ECON 1008 Deconstructing Discrimination
On average, men earn more than women. Blacks live in neighborhoods with lower quality schools than whites. Blond newscasters receive higher Nielsen ratings than their brunette colleagues. But is any of this proof of discrimination? We will begin with an exploration of what discrimination means and what economic theory has to say about it. We will then discuss how to empirically separate discrimination from other sources of inequality and quantify its impacts. We will work as a class to design and implement a study of discrimination in consumer markets. (Prior experience with statistical methods is encouraged; this course may be counted towards the economics major requirement as an 0200-level elective). DED SOC (C. Myers)
ECON 1014 Innovative Environmental Policy-Making
What are the damages due to air pollution? What sources here in Vermont and across the country produce these damages? How should these sources be regulated? We will design and execute experiments that address these questions using a state-of-the-art air pollution model. Subject to the professor’s approval, students choose the pollutant and source that they are interested in exploring. We will cover the economic treatment of pollution control and how integrated assessment models are used to measure pollution’s effect on society. Students will write-up their results in reports, and present their findings to the class. (N. Muller)
ECON 1017 The Application of Statistics to Sports
The central problem of quantitative analysis in any social science is trying to explain the complex and multivariate character of individual human and institutional behavior. The problem of quantitative research, in turn, is that of finding a statistical method that yields a useful approximation of reality. The objective of this course is to give students with an interest in athletic games an opportunity to apply the tools of statistical analysis to the study of several sports topics of their own choosing. (MATH 0116 or ECON 0210 strongly recommended) DED (P. Sommers)