XII. Course Descriptions
Economics
Department of Economics
For courses without semester designations, please check with the department. Advance schedules are available in the department.
| ECON*1050 Introductory Microeconomics S,F,W (3-0) [0.50] |
| An introduction to the Canadian economy: price determination, market structure and resource allocation; the behaviour of consumers
and firms; market intervention by government. Some of the economic issues addressed may include agricultural price supports,
rent control, the NAFTA, environmental regulation, price discrimination, pay equity, and taxation. (Also offered through distance
education format.)
|
| Equate(s): |
ECON*1200 |
| ECON*1100 Introductory Macroeconomics S,F,W (3-0) [0.50] |
| The Canadian economy: aggregate performance and policy; an analysis of the determinants of national income, employment and
the price level, the role of government monetary and fiscal policies in improving the rate of economic growth. (Also offered
through distance education format.)
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*1050 |
| ECON*2120 Introduction to Writing and Research in Economics F (3-0) [0.50] |
| The purpose of this course is to introduce students to research methods suitable for investigating a broad range of issues
related to the economy and to develop teamwork and written communication skills. Students will work in small groups on a specific
topic with the objective of writing a single report that will be of a sufficiently high standard and interest to warrant publication
on a publicly accessible web site.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*1050, ECON*1100 |
| Restriction(s): |
BA:ECON, BAH:ECON, BAH:ECON:C, BAH:MAEC, BCOM:MEIF, BCOM:MEIF:C |
| ECON*2200 Industrial Relations F (3-0) [0.50] |
| This is a survey course of the Canadian industrial relations system. Among the topics covered are: the growth and objectives
of unions, the legal framework of collective bargaining, the effects of unions on industry and the economy, industrial conflict
and public policies.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*1050 |
| ECON*2410 Intermediate Macroeconomics S,F,W (3-1) [0.50] |
| The analysis of closed economy models of aggregate spending, output, employment, prices and interest rates under alternative
assumptions about the nature of labour, product and financial markets. The analysis of theories of consumption, investment
and money demand. (Also offered through distance education format.)
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*1050, ECON*1100 |
| ECON*2420 Canadian Economic History U (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course surveys the development of the Canadian economy from the aboriginal economy to the early fur and fish trades,
agricultural settlement, industrialization, the Great Depression, growth of the public sector and fast economic growth after
World War Two. Particular attention is paid to international economic relations and to regional differences within Canada.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*1050, (ECON*1100 or HIST*2450)
|
| ECON*2500 Introduction to the Economics of Law, Crime and Enforcement U (3-0) [0.50] |
| An introduction to the economic analysis of law, participation in illegal labour and product markets and optimal law enforcement.
Topics covered may include the economics of property, contract and tort law, the costs of crime and crime control, measurement
of deterrence, regulatory enforcement, trade-offs in the likelihood and severity of punishment and tax evasion.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*1050 |
| ECON*2650 Introductory Development Economics F (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course introduces students to the economic experience of developing countries, the ways in which economists try to understand
it, and the implications for policy. The basic tools of economic analysis as taught in the introductory courses are used to
analyse topics that may include theories of growth, trade, education, foreign investment, exchange rates, labour markets,
the role of government, environmental sustainability and strategies related to agriculture, population, industry and investment.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*1050, ECON*1100 |
| ECON*2720 Business History F (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course surveys the evolution of economic activity and organization from the industrial revolution to the present. Particular
attention is given to the changing relationship between technology and business organization, the shift from proprietorship
to corporation and the rise of multinational enterprise. Other topics may include the relationship between business and government,
the role of the entrepreneur in the process of technical change and the evolution .of work patterns and standards of living.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*1050, (ECON*1100 or any 1.50 credits in history)
|
| ECON*2740 Economic Statistics F,W (3-1) [0.50] |
