5 unit(s)
The Japanese senior project is an opportunity to do independent research on a topic of choice in the major discipline. It is part of the honor’s requirement. The senior project can take several forms. The most common is a translation of an original text in Japanese, such as a short story, a play, or pieces of poetry. Other possibilities include translation of a video recording of a performance of an original play written in Japanese, developing original computer software for language learning, etc. Students should consult with their advisor regarding the possibilities. Students are expected to schedule regular meetings with their project advisor and are responsible for meeting deadlines. The Department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission required
Open only to majors. One-unit project done in two semesters. Permission required.
Yearlong course JAPA 303 -304.
Course Format: INT
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JAPA 305 - Advanced Japanese Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
This course is designed to develop each student’s ability to read contemporary Japanese text from newspapers, magazines, and literary works, with a solid grammatical foundation and mastery of kanji, as well as gaining proficiency in writing at an advanced level. Continued training in aural-oral proficiency in spoken Japanese through exercises, classroom interactions and audio-visual materials.
Prerequisite(s): JAPA 205 -JAPA 206 or permission of the instructor.
Course Format: CLS
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JAPA 306 - Advanced Japanese Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
This course is designed to develop each student’s ability to read contemporary Japanese text from newspapers, magazines, and literary works, with a solid grammatical foundation and mastery of kanji, as well as gaining proficiency in writing at an advanced level. Continued training in aural-oral proficiency in spoken Japanese through exercises, classroom interactions and audio-visual materials. Judit Kroo.
Prerequisite(s): JAPA 205 -JAPA 206 , and JAPA 305 or permission of the instructor.
Course Format: CLS
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JAPA 324 - Japanese Popular Culture and Literature for Majors
1 unit(s)
JAPA 224 and 324 students attend the same class, but Japanese 324 students engage in various language related projects (such as translation of original texts, reaction papers in Japanese, etc.) in addition to class participation in English. Hiromi Dollase.
Prerequisite(s): JAPA 306 or above, or permission of the instructor.
Not open to students who have previously taken JAPA 224 .
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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JAPA 350 - Advanced Readings in Japanese: Genres and Themes Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
This course is equivalent to a fourth-year Japanese course or beyond, and may be repeated for credit if topic changes. The aim of this course is to further develop the advanced students’ speaking, reading, and writing proficiency. The course explores different genres of texts ranging from contemporary Japanese media sources to literature. Readings are arranged according to thematic topics. Discussions and lectures are conducted entirely in Japanese.
Prerequisite(s): JAPA 306 or permission of the instructor.
Course Format: CLS
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JAPA 351 - Advanced Readings of Original Literary Works Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
This course is equivalent to a fourth-year Japanese course or beyond, and may be repeated for credit if topic changes. This course involves close reading of a single literary work of an extensive length, shorter texts of a single author, or texts which have a common thematic interest. Through close reading and classroom discussion of the material, students are trained to approach authentic texts with linguistic confidence and useful methods. Discussions and lectures are conducted entirely in Japanese. Yuko Matsubara.
Prerequisite(s): JAPA 306 or permission of the instructor.
Course Format: CLS
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JAPA 361 - Youth in Japanese Literature
1 unit(s)
(Same as ASIA 361 ) This course explores the topic of youth and adolescence in Japan. It examines how Japanese modern history, society and culture are presented differently in literary works when the perspective of youth is employed. Key topics of family, sexuality, modernization and civilization emerge to the surface. Issues that young people face are different in each period of time. However, the young commonly try to deal with the idea of “development” into mature adulthood or socially expected manhood and womanhood. Young people’s ideals, disillusionment, frustrations, and struggles are examined through selected literary and cinematic works. Readings include works by Natsume Soseki, Higuchi Ichiyo, Kawabata Yasunari, Mishima Yukio, Yasuoka Shotaro, and Murakami Haruki. We also expand our horizon to film, music and anime, as well. Hiromi Dollase.
Prerequisite(s): One 200-level course in language, literature, culture or Asian Studies, or permission of the instructor.
One 2-hour period.
Not offered in 2019/20.
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JAPA 364 - The West in Japanese Literature since the Nineteenth Century
1 unit(s)
(Same as ASIA 364 . This course examines the influence of the West on Japanese literature after the nineteenth century and follows the process of the construction of modern Japanese identity. Authors may include: Natsume Sôseki, Akuagawa Ryûnosuke, Tanizaki Junichirô, Kojima Nobuo, Murakami Ryû and Yamada Amy. Translated Japanese literary works are closely read, and various theoretical readings are assigned. This course emphasizes discussion and requires research presentations. This course is conducted in English. Hiromi Dollase.
Prerequisite(s): One 200-level course in language, literature, culture or Asian Studies, or permission of the instructor.
Not offered in 2019/20.
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JAPA 370 - International Student Forum at Ochanomizu University
0.5 unit(s)
The International Student Forum annually takes place at Ochaonomizu University for two weeks in mid-February. Two students from each of Ochanomizu’s exchange schools in Poland, France, Germany, South Korea, China, and the U.S. meet in Tokyo and discuss various global issues in Japanese. The themes of the past forum include “Construction of Global Network,” “Disaster and the Movement of Population,” and “Discussing Environment and Natural Disaster.” Two students are required to prepare a 10-minute PPT presentation together under the close mentoring of a Japanese faculty member.
Students research the topic given for the forum during winter break communicating with the instructor via email or Skype. After the break, students are intensively supervised – getting advice on their PPT and
correcting their presentation manuscript. Hiromi Dollase.
Prerequisite(s): Advanced level of Japanese.
Not offered in 2019/20.
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JAPA 380 - Environmentalism in Japan Semester Offered: Spring
0.5 unit(s)
(Same as ASIA 380 ) A study of environmentalism in Japan under the intensive mentoring of two Japanese faculty members. The course examines Japan’s environmental issues such as earthquake and tsunami, nuclear pollution, air and water pollution, diseases caused by pollution, waste management, etc. The learning activities include reading and reseaching by using Japanese sources, weekly meeting and discussions, short reports and a long research paper written in Japanese, and the final presentation of the research result at the International Student Conference to be held at Vassar College toward the end of the Spring of 2020. Hiromi Dollase, Peipei Qiu.
Prerequisite(s): JAPA 305 or the equivalent.
First six-week course.
Course Format: INT
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JAPA 399 - Senior Independent Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
One-half or one- unit of credit given only in exceptional cases and by permission of the chair. Offered only pass/fail. The department.
Prerequisite(s): Four units of Japanese.
Course Format: OTH
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Earth Science: I. Introductory |
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ESCI 100 - Earth Resource Challenges
1 unit(s)
(Same as ESSC 100 , ENST 100 , and GEOG 100 ) This course combines the insights of the natural and social sciences to address a topic of societal concern. Geographers bring spatial analysis of human environmental change, while Earth scientists contribute their knowledge of the diverse natural processes shaping the Earth’s surface. Together, these distinctive yet complementary fields contribute to comprehensive understandings of the physical limitations and potentials, uses and misuses of the Earth’s natural resources. Each year the topic of the course changes to focus on selected resource problems facing societies and environments around the world. When this course is team-taught by faculty from Earth Science and Geography, it serves as an introduction to both disciplines.
Open only to first-year students; satisfies college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 101 - Geohazards Semester Offered: Not offered in 2019/20
0.5 unit(s)
Geohazards explores the geological and societal causes of death and destruction by earthquakes, landslides, floods, volcanoes, storms, and avalanches around the world. Students explore basic earth processes and learn how the Earth and its inhabitants interact in dangerous ways because people repeatedly fail to appreciate Earth’s power. To Be Announced.
Two 75-minute periods during the first six weeks of the semester.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 105 - Field Geology of the Hudson Valley
0.5 unit(s)
Experience 1.5 billion years of Hudson Valley geologic history from some of the classic vantage points in the region. Field trips to high points such as Breakneck Ridge, Brace Mountain, Bonticou Crag, and Overlook Mountain are supplemented by lectures and readings on the geologic history and the history of geologic studies in the valley. Jeffrey Walker.
Both first and second six-week course.
Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 109 - Hot Topics in Earth Science and the Media Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
From fracking to mountaintop removal, BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill, invasive species and their impacts on native ecology, and global warming, geology and related ecologic processes have been major topics in the news lately. This course examines the science behind different natural processes and phenomena (e.g. How do coal beds form? What makes a particular stratigraphic level potentially valuable for hydraulic fracturing? What do we know about responding to oil spills? What does the paleontological record tell us about species invasions?) and also examines media portrayals of these hot-topic issues. Students gain a deeper understanding of the scientific community’s knowledge on these issues and develop the ability to assess whether or not media coverage is fair and accurate. We also discuss how science itself is portrayed in the media and the importance of accurate and accessible scientific communication. John Fronimos.
Open only to first-year students; satisfies the college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 111 - Science and Justice in the Anthropocene Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as GEOG 111 and STS 111 ) Geoscientists have proposed a new designation in the geologic time scale for our current time period, “the Anthropocene.” The designation reflects the fact that human beings are acting as geological agents, transforming the Earth on a global scale. In this first-year seminar course we explore the possibilities of reconfiguring the actions of humans in the Anthropocene so as to lead to a flowering of a new Era once called ‘the Ecozoic’ by cultural historian Thomas Berry. Jill Schneiderman.
Open only to first-year students; satisfies college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 135 - Volcanoes and Civilization
1 unit(s)
Few natural phenomena are more spectacular than a volcanic eruption. Volcanoes have been an important part of human culture throughout history whether in legends or in actual events. Through accounts of volcanic events, such as Plato’s account of the legend of Atlantis, recent scientific analysis of the eruption of Vesuvius and the destruction of Pompeii, or news media coverage of current eruptions, this course studies the role volcanoes have played in society as it traces the historical development of volcanological study using sources such as classical literature, nineteenth century treatises in natural science, modern scientific journals, and the popular media. Jeffrey Walker.
An optional field trip to an active volcano is possible.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 198 - Special Projects in Earth Science Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 or 1 unit(s)
Execution and analysis of field, laboratory, or library study. Project to be arranged with individual instructor. The department.
Open to first-year students and sophomores only.
Course Format: CLS
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Earth Science: II. Intermediate |
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ESCI 201 - Earth Materials: Minerals and Rocks Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
The earth is made up of many different materials, including minerals, rocks, and ions in solution, all of which represent the same atoms recycled continually by geological and biogeochemical processes. This course covers the mineral and rocks that make up the solid earth in their plate tectonic context. We approach this study through field techniques (outcrop description and hand specimen identification), and laboratory work (optical microscope and x-ray analysis). Jeffrey Walker.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 151 or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory.
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ESCI 202 - Public Policy and Human Environments Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as ENST 202 , ESSC 202 , GEOG 202 and URBS 202 ) This course combines the insights of the natural and social sciences to address a selected topic of global concern. Geographers bring spatial analysis of societal and political-ecological changes, while Earth Scientists contribute their knowledge of the diverse natural processes shaping the earth’s surface. Together, these distinctive but complementary fields contribute to comprehensive understandings of the physical limitations and potential, uses and misuses of the Earth’s natural resources.
Topic for 2019/20a: Water and Cities. The explosive urbanization of the modern world places new and unprecedented demands on the earth’s hydrological systems. A variety of environmental issues—such as water provision and drought, depletion of aquifers, pollution of watersheds, flooding, regional climate change, socioeconomic disparities in water infrastructures (environmental injustice), privatization of supply and other policy questions—arise out of the insatiable demands for water of contemporary metropolitan regions. This course combines geographical and geological perspectives on the increasingly urgent problems of urban water. Case studies focus on of water problems in the New York metropolitan region, cities and suburbs of the arid U.S. Southwest, Beijing, Mexico City, São Paulo, Capetown, and other rapidly growing mega-cities of the developing world. Brian Godfrey and Kirsten Menking.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 203 - Earth History Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
In this course we study the methods and principles employed in deciphering the geologic history of Earth and the development of life on the planet. We emphasize the geologic evolution of the North American continent and the main features of the fossil record. Students learn to recognize the patterns of both biologic and tectonic evolution of Earth through time, from the Archean to the present. Woven throughout the course is consideration of the history of geologic thought through examination of the ideas of James Hutton, Charles Lyell, Charles Darwin, and Alfred Wegener. John Fronimos.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 151 .
Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 220 - Cartography: Making Maps with GIS Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as GEOG 220 ) Cartography, the science and art of map-making, is integral to the geographer’s craft. This course uses GIS to make thematic maps and to acquire and present data, including data fitting students’ individual interests. In addition, we explore the culture, politics, and technology of historic cartography, and we examine techniques in using maps as rhetoric and as political tools. Throughout the course, we focus on issues of clear, efficient, and intentional communication through graphic presentation of data. Thus, the course integrates problems of graphic design and aesthetics with strategies of manipulating quantitative data. ArcGIS is used in labs for map production and data analysis. Mary Ann Cunningham.
Prerequisite(s): One 100-level Geography or Earth Science course, or permission of the instructor.
Satisfies the college requirement for quantitative reasoning.
Two 75-minute periods; one 2-hour laboratory.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 221 - Soils
1 unit(s)
(Same as GEOG 221 ) Soils form an important interface between the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. As such, they are critical to understanding the functioning of ecosystems. This course studies soil formation, and the physical and chemical properties of soils critical to the understanding of natural and constructed ecosystems. Field trips and laboratory work focus on the description and interpretation of local soils. Jeffrey Walker.
Prerequisite(s): One introductory course in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science; or ENST 124 .
Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory/field period.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 224 - GIS: Spatial Analysis Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as GEOG 224 ) Geographic information systems (GIS) are increasingly important and widespread packages for manipulating and presenting spatial data. While this course uses ArcGIS, the same software as Cartography, the primary focus here is spatial analysis (calculating patterns and relationships), rather than map design for data visualization. We explore a variety of techniques for answering questions with spatial data, including overlay, map algebra (math using multiple input layers), hydrologic modeling, surface interpolation, and site selection. Issues of data collection through remote sensing and sampling are addressed. GIS involves a more rapid introduction to the software than Cartography does; it is useful to take both Cartography and GIS (preferably in that order) to gain a more complete understanding of spatial data analysis and manipulation. Neil Curri.
Satisfies the college requirement for quantitative reasoning.
Two 75-minute periods; one 2-hour laboratory.
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ESCI 226 - Remote Sensing
0.5 unit(s)
(Same as GEOG 226 ) Many key environmental questions today are studied at least in part with remotely sensed data. Imagery from satellite sensors, such as LandSat, or airborne sensors, provide insights into questions regarding oil spills, sea ice extent, agricultural land uses, urban expansion, deforestation, forest health, weather, and many other phenomena. This 6-week course provides a short introduction to remotely sensed data, including principles of image capture, e.g., radiative energy, electromagnetic spectra, and spectral signatures, and basic approaches to image classification and interpretation. Using accessible image interpretation software, we practice different approaches for using imagery to address environmental questions. This course complements GIS, Cartography, and other courses concerned with mapping and land change analysis. It has no prerequisites, but willingness to explore new software and data is important.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 231 - Geomorphology: Surface Processes and Evolution of Landforms
1 unit(s)
(Same as GEOG 231 ) Quantitative study of the physical, chemical, and biological processes that create Earth’s many landforms. Topics include weathering and erosion, landsliding and debris flows, sediment transport by rivers and glaciers, the role of climate in landscape modification, and the use of landforms to document earthquake hazards. Lab exercises emphasize fundamental skills in geomorphologic analysis such as mapping, surveying, interpretation of aerial photography, and use of Geographic Information Systems software.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 151 or permission of the instructor.
Satisfies college requirement for quantitative reasoning.
Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory/field period. An overnight weekend field trip may be required.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 235 - Water
1 unit(s)
(Same as GEOG 235 ) Sixty to seventy percent of Dutchess County residents depend on groundwater supplies to meet their daily needs. Industrial pollution and road salt have contaminated many of these supplies, spawning legal actions and requiring costly remediation. Ensuring adequate and safe groundwater supplies for humans and ecosystems requires extensive knowledge of the hydrologic cycle and of how contaminants may be introduced into water resources. We explore how rainfall and snowmelt infiltrate into soils and bedrock to become part of the groundwater system, learn what factors govern subsurface flow, and discuss the concept of well-head protection, which seeks to protect groundwater recharge areas from contamination. Using Vassar’s teaching well at the field station we perform a number of experiments to assess aquifer properties, water chemistry, and presence of microbial contaminants. Comfort with basic algebra and trigonometry is expected.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 151 , ENST 124 , or permission of the instructor.
Satisfies the college requirement for quantitative reasoning.
Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory/field period.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 251 - Global Geophysics and Tectonics
1 unit(s)
What can physics and simple math tell us about the earth? By utilizing an array of techniques, geophysicists gain an understanding of the processes that shape our planet. Reflection and earthquake seismology give us insight into deep earth structure, plate tectonic mechanisms, mountain building, basin formation, and hazard mitigation. Variations in the earth’s gravitational field yield information on density contrasts beneath the surface, from the scale of mountain ranges to buried artifacts. Heat flow variations are useful in determining regional subsurface thermal structure, fluid advection, and climate variation. Laboratories are designed to use the skills required in most geology related fields. They involve the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) software, and construction of simple computer models.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 151 or ESCI 121 .
Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 254 - Environmental Science in the Field Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as BIOL 254 and ENST 254 ) The environment consists of complex and often elegant interactions between various constituents so that an interdisciplinary approach is required to understand how human interactions may affect it. In this course, we study a variety of aspects of a specific environment by considering how biological, chemical, geological, and human factors interact. We observe these interactions first hand during a weeklong field trip. Some of the questions we may consider are: How does a coral polyp create an environment that not only suits its particular species, but also helps regulate the global climate? How has human development and associated water demands in the desert Southwest changed the landscape, fire ecology, and even estuary and fisheries’ health as far away as the Gulf of California? How have a variety of species (humans included) managed to survive on an island with the harsh environment of the exposed mid-ocean ridge of Iceland? The course is offered every other year, and topics vary with expertise of the faculty teaching the course. Kirsten Menking and Mark Schlessman.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the Instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 260 - Conservation of Natural Resources Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as GEOG 260 ) Natural resources are perennially at the center of debates on sustainability, planning, land development, and environmental policy. The ways we conceptualize resources can be as important to understanding these issues as their actual distributions are. This course provides a geographic perspective on natural resource conservation, using local examples to provide deeper experience with resource debates. We focus particularly on forest resources: biodiversity, forest health, timber resources, forest policy, and the ways people have struggled to make a living in forested ecosystems. We discuss these issues on a global scale (such as tropical timber piracy and forest conversion), and we explore them locally in the Adirondacks of New York. This course requires that students spend October Break on a group study trip in the Adirondacks. Students must be willing to spend long, cold days outside, including some strenuous physical activity (unless special permission is arranged with the instructor). Mary Ann Cunningham. Mary Ann Cunningham
Students wishing to register under Earth Science must have had at least one previous earth science course.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 271 - Structural Geology: Deformation of the Earth Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
Structural geology explores the deformation of Earth’s crust caused by the movement of its tectonic plates and the resulting structures that are produced at scales ranging from the microscopic to the mountainous. It underpins the oil and gas industry and mining because fossil fuels and precious metals are commonly associated with folds and faults. It is also important in earthquake and landslide hazard prediction. Lab exercises emphasize the fundamentals of geologic mapping, how to use geometric principles to predict what lies in the subsurface from surface observations, and how rocks behave under varying conditions of stress. Many exercises occur in the field. Kirsten Menking.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 151 or permission of the instructor.
Satisfies the college requirement for quantitative reasoning.
Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory/field period. An overnight weekend field trip may be required.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 275 - Paleontology and the Fossil Record Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as BIOL 275 ) Paleontology isn’t just a “dead science”- by studying processes that have occurred in the past, we can deepen our understanding of the current biota inhabiting the Earth. Conversely, by studying the modern distribution of organisms and the environmental, taphonomic, and ecological processes that impact their distribution and preservation, we can enhance our understanding of the processes that have controlled the formation and distribution of fossils through time. In this course, we explore the methodology used to interpret the fossil record, including preservational biases and how we account for them when studying fossil taxa. We also explore large-scale ecological changes and evolutionary processes and discuss how they manifest across geologic time, and how these relate to Earth’s changing fauna. We additionally learn about how paleontology has developed as a field in the context of different historical and social perspectives. Lab exercises focus on applying paleontological methods to a variety of different fossil and recent samples. To Be Announced.
Two 75-minute periods and one 4-hour laboratory period.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 277 - Biogeochemistry
1 unit(s)
As the name implies, biogeochemistry focuses on the living world (bio), the geology of the earth (geo) and the interaction of biology and geology on the chemistry of our planet. This course focuses on the biological influences on important geochemical transformations, and how biological systems, underlain by different geologies, affect measurable chemical attributes important to life. The course also covers human influences on biogeochemical cycles. Impacts addressed include the effects of atmospheric deposition (pollution), changes in land use history and how climate change influences biogeochemistry. Lynn Christenson.
Two 75-minute periods, and one 4-hour laboratory.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 290 - Community-Engaged Learning Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Course Format: INT
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ESCI 297 - Readings in Earth Science
0.5 unit(s)
Contemplating Time. Deep time, the concept of geologic time recognized by Persian polymath Avicenna (Ibn Sina) and Chinese naturalist Shen Kuo in the 11th century and developed further by James Hutton during the 18th century Scottish Enlightenment, has been called the single greatest contribution of geology to science. The concept provides a critical link between earth science and environmental change. Using reading and reflection, the aim of this course is to help students develop a feeling for the enormity of Earth’s duration in relation to human life spans. Students contemplate the nature of time from geoscientific, religious, and literary perspectives. Reading works by Loren C. Eiseley, Mircea Eliade, Malcolm Gladwell, Stephen Jay Gould, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Shunryu Suzuki, and Elie Wiesel, among others, we consider subjects such as the two great metaphors of time, arrows and cycles, in relation to natural and anthropogenic environmental change. The class meets weekly for contemplative practice and is suitable for students at any level. Jill Schneiderman.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: OTH
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ESCI 298 - Independent Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Execution and analysis of a field, laboratory or library study. The project, to be arranged with an individual instructor, is expected to have a substantial paper as its final product. The department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Course Format: OTH
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Earth Science: III. Advanced |
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ESCI 300 - Senior Research and Thesis Semester Offered: Fall
0.5 unit(s)
Critical analysis, usually through observation or experimentation, of a specific research problem in earth science. A student electing this course must first gain, by submission of a written research proposal, the support of a member of the earth science faculty with whom to work out details of a research protocol. The formal research proposal and a final paper and presentation of results are required parts of the course. A second faculty member participates in the final evaluation. The department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Yearlong course 300-ESCI 301 .
Course Format: INT
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ESCI 301 - Senior Research and Thesis Semester Offered: Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Critical analysis, usually through observation or experimentation, of a specific research problem in earth science. A student electing this course must first gain, by submission of a written research proposal, the support of a member of the earth science faculty with whom to work out details of a research protocol. The formal research proposal and a final paper and presentation of results are required parts of the course. A second faculty member participates in the final evaluation. The department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Yearlong course ESCI 300 -301.
Course Format: INT
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ESCI 321 - Advanced Topics in Environmental Geology
1 unit(s)
(Same as ENST 321 ) This course investigates fundamental geologic controls on environmental issues such as resource distribution and use, ground and surface water pollution, and atmospheric pollution. A specific topic is selected each year, and work in the class includes a survey of relevant literature, field visits to local sites, and development of a group project.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 151 or ENST 124 .
One 4-hour period.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 323 - History of Geological Thought: 1690-1980
1 unit(s)
(Same as STS 323 ) In this course we examine the historical context and scientific ideas put forth by natural philosophers and scientists including Thomas Burnet, Nicolas Steno, James Hutton, Charles Lyell, Charles Darwin, Alfred Wegener, Marie Tharp, Bruce Heezen, Stephen Jay Gould, Niles Eldredge, James Lovelock and Walter Alvarez. Topics of study include geologic time, continental drift and plate tectonics, evolution and punctuated equilibrium, Gaia, and bolide impacts. Jill Schneiderman.
