ECON 288 - Supervised Study Abroad

Credits: 4
Planned Offering: Spring

Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102, instructor(s) consent, and other prerequisites as specified. For advanced students, the course covers a topic of current interest for which foreign travel provides a unique opportunity for significantly greater understanding. Emphasis and location changes from year to year and is announced each year, well in advance of registration. Likely destinations are Europe, Latin America, Africa, or Asia. This course may not be repeated.

Spring 2012 Topics:

ECON 288A: Supervised Study Abroad (Belize): Economics of Tropical Coastal Seascapes (4). Prerequisite: ECON 101. This course entails the application of microeconomic analysis to coastal environmental problems and explores the underlying economic basis for the formation of coastal and marine policies, using an interdisciplinary perspective coupled with formal economic analysis throughout. Economic theories of firm and individual behavior are used to develop formal models of coastal development, environmental valuation, fish population dynamics, and the ecological services provided by coastal ecosystems. These formal models provide insights into questions related to: the sustainability of marine resources given commercial and recreational demands; the optimal amount of protected marine areas; the ideal amount of coastal development; and the link between land use-water quality-and marine populations. Class meetings are devoted to reading and discussing articles from journals with a marine or environmental focus. Upon completion of this course, students are able to critically evaluate journal articles and conduct rudimentary economic analyses of coastal and marine policy. Casey.

ECON 288B: Supervised Study Abroad (Ghana): African Economic Development (4). Prerequisite: ECON 101. This course is tightly linked to POL 288. It presