Economics

Code Course Description
ECON 1101

The Canadian Economy

This course will provide the student with an economics framework for the analysis of the Canadian economy. Topics will include supply and demand, economic goals, monetary policy, fiscal policy and market structure. Issues of current economic interest will be discussed.

ECON 1103

Globalization and the World Economy

Globalization and the World Economy provides an overview of the broad economic trends in the development of the world economy since the second world war. The course will address the major debates relating to economic interdependence, economic development and growth, the patterns of international trade and investment, global financial markets, natural resource scarcity, and the role of major multilateral economic institutions such as the World Bank and IMF. The course will also introduce some of the main economic theories which have played a significant role in these debates. The material presented in this course will appeal to anyone looking for a deeper understanding of contemporary world events in the economic, political and social spheres.
ECON 1104

Economics & Government

Economics and Government examines the role played by government in a modern economy such as Canada’s. Economic analysis will be employed to identify the areas where market determined outcomes are efficient and where government intervention may improve upon the market determined outcomes. Economics underlies many of the decisions made by government and the economic way of thinking can help politicians make these decisions more reasonably. The course will address a number of issues including social insurance, externalities, public education and healthcare, income inequality and poverty, tax policy, inflation and monetary policy, and issues surrounding the government debt.
ECON 1110

Economic History l

Productive resources have been organized in many ways by societies, from free peasant and slave economies to feudal economies and, finally, to the hybrids of Capitalism and Socialism that we observe currently. This course will provide students with an economics' perspective on the development of society from the dawn of civilization up to, and inclusive of, the Industrial Revolution. Theories of economic development will be discussed, and the impact of changing economic circumstances on the development of civilization, religion, social organization, government and economic thought will be examined.
ECON 1111

Canadian Economic History

Canada has developed from being a small number of isolated Maritime settlements into a modern economy enjoying membership in the "G-7", a group of seven industrialized democracies that includes Germany, Japan and the United States. This course examines that progression. Special attention will be paid to the relationship of Canada within the British Empire, theories of Canadian economic development and the role of government legislation since Confederation.

ECON 1125

Introduction to Economic Thought

The course provides the student with a preliminary approach to exploring fundamental issues of economic analysis, with a focus on understanding the nature of capitalism. Presentation of the ideas of prominent economists, such as Adam Smith, Karl Marx and J.M. Keynes, who have shaped and challenged our understanding of the laws that regulate economic society, will be a prelude to discussing contemporary issues in economic thought.
ECON 1150

Principles of Microeconomics

This course will provide the student with the principal elements of theory concerning the functioning of the price system, utility theory and consumer behaviour, production and costs, market structure, factor pricing and government microeconomic policy.

ECON 1201

Issues in Economic Development

This course will provide the student with a description of some of the economic conditions in third-world countries, and an analysis of the factors promoting and hindering the process of economic development in those countries.
ECON 1210

Economic History II

This course will provide the student with an analysis of the economic development of Western Europe and North America from the industrial period to the present. A comparison will be made between economic systems under which man lives in the twentieth century.
ECON 1250

Principles of Macroeconomics

This course will provide the student with a framework for the analysis of models of income determination. The components of national income will be examined in the context of these models. Theory relating to the role of money and the potential role of government in the maintenance of both internal and external balance will be presented.
ECON 2280

Introduction to Labour Economics

This introduction to labour economics develops an analytical framework for thinking about issues and policies related to the labour market. It will provide an overview of the institutional aspects and recent trends in the Canadian labour market. This course provides the student with an understanding of the demand for and supply of labour in the Canadian labour market and explains labour market participation. It examines the nature of the labour market by developing models to explain wage determination and issues relating to employment discrimination. Government policies towards wage setting, unemployment, education, and retraining will be discussed.
ECON 2298

Introduction to Financial Economics

Introduction to Financial Economics introduces the basic principles of financial valuation, including the time-value of money and the risk/return tradeoff. It develops tools for the quantitative analysis of corporate and/or individual financing decisions, and of capital budgeting decisions. Students will learn how investors think about the value of streams of cash flows that arrive at different times. Students will also examine capital budgeting decisions and the evaluation of those decisions. The concept of risk and methods of valuing risky assets will also be examined by students in this course.
ECON 2350

Managerial Economics

This course develops and applies economic theory and methods to business and administrative decision-making. Prospective managers will learn a set of operating rules that aid in the efficient utilization of scarce human and capital resources. To that end, optimization techniques are employed to determine appropriate courses of action for decision-makers and case studies are examined to apply economic analyses to practical situations.

ECON 2408

Money and Banking

This course is an introduction to monetary economics and its policy applications in a Canadian setting. Attention is directed to the microeconomic aspects of financial intermediation, including the role of deposit-taking institutions and the re-regulation of the financial markets. The term structure of interest rates and the concepts of duration and interest rate risks are also considered. The course concludes with an examination of the conduct of monetary policy by the Bank of Canada under different policy and exchange rate systems.
ECON 2418

History of Economic Thought

The ideas of economists, such as Adam Smith, Karl Marx and J.M. Keynes, have shaped and challenged our understanding of the forces that regulate economic society. An examination of these ideas will provide the student a framework within which one can derive and apply the main tools -- or principles -- of economic analysis. Special attention is placed on understanding the nature of capitalism and how changes in the social, political and economic environment affected the evolution of economic thought.

ECON 2460

Environmental Economics

Industrial societies incur environmental damage, in part, because the full "cost" of economic activities are not reflected in the market prices that direct production. This course examines market failure and applies microeconomic principles to markets for environmental resources. Methods of measuring the damages that result from polluting activities, and the benefits of improving environmental quality, are examined. The economic principles of pollution control and case studies in Canadian and International environmental regulation are discussed.

ECON 2490

Canadian Microeconomic Policy

Microeconomics is the study of how resources are allocated by individual decision makers in their market pursuits. In a modern industrial economy like Canada's, it is also true that government policy influences the allocation of resources. Canadian Microeconomic Policy utilizes principles of microeconomics to examine policy issues such as: government controlled prices and quantities, marketing boards, tax policy, competition policy, regulation of industry, trade policy and environmental protection.
ECON 2491

Canadian Macroeconomic Policy

Canadian Macroeconomic Policy utilizes the principles of macroeconomics to examine current macroeconomic policy issues. A variety of issues such as the cost of inflation and unemployment, the causes and effects of the government deficit and debt, the relationship between inflation, interest rates, and the exchange rate, and the macroeconomic effects of free trade agreements will be examined. Recent monetary, fiscal, and exchange rate policies will be discussed thoroughly. Practical applications of basic macroeconomic theory will be stressed in this course.

ECON 3101

Introduction to Public Policy and Administration

This course introduces students to economic decision-making in the public sector. The role of taxation, expenditure, and economic regulation in the design of social policy is explained and analyzed. Students will apply the principles, and analyze the practices, of public management in the context of the Canadian economy. This course allows students to explore and critically evaluate the differences between private sector and public sector decision-making in reference to resource valuation, resource allocation and provision of public services. It provides an explanation and analysis of the many public institutions in Canada under the federal, provincial and municipal authority, and their role in regulating economic behaviour. It examines the role of the bureaucracy in the context of changing domestic and international forces.

ECON 3201

Intermediate Microeconomics

This course is designed to provide an understanding of microeconomic theory at the intermediate level. The students will be introduced to the concepts and terminology and the analytical tools and methods used by economists to describe and explain consumer and producer behavior. This course includes a thorough development of the technical aspects of the economic concepts relating to consumer and producer behaviour including consumer preferences, utility maximization, individual and market demand, Slutsky (income and substitution effects) decomposition, optimization (first and second order conditions), production theory, the supply decision, firm and industry supply, and industry structure (perfect competition in contrast with monopoly).
ECON 3300

North American International Trade Issues

International Trade Issues is a post principles course examining international trade theory and policy. This course will examine a variety of trade issues including the incentives to engage in trade, the motivation for and the effects of barriers to trade, and the impact of major trade agreements. A primary objective of this course will be to examine world trade issues and policies in a global context.
ECON 3360

Cost Benefit Analysis and Evaluation

This course is designed to introduce students to the basic principles of Cost-Benefit Analysis. It provides the opportunity to enhance both analytical and quantitative skills required for effective Cost-Benefit Analysis of various public and private projects and to evaluate and influence the design of policy design and government regulations. Topics include project evaluation techniques, common C-B measures, correct accounting measures of time, costs, and benefits, the measurement of social value and welfare change, shadow prices, present and future values, accounting for intangibles, the determination of the appropriate discount rate, inflation, contingent valuation, public enterprise pricing rules, and the incorporation of risk and uncertainty.

ECON 3400

International Economics and Finance

This Economics course is a post principles course examining international finance theory and policy. This course will examine a variety of finance issues including the international financial system, balance of payments, the foreign exchange rate market, exchange rate determination, fixed and flexible exchange rate regimes, and the impact of international financial crisis.
ECON 3408

Global Banking

Global Banking examines the international banking and financial services landscape. It looks at industry structural changes resulting from the changing regulatory and technological environment. The major dimensions and scope of international commercial and investment banking will be examined. Included will be an examination of the global financial markets for capital raising and trading. Critical risk management and regulatory issues will also be examined. Current issues affecting the global banking industry will be addressed throughout the course.
ECON 3445

Urban and Regional Economics

Urban economics is the study of the market forces behind the development of cities and the urban problems associated with this development. Students interested in the efficient design and implementation of local public policy, environmental policy, land use policy and urban studies will enjoy this course. Cities provide a spatial environment and location for production, innovation and trade to flourish, but in the process generate policy problems associated with congestion, pollution, transportation, poverty, crime, urban sprawl, and growth. This course describes the historical context of urban areas and develops the theoretical tools for analyzing and predicting how urban areas grow, evolve, and change and the role of public policy to deal with this growth. The course will examine how local government, land use regulation, financing, taxation, and spending policies influence the settlement pattern and characteristics of towns, cities, and regions.
ECON 3450

Intermediate Macroeconomics

This course will provide the student with the main concepts and methods of analysis for such macroeconomic variables as consumption, investment, government spending and foreign trade. The Classical and Keynesian models of income and employment theory will be compared. Monetary theory, rational expectations, the open economy, economic fluctuations and growth will be examined.
ECON 4412

Introduction to Model Building in Economics and Commerce

This course will involve the student in the task of forming explicit quantitative models as they are used in economics and commerce. Quantification and types and sources of data available to economics and commerce students are considered. Emphasis is on the development of the skills needed in empirical model building.

ECON 4495

Introduction to Econometrics

This course builds on the students’ knowledge of statistics and introduces them to econometric techniques. Topics covered include linear regression, multiple regression and the problems in regression analysis. Emphasis will be placed on application of the methods discussed in lecture.