Prerequisite(s): Must be a science or Science, Technology, and Society major at the junior or senior level, or by permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: INT
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ESCI 335 - Paleoclimatology: Earth’s History of Climate Change Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as ENST 335 ) In recent decades, record high temperatures and extreme weather events have led scientists and policy makers to grapple with the fact that human activities are affecting the climate system. At the same time, scientists have come to realize that climate is capable of dramatic shifts in the absence of human intervention. The science of paleoclimatology seeks to understand the extent and causes of natural climatic variability in order to establish the baseline on top of which anthropogenic changes are occurring. In this course we examine the structure and properties of the oceans and atmosphere and how the general circulation of these systems redistributes heat throughout the globe; study how cycles in Earth’s orbital parameters, plate tectonics, changes in ocean circulation, and the evolution of plants have affected climate; and explore the different lines of evidence used to reconstruct climate history. Weekly laboratory projects introduce students to paleoclimatic methods and to records of climatic change from the Paleozoic through the Little Ice Age. Kirsten Menking.
Prerequisite(s): 200-level work in Earth Science or permission of the instructor.
One 4-hour classroom/laboratory/field period.
Course Format: INT
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ESCI 351 - Volcanology Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
Volcanoes are an important window into the workings of the earth’s interior. They are also spectacular landscape features: serene in repose, and often violent in eruption. This course addresses the physical aspects of volcanoes, including such topics as the generation of magmas, styles of eruptions, products of eruptions, tectonic controls on the formation of volcanoes, and methods for predicting eruptions and mitigating the hazards associated with volcanic activity. An optional field trip to an active volcano is possible. Jeffrey Walker.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 201 .
One 4-hour period.
Course Format: INT
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ESCI 361 - Modeling the Earth
1 unit(s)
(Same as ENST 361 ) Computer models are powerful tools in the Earth and Environmental Sciences for generating and testing hypotheses about how the Earth system functions and for allowing simulation of processes in places inaccessible to humans (e.g., Earth’s deep interior), too slow to permit observation (e.g., erosion driven uplift of mountains ranges), or too large to facilitate construction of physical models (e.g., Earth’s climate system). Taking readings from the scientific literature, we create and then perform experiments with simple computer models, using the STELLA iconographic box-modeling software package. Topics include the global phosphorus cycle, Earth’s radiative balance with the sun and resulting temperature, the flow of ice in glaciers, and the role of life in moderating Earth’s climate. Toward the end of the semester, students apply the skills they have acquired to a modeling project of their own devising. Kirsten Menking.
Prerequisite(s): One 200-level course in the natural sciences.
Satisfies the college requirement for quantitative reasoning.
One 4-hour classroom/laboratory period.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 375 - Advanced Topics in Paleontology
1 unit(s)
This course explores emerging issues in the study of life’s history, including but not limited to changes in biodiversity over time (evolution, extinction), paleoecology, biosphere-climate interactions, or biomechanics. Each course offering focusses on a specific topic and may include reading and discussing relevant literature, field or museum trips, and/or participation in a research project.
Prerequisite(s): Prerequisite: 200-level work in Earth Science or permission of the instructor.
One 4-hour period.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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ESCI 399 - Senior Independent Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Execution and analysis of a field, laboratory, or library study. The project, to be arranged with an individual instructor, is expected to have a substantial paper as its final product. The department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Course Format: OTH
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Earth Science and Society: I. Introductory |
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ESSC 100 - Earth Resource Challenges
1 unit(s)
(Same as ESCI 100 , ENST 100 , and GEOG 100 ) This course combines the insights of the natural and social sciences to address a topic of societal concern. Geographers bring spatial analysis of human environmental change, while Earth scientists contribute their knowledge of the diverse natural processes shaping the Earth’s surface. Together, these distinctive yet complementary fields contribute to comprehensive understandings of the physical limitations and potentials, uses and misuses of the Earth’s natural resources. Each year the topic of the course changes to focus on selected resource problems facing societies and environments around the world. When this course is team-taught by faculty from Earth Science and Geography, it serves as an introduction to both disciplines.
Open only to first-year students; satisfies college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2019/20.
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Earth Science and Society: II. Intermediate |
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ESSC 290 - Community-Engaged Learning
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Course Format: INT
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ESSC 298 - Independent Work
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Course Format: OTH
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Earth Science and Society: III. Advanced |
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ESSC 202 - Public Policy and Human Environments Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as ENST 202 , ESCI 202 , GEOG 202 and URBS 202 ) This course combines the insights of the natural and social sciences to address a selected topic of global concern. Geographers bring spatial analysis of societal and political-ecological changes, while Earth Scientists contribute their knowledge of the diverse natural processes shaping the earth’s surface. Together, these distinctive but complementary fields contribute to comprehensive understandings of the physical limitations and potential, uses and misuses of the Earth’s natural resources.
Topic for 2019/20a: Water and Cities. The explosive urbanization of the modern world places new and unprecedented demands on the earth’s hydrological systems. A variety of environmental issues—such as water provision and drought, depletion of aquifers, pollution of watersheds, flooding, regional climate change, socioeconomic disparities in water infrastructures (environmental injustice), privatization of supply and other policy questions—arise out of the insatiable demands for water of contemporary metropolitan regions. This course combines geographical and geological perspectives on the increasingly urgent problems of urban water. Case studies focus on of water problems in the New York metropolitan region, cities and suburbs of the arid U.S. Southwest, Beijing, Mexico City, São Paulo, Capetown, and other rapidly growing mega-cities of the developing world. Brian Godfrey and Kirsten Menking.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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ESSC 300 - Senior Thesis Semester Offered: Fall
0.5 unit(s)
An original study, integrating perspectives of geography and earth science. The formal research proposal is first developed in GEOG 304 , the senior seminar, and then is presented to a faculty member in either geography or earth science, who serves as the principal adviser. A second faculty member from the other respective discipline participates in the final evaluation.
Yearlong course 300-ESSC 301 .
Course Format: INT
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ESSC 301 - Senior Thesis Semester Offered: Spring
0.5 unit(s)
An original study, integrating perspectives of geography and earth science. The formal research proposal is first developed in GEOG 304 , the senior seminar, and then is presented to a faculty member in either geography or earth science, who serves as the principal adviser. A second faculty member from the other respective discipline participates in the final evaluation.
Yearlong course ESSC 300 -301.
Course Format: INT
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ESSC 331 - Gender, Resources and Justice
1 unit(s)
(Same as WMST 331 ) This multidisciplinary course acquaints students with the debates and theoretical approaches involved in understanding resource issues from a gender and justice perspective. It is intended for those in the social and natural sciences who, while familiar with their own disciplinary approaches to resource issues, are not familiar with gendered perspectives on resource issues and the activism that surrounds them. It is also appropriate for students of gender studies unfamiliar with feminist scholarship in this area. Increasing concern for the development of more sustainable production systems has led to consideration of the ways in which gender, race, and class influence human-earth interactions. The course examines conceptual issues related to gender studies, earth systems, and land-use policies. It interrogates the complex intersections of activists, agencies and institutions in the global arena through a focus on contested power relations. The readings, videos and other materials used in the class are drawn from both the South and the North to familiarize students with the similarities and differences in gendered relationships to the earth, access to resources, and resource justice activism. Jill Schneiderman.
One 2-hour period.
Not offered in 2019/20.
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ESSC 370 - Feminist Perspectives on Environmentalism
1 unit(s)
(Same as ENST 370 and WMST 370 ) In this seminar we explore some basic concepts and approaches within feminist environmental analysis paying particular attention to feminist theory and its relevance to environmental issues. We examine a range of feminist research and analysis in ‘environmental studies’ that is connected by the recognition that gender subordination and environmental destruction are related phenomena. That is, they are the linked outcomes of forms of interactions with nature that are shaped by hierarchy and dominance, and they have global relevance. The course helps students discover the expansive contributions of feminist analysis and action to environmental research and advocacy; it provides the chance for students to apply the contributions of a feminist perspective to their own specific environmental interests. Jill Schneiderman.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor; WMST 130 recommended.
One 2-hour period.
Not offered in 2019/20.
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ESSC 399 - Senior Independent Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Course Format: OTH
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Economics: I. Introductory |
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ECON 102 - Introduction to Economics Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
1 unit(s)
Economic forces shape our society and profoundly influence our daily lives. This course introduces students to economic concepts and to how economists think about the world. We explore both basic microeconomics - decision making by individuals and firms - and basic macroeconomics - issues related to coordinating individual activities across an entire economy. Topics will include demand and supply, market structures, GDP, the business cycle, and monetary and fiscal policies. The department.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 109 - Analytical Methods for Economics
1 unit(s)
A bridge from basic high-school mathematics to the analytical methods essential for intermediate-level work in economics with a focus on the application of those methods. The Department.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 102 and permission of the instructor.
Not open to students who have taken AP or BC calculus or MATH 121 .
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 120 - Principles of Accounting Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
Accounting theory and practice, including preparation and interpretation of financial statements. Frederick Van Tassell.
Not open to first-year students.
Course Format: CLS
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Economics: II. Intermediate First-year students may not take 200 , 201 , 203 , or 209 but they may take other courses numbered 200 and above in their second semester provided they have satisfied the prerequisite requirements.
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ECON 200 - Macroeconomic Theory Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
1 unit(s)
A structured analysis of the behavior of the national and international economies. Alternative theories explaining the determination of the levels of GDP, unemployment, the interest rate, the rate of inflation, economic growth, exchange rates, and trade and budget deficits are considered. These theories provide the basis for discussion of current economic policy controversies. The department.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 102 and permission of the instructor.
NRO for Seniors Only.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 201 - Microeconomic Theory Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
1 unit(s)
Economics is about choice, and microeconomic theory begins with how consumers and producers make choices. Economic agents interact in markets, so we carefully examine the role markets play in allocating resources. Theories of perfect and imperfect competition are studied, emphasizing the relationship between market structure and market performance. General equilibrium analysis is introduced, and efficiency and optimality of the economic system are examined. Causes and consequences of market failure are also considered. The department.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 102 , MATH 121 , and permission of the instructor. With the instructor’s permission, students who have taken ECON 109 may take ECON 201 with concurrent enrollment in MATH 121 .
NRO for Seniors Only.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 203 - Introduction to Econometrics
1 unit(s)
An introduction to statistical analysis with emphasis on estimation and hypothesis testing and to the methods required for empirical economic research in industry, government, and academia. Topics covered include simple and multiple regression, violations of the classical assumptions underlying the least-squares model, maximum likelihood estimation, instrumental variables, and time series analysis. The Department.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 102 and MATH 241 .
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 206 - Gender Issues in Economics Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as WMST 206 ) An analysis of gender in education, earnings, employment and the division of labor within the household. Topics include a study occupational segregation, discrimination, the role of “protective legislation” in the history of labor law, and effects of changes in the labor market of the U.S. We also study the economics of marriage, divorce, and fertility. A comparative study of gender roles in other parts of the world is the final topic in the course. Sarah Pearlman.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 102 .
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 209 - Probability and Statistics Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
1 unit(s)
Probability and Statistics introduces basic probability theory, statistical analysis and its application in economics. The objective is to provide a solid, practical, and intuitive understanding of statistical analysis with emphasis on estimation, hypothesis testing, and linear regression. Additional topics include descriptive statistics, probability theory, random variables, sampling theory, statistical distributions, and an introduction to violations of the classical assumptions underlying the least-squares model. Students are introduced to the use of computers in statistical analysis. The department.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 102 , MATH 121 , and MATH 126 . With the instructor’s permission, students who have taken ECON 109 and MATH 121 may take ECON 209 with concurrent enrollment in MATH 126 .
NRO for Seniors Only.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 210 - Econometrics Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
1 unit(s)
Econometrics equips students with the skills required for empirical economic research in industry, government, and academia. Topics covered include simple and multiple regression, maximum likelihood estimation, multicollinearity, heteroskedasticity, autocorrelation, distributed lags, simultaneous equations, instrumental variables, and time series analysis. Paul Johnson, Paul Ruud.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 209 or MATH 341 or an equivalent statistics course.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 215 - The Science of Strategy Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
Strategic behavior occurs in war, in business, in our personal lives, and even in nature. Game theory is the study of strategy, offering rigorous methods to analyze and predict behavior in strategic situations. This course introduces students to game theory and its application in a wide range of situations. Students learn how to model conflict and cooperation as games, and develop skills in the fine art of solving them. Applications are stressed, and these are drawn from many branches of economics, as well as from a variety of other fields. Geoffrey Jehle.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 102 .
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 220 - Health Economics Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as STS 220 ) Applies theoretical and empirical tools of economics to problems of health and medical care delivery. The main focus of the course addresses how medical care is produced and financed, in both private and public sectors. Emphasis is on the US, and includes a comparison of the US health system to other countries’ health care systems. Alicia Atwood.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 102 . Students with a strong quantitative background may enroll with the instructor’s permission.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 225 - Financial Markets and Investments Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
Financial Markets and Investments provides an overview of the structure and operation of financial markets, and the instruments traded in those markets. Particular emphasis is placed on portfolio choice, including asset allocation across risky investments and efficient diversification. Theoretical foundations of asset-pricing theories are developed, and empirical tests of these theories are reviewed. The course introduces valuation models for fixed-income securities, equities, and derivative instruments such as futures and options. Throughout the course, students apply investment theories by managing a simulated asset portfolio. Additional topics include financial statement analysis and performance evaluation measures. Sarah Pearlman.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 102, ECON 209 or MATH 241 .
Recommended: ECON 201 and ECON 209 .
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 235 - Sports Economics Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
Sports economics studies contemporary economic issues in professional and amateur sports. The course analyzes the labor market, public finance, industrial organization, and behavioral economics aspects of both team and individual sports. Topics include player productivity and compensation, discrimination, public financing of sports facilities, economic impact of the Olympic Games, franchise markets, antitrust laws in college sports, competitive balance, wagering markets, and applications of prospect theory in sports. Qi Ge.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 102 .
Recommended: ECON 203 or 209 .
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 238 - Law and Economics
1 unit(s)
Law and Economics uses economics to analyze legal rules and institutions. The primary focus is on the classic areas of common law: property, contracts, and torts. Some time is also spent on criminal law and/or constitutional law (e.g., voting, public choice, and administration). Much attention is paid to developing formal models to analyze conflict and bargaining, and applying those models to specific cases. Topics include the allocation of rights, legal remedies, bargaining and transaction costs, regulation versus liability, uncertainty, and the litigation process. Time permitting, the course may also include discussion of gun control, the death penalty, federalism, and competition among jurisdictions. Qi Ge.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 102 , and one semester of college-level calculus.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 240 - U.S. Economic Issues Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
The U.S. economy has dominated the world economy for the last 60 years. With only five percent of the world’s population, it consumes roughly 25 percent of the world’s resources and produces approximately 25 percent of the world’s output. However, U.S. policy makers face substantial challenges in the years to come. The course surveys the causes and possible solutions for numerous issues including increasing international competition for jobs and resources, an aging population, persistent trade and government budget deficits, and rapid growth in entitlement programs. Other topics will be studied based on student interests and as time permits. This course utilizes readings, writing assignments and classroom discussion rather than quantitative problem sets. Robert Rebelein.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 102 .
Not open to students who have completed ECON 342 .
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 248 - International Trade and the World Financial System Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
A policy-oriented introduction to basic models of trade adjustment, exchange rate determination and macroeconomics adjustment. These are applied to the principle issues and problems of the international economy. Topics include the changing pattern of trade, fixed and floating exchange rates, protectionism, foreign investment, the Euro-dollar market, the role of the WTO, the IMF and World Bank, the European Community and third-world debt. Tanseli Savaser.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 102 .
Not open to students who have completed ECON 345 or ECON 346 .
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 261 - Political Economy Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
Political Economy focuses on political strategy, public policy and the private sector and addresses the political, legal and social constraints on economic decision making. While economics typically focuses on strategic interactions in market contexts, e.g., customers, competitors, suppliers, workers—many strategic interactions occur outside of the marketplace. This course uses real world cases to examine strategies in non-market environments. Topics may include: activism, NGOs, the media, lobbying, the US political system, environmental and other regulation, anti-trust, intellectual property, international political economy, IGOs, trade policy, ethics, and corporate social responsibility. Benjamin Ho.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 102 .
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 271 - Chinese Economy Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
China’s economy has grown swiftly over the past 40 years and, in 10-15 years, it will most likely overtake the U.S. to become the number one economy in the world – yet most people still know very little about it. China’s phenomenal growth has produced both some remarkable achievements and some significant problems. The environmental costs of China’s growth include widespread and sometimes dangerous air, water and land pollution. Because of its size, how well China addresses its problems will affect the entire global economy. This course reviews some of the reasons for China’s growth and examines many of the issues it currently confronts. Specific topics can vary from year to year depending on current events and/or student interest. Robert Rebelein.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 102 .
Two 75-minute periods.
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ECON 273 - Development Economics Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as INTL 273 ) A survey of central issues in the field of development economics. Topics include economic growth, the role of institutions, trade, poverty, inequality, education, child labor, health, the environment, conflict and impact evaluation. Examples and case studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America provide the context for these topics. Gisella Kagy.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 102 .
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 275 - Money and Banking Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
1 unit(s)
Money and Banking covers the structure of financial institutions, their role in the provision of money and credit, and the overall importance of these institutions in the economy. The course includes discussion of money, interest rates, financial market structure, bank operations and regulation, and the structure of the banking sector. The course also covers central banks, monetary policy, and international exchange as it relates to monetary policy and the banking sector. The ultimate goal is to provide a deeper understanding of the structure of financial markets, the reasons why it is optimal for these markets to be well functioning, and the key barriers to this optimal outcome. Paul Johnson.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 102 .
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 277 - The Development of the American Economy Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
A survey of economic development in the Americas emphasizing the United States from colonial times through the 20th century. The emphasis is on the use of economic theory and quantitative evidence to explore key questions and themes related to the development of the American economy. Dustin Frye.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 102 .
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 288 - Ethical Problems of Climate Change Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as ENST 288 and PHIL 288 ) The individuals and nations who have benefited most from carbon emissions are not those who will bear the most significant harms of climate change. Most of the earliest harms will be borne by some of the most vulnerable populations in the world, especially in the Global South. And the most severe harms will be borne by future generations. These forms of “climate injustice” raise a host of practical and theoretical problems, some arising within philosophy, others arising within economics. We explore ways in which discussions of these questions in each of these disciplines may be enriched by importing ideas and methods from the other. Among the “philosophical” questions we ask: What sorts of moral obligations, if any, do individuals in wealthy economies have to constrain their own emissions? Can those obligations be met by offsetting? Are there collective obligations? How can we justly allocate obligations across nations and economic agents? How should we think about harms to, or obligations to, people who do not now exist, because they have not yet been born? Can we have moral obligations to things other than human beings (other species, or ecosystems)? Among the “economic” questions we ask: in calculating the costs and benefits of various policy options, how can we aggregate welfare cross-temporally (including across people who do not exist yet)? Should costs and benefits that accrue in the future be discounted? If so, at what rate? Apart from the harms suffered by persons, should harms suffered by other species, or by ecosystems, count as “costs” in a cost-benefit analysis? Does the fact that carbon is an externality, which generates market inefficiencies, mean that proper pricing of carbon would allow a “sacrifice-free” solution to climate change? Finally, is cost-benefit analysis the right framework in which to think about policy decisions in the face of uncertainty where there are existential risks? Paul Ruud and Jeff Seidman.
Prerequisite(s): One 100-level course in Philosophy or one 100-level course in Economics.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 290 - Community-Engaged Learning Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Individual or group field projects or internships. The department.
Prerequisite(s): A course in the department. Permission of the instructor.
Corequisite(s): A course in the department. Permission required.
May be elected during the academic year or during the summer.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT
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ECON 298 - Independent Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Course Format: OTH
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Economics: III. Advanced |
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ECON 300 - Senior Reseach Semester Offered: Fall
0.5 unit(s)
Structured independent work with a faculty advisor designed to result in a paper that can be used as a detailed proposal for the senior thesis. The paper is typically a literature review and a full description of a theoretical model and/or econometric project (including data) or experimental work required to complete the thesis. Students should seek permission to undertake this course of study from the faculty advisor no later than the beginning of the Fall semester of their Senior year but ideally they will do so during the Spring semester of their Junior year or the summer preceding their Senior year. Required of all students who wish to write a thesis in economics but open to senior economics majors who wish to gain research experience. Students may continue with ECON 301 upon completion of ECON 300 with the approval of the advisor and the department. The department.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 210 .
Open to senior majors by special permission of the advisor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: OTH
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ECON 301 - Senior Thesis Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
The sequel to ECON 300 leading to the completion of the senior thesis. Students will submit the finished thesis by noon on the fourth Friday after spring vacation and give a half-hour oral presentation of their thesis to the department at the end of the semester. The department.
Open to senior majors who have successfully completed ECON 300 and received departmental approval to complete the thesis.
Course Format: INT
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ECON 303 - Advanced Topics in Microeconomics Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
This course introduces students to modern theoretical methods in microeconomics and their application to advanced topics not typically addressed in ECON 201 . Topics vary from year to year, but typically include: modern approaches to consumer theory, welfare analysis, general equilibrium, and the theory of auctions. Geoffrey Jehle.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 201 and MATH 220 or equivalent, or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods and one 75 minute lab.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 304 - Advanced Topics in Macroeconomics
1 unit(s)
This course examines recent theoretical and applied work in macroeconomics, with a special focus on the analytical foundations of modern growth theory. The requisite dynamic optimization methods are developed during the course (this involves the regular use of partial differentiation techniques). Topics include the relationship of education, demographics, institutions and industrial organization with economic growth. Esteban Argudo.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 200 , ECON 201 , and MATH 220 or equivalent, or permission of the instructor.
One 3-hour period.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 307 - Advanced Topics in Health Economics and Policy Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as STS 307 ) A survey of contemporary issues in the economics of health and health policy including a more detailed examination of select issues from ECON 220 /STS 220 and more advanced topics using recent research in health economics. Alicia Atwood.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 201 and 210 or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 310 - Advanced Topics in Econometrics
1 unit(s)
Analysis of the classical linear regression model and the consequences of violating its basic assumptions. Topics include maximum likelihood estimation, asymptotic properties of estimators, simultaneous equations, instrumental variables, limited dependent variables and an introduction to time series models. Applications to economic problems are emphasized throughout the course. Paul Ruud.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 210 and MATH 220 and MATH 221 or equivalent, or permission of the instructor.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 318 - Urban and Regional Economics Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as URBS 318 ) An exploration of the nature and development of urban areas that begins with an examination of the theory of why cities grow and how individuals and firms choose their locations before covering patterns of land use, suburbanization, transportation, education, crime, and housing and their influence the growth of cities. Dustin Frye.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 201 and 210 or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 320 - Economics of Inequality and Discrimination
1 unit(s)
An investigation of the extent, causes, and consequences of inequality and discrimination in labor markets. Leading economic theories of inequality and discrimination are covered and related to theories of labor supply and labor demand. Topics include the determinants of wages, labor supply decisions, returns to education, and decisions about family size. An applied approach using econometric techniques to understand the current literature is emphasized. Gisella Kagy.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 201 and ECON 210 .
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 333 - Behavioral Economics Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
A survey of the empirical and experimental evidence that human behavior often deviates from the predictions made by models that assume full rationality. This course combines economics, psychology, and experimental methods to explore impulsivity, impatience, overconfidence, reciprocity, fairness, the enforcement of social norms, the effects of status, addiction, the myopia that people exhibit when having to plan for the future, and other behaviors which deviate from economic rationality. Benjamin Ho.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 201 and ECON 209 .
Course Format: CLS
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ECON 342 - Public Finance Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
Public Finance considers the effects that government expenditure, taxation, and regulation have on people and the economy. Attention is given to how government policy can correct failures of the free market system. Topics include the effect taxes have on consumption and employment decisions, the U.S. income tax system, income redistribution, budget deficits, environmental policy, health care, voting, and social security. Robert Rebelein.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 201 .
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS
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