| A course designed to prepare students conceptually and mathematically for ECON*3560, Theory of Finance and ECON*3740, Introduction to Econometrics. Topics include the summation operator, descriptive statistics, frequency distributions, probability
and statistical independence, the binomial distribution, algebra of the expectation operator, discrete bivariate distributions,
covariance, variance of a linear function of random variables, the normal and t distributions, sampling distributions, point
and interval estimation, hypothesis testing and an introduction to ordinary least squares. Additional topics may be included
at the instructor's discretion. Examples and assignment questions are drawn from economics and finance.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*1050, ECON*1100, (1 of MATH*1000, MATH*1050, MATH*1080, MATH*1200)
|
| ECON*3100 Game Theory W (3-1) [0.50] |
| The course introduces students to non-cooperative game theory, which is an important method of analysis for economics situations
involving small numbers of interacting economic agents. The course is centered on the concept of Nash equilibrium, and applies
this equilibrium concept to static and dynamic games with full as well as incomplete information. The purpose of the course
is to enable students to take any economic situation, find an economic model (game) that depicts the incentives facing the
participants, and analyze the game to predict the behaviour of the economic agents.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*2310, ECON*2410, (ECON*2770 or MATH*1210)
|
| Restriction(s): |
ECON*3770 |
| ECON*3200 Economics of Industrial Relations U (3-0) [0.50] |
| An economic analysis of the Canadian industrial relations system. Emphasis is placed on understanding the theoretical implications
of unions and collective bargaining practices for wage and employment outcomes. Empirical analysis of the nature and growth
of unions and of their effect on industrial conflicts, public policy and the performance of the economy.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*2310 |
| ECON*3300 Economics of Health and the Workplace U (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course will introduce students to concepts of health economics with particular relevance to workplace issues. Topics
to be covered include the determinants of health, the demand for and supply of health care, the market for health care providers,
health insurance, public and private, the role of health insurance in the labour market, whether not having to provide comprehensive
health insurance to their workers gives Canadian firms an edge over their American competitors, workplace health risks and
their effects on working conditions and salaries, workplace wellness programs and their evaluation, and the analysis of the
cost effectiveness of health interventions.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*2310, (ECON*2740 or STAT*2040)
|
| ECON*3460 Introduction to Finance F (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course examines some important principles of the theory of finance which underlie investment (capital budgeting) and
associated financing decisions of financial managers. These decisions are necessarily interdependent and typically carried
out under conditions of uncertainty regarding the future values of key economic variables, for example, cash flows. Problems,
illustrations and short case studies are used to demonstrate how finance theory can be applied and assist financial managers
to make optimal decisions. (Not open to B.Comm. MEIF or MEIF:C students.)
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*1050, ECON*1100, (1 of ECON*2740, PSYC*2010, STAT*2060, STAT*2080)
|
| Restriction(s): |
For B.Comm. students only. But, B.Comm.(MEIF) not allowed to take this course. |
| ECON*3500 Urban Economics U (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course is designed to apply the basic principles of intermediate economic theory to problems facing urban areas with
emphasis on Canada. Topics to be covered will include such things as housing, urban poverty, municipal financing, transportation.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*2310 |
| ECON*3530 Industrial Organization U (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course examines industries in which firms have the potential to exercise market power. Topics include how the competitive
environment affects the behaviour of firms, measuring the extent of market power on welfare. The performance of markets under
monopolies, dominant firms, cartels and oligopolies is examined and related aspects of Canadian competition policy and regulations
are discussed.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*2310, (ECON*2770 or MATH*1210)
|
| ECON*3560 Theory of Finance F,W (3-0) [0.50] |
| Capital budgeting and long-term finance and investment decisions by firms and individuals. Introduction to capital asset pricing
under uncertainty and to concept of efficient markets. Major emphasis is on corporate finance. (Also offered through distance
education format.)
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*2310, (1 of ECON*2740, PSYC*2010, STAT*2040, STAT*2050, STAT*2060, STAT*2080, STAT*2090, STAT*2100, STAT*2120)
|
| ECON*3580 Economics of Regulation U (3-0) [0.50] |
| A study of the economic reasons for government intervention in the marketplace. Emphasis will be placed on the role of crown
corporations, regulatory agencies, regulation rules and public sector price-setting in the Canadian economy.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*2310 |
| ECON*3610 Public Economics U (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course examines the interventionist role of government in the economy. It examines several sources of market failure
which are used to justify government intervention. These include public goods, externalities and redistribution. The course
also evaluates alternative sources of government revenue from the perspectives of both equity and efficiency. These include
the personal and corporate income taxes, sales taxes and wealth taxes.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*2310 |
| ECON*3620 International Trade U (3-0) [0.50] |
| An introduction to the general equilibrium analysis of international trade, international factor movements and commercial
policy. Special emphasis is given to Canada's international trade relationships.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*2310 |
| ECON*3720 History of the World Economy Since 1850 U (3-0) [0.50] |
| Study of the evolution of the world economy since 1850. Topics may include the costs and benefits of empire to Britain, Anglo-German
trade rivalry, the rise to prominence of "settler colonies", economic growth in the Third World, reparations and war debt,
agricultural overproduction, origins of the Great Depression, the 1945-1973 boom in world production and trade.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*1050, ECON*1100, (1 of ECON*2310, EURO*2070, HIST*2450, HUMN*2070, IDEV*2010)
|
| ECON*3730 Europe and the World Economy to 1914 U (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course surveys the world economy with a particular focus on the industrial revolution in Europe, demographic change,
the rise to prominence of the 'settler colonies', the origins of international inequality and the experience of globalization
during the later nineteenth century. Particular attention is given to international trade, capital flows and migration.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*1050, ECON*1100, (1 of ECON*2310, EURO*2070, HIST*2450, HUMN*2070, IDEV*2010)
|
| ECON*3740 Introduction to Econometrics F,W (3-1) [0.50] |
| This computer-based course involves the specification and estimation of economic models and the testing of economic hypotheses
using appropriate test statistics. Topics include the summation operator, expectation operator, ordinary least squares estimation,
dummy variables, seasonality, multicollinearity, heteroskedasticity, autocorrelation, data sources (including uses of the
Data Resource Centre). Additional topics may be included at the instructor's discretion. Heavy emphasis will be placed on
applications and writing up results. Some use of spreadsheet software (e.g. QuattroPro, Excel) and statistical software (e.g.
TSP, SHAZAM) will be required.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*2310, ECON*2410, (ECON*2740 or STAT*2040),, (ECON*2770 or MATH*1210)
|
| ECON*3760 Fundamentals of Derivatives W (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course covers the fundamentals of derivatives with emphasis on theory and empirical applicatons in the context of corporate
price risk management. Issues of corporate governance and business ethics as they relate to price risk management will be
considered.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*3460 or ECON*3560 |
| Equate(s): |
AGEC*4240 This course is restricted to B.Comm. students.
|
| ECON*4400 Economics of Organizations and Corporate Governance U (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course introduces students to the latest developments in the economic analysis of the inside workings of firms. The course
is centered on the concept of organizational structure, which is made up of three variables: allocation of decision rights,
performance evaluation and performance incentives. The course tries to explain the diversity of economic organizations, and
more generally, why economic activity is sometimes carried out through firms and sometimes through markets. (Offered through
Distance Education only.)
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*2310 Students must have completed a minimum of 12 credits.
|
| ECON*4500 Topics in Urban Economics U (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course will investigate selected theoretical and applied topics in urban economics in depth. Among topics which might
be treated are location theory, the theory of spatial structure, transportation economics, the economics of housing, the economics
of land use regulation, urban public finance.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*3710, ECON*3740 |
| ECON*4640 Applied Econometrics I F (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course discusses the classical linear regression model and its extensions including generalized least squares and the
theory and application of F tests. The maximum likelihood principle is introduced, as are alternative approaches to testing,
e.g. LM, LR and Wald tests. Additional topics may be included at the instructor's discretion. Matrix algebra is used and proof
of the Gauss-Markov theorem is included, but discussion of proofs is in general limited in order to allow substantial applications
to data using statistical software such as TSP, SHAZAM, SAS, STATA.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*3740 |
| Equate(s): |
ECON*4740 |
| ECON*4660 Financial Markets Risk Management U (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course covers the advanced theory and applications of financial derivatives (for underlying assets such as equity and
debt instruments, and exchange rate instruments) as it relates to the financial strategy of the firm. Specific emphasis will
be devoted to the development of a comprehensive and coherent set of risk management policies and controls.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
AGEC*4240 or ECON*3760 |
| Restriction(s): |
Restricted to B.Comm. students. |
| ECON*4750 Topics in Public Economics U (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course examines selected topics related to the expenditure and taxation functions of government. Topics may include issues
in public good theory such as the free rider problem, the problem of eliciting truthful revelation of preferences and the
use of taxes as a corrective device for externalities. The course may also address optimal taxation as well as tax evasion.
Throughout this course the trade-off between efficiency and equity is emphasized.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*3710 |
| ECON*4780 Topics in Industrial Organization U (3-0) [0.50] |
| Selected topics in the theoretical and empirical study of the organization and performance of firms and markets. Topics may
include: strategic behaviour of firms such as actions to deter entry of rivals, pre-emptive choice of location and product
quality, and research and development; the regulation of firms under uncertainty; econometric analysis of the use of market
power; and modern advances in the theory of the firm.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*3530, ECON*3710, ECON*3740, (ECON*3100 or ECON*3770)
|
| ECON*4800 Theory of Strategic Management U (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course is about the creation and maintenance of long-term vision for the corporation from the perspective of the general
manager. It is concerned with both the determination of strategic direction and the management of the strategic process. ECON*4800 may not be counted as a 4000 level economics course for purposes of satisfying the minimum 4000 level economics course requirements
in the B.A. Honours Economics or B.A. Management Economics programs.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
(AGEC*3320 or BUS*3320), ECON*2740. Completion of semester 5.
|
| ECON*4840 Applied Econometrics II W (3-0) [0.50] |
| This is a continuation of ECON*4640 and deals with asymptotic theory, maximum likelihood estimation, instrumental variables, simultaneous equation models and
selected topics such as models for limited dependent variables, models for panel data, ARCH models, units roots and error
correction models. There will be applications to data using statistical software.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*4640 |
| ECON*4900 Special Study in Economics S,F,W (3-0) [0.50] |
| The special study option is designed to provide senior undergraduate students with an opportunity to pursue an independent
course of study. The subject matter will be related to regular 4000 level courses. Students will be required to submit a major
paper/report on the subject matter studied. Formal agreement between the student and instructor of the course is required
as well as the approval of the department chair or designate. One only of ECON*4900/ECON*4910 may count as one of the required minimum number of 4000 level economics courses in the B.A. programs.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*3600, ECON*3710, ECON*3740 |
| ECON*4940 Model Building and Economic Analysis U (3-0) [0.50] |
| Progress in economic theory is increasingly made by studying the properties of small artificial economies or competitive general
equilibrium models. This course examines the construction of competitive general equilibrium models and outlines the computational
techniques required to solve them. These models may be used to study a range of subject areas, including topics in macroeconomics
with a particular emphasis on business cycle analysis or the economics of the environment. The subject areas will vary from
year to year and are chosen at the instructor's discretion.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
ECON*3740 |
| ECON*4950 Applied Economics Research Project W (3-0) [0.50] |
| Students plan, develop and conduct a research project under individual faculty supervision and structured co-ordination. The
supervisor is a faculty member with expertise in the area being investigated. The co-ordinator is a faculty member who leads
group sessions on research project objectives, expectations, potential topics, data sources, available software and other
relevant issues. Students will also present proposals, progress reports and final products in this group setting.
|
| Restriction(s): |
Students registered in the B.A. Applied Economics program. Students must have completed 17.0 credits. |
