This introductory course looks comparatively at the histories of China, Japan and Korea from the late 18th century to the present. It examines the struggles of these countries to preserve or regain their independence and establish national identities in a rapidly emerging and often violent modern world order. Although each of these countries has its own distinctive identity, their overlapping histories (and dilemmas) give the region a coherent identity. We also look at how individuals respond to and are shaped by larger historical movements.

This course explores the impact of gender on law and policy  in the United States historically and today, focusing in the areas of constitutional equality, employment, education, reproduction, the family, violence against women, and immigration. We study constitutional and statutory law as well as public policy.

In this course we will immerse ourselves in the 1990s, looking specifically at the emergences and points of contention that made the ‘90s a queer, radical, deeply contested decade.The Queer 90s examines the moment in lesbian and gay studies when the recuperation of the term “queer” emerged. By engaging with the readings and films assigned in this course students will gain an understanding of the AIDS crisis and the rage that mobilized ACT UP.

The course offers a series of faculty dialogues about the ways that the Study of Women and Gender reads the world around us and the times we live in. How do we read gender through, and in conversation with, race, class and sexuality? How do we understand a text differently through the lenses of sociology, cultural studies or historiography? This course introduces students to “intersectionality,” as a core concept and a distinctive methodology to read texts throughout the class. Graded S/U only.

This seminar focuses on four aspects of international financial markets: (1) International Portfolio Diversification with an emphasis on the role of the emerging economies; (2) Global Financial Crises and their impact on the economy; (3) Global Economic Imbalances provides an analysis of comparison of saver economies such as China, Germany and Japan with that of the borrowing economies such as the United States; (4) The Foreign Exchange Market focuses on currency crises and international disputes about China’s exchange rate policy.

The globalization of the world economy has contributed to both boom and crisis. This seminar explores selected topics relating to the increased openness of national borders to the flow of goods and services, labor and real capital. For 2017, the seminar will pay special attention to the impact of globalization on income inequality and national identity.

An exploration of several of the following topics in the economics of higher education: the economic returns to a college education; the additional economic returns to attending an elite college; the determinants of college admissions; the role of SAT scores in determining performance in college; the construction and effects of the U.S. News rankings of colleges; peer effects in colleges; and the current (and future) crisis in funding higher education. The course emphasizes empirically testing economic hypotheses using several databases. Prerequisites: ECO 250 and ECO 220.

An examination of the combination of economists’ models and psychologists’ understanding of human behavior. This combination fosters new understanding of consumers’ and firms’ decision-making. Topics include decisions motivated by issues of fairness or revenge (rather than self-interest); decisions based on the discounting of future happiness; decisions based on individuals’ incorrect beliefs about themselves (such as underestimating the power of bad habits or cravings). This new understanding has implications for economic, political, legal and ethical issues.

Applied regression analysis. The specification and estimation of economic models, hypothesis testing, statistical significance, interpretation of results, policy implications. Emphasis on practical applications and cross-section data analysis. Prerequisites: ECO 150, ECO 153, MTH 111 and either ECO 220, MTH 220 or MTH 291.

Economic analysis of the spatial structure of cities—why they are where they are and look like they do. How changes in technology and policy reshape cities over time. Selected urban problems and policies to address them include housing, transportation, concentrations of poverty, financing local government. Prerequisite: ECO 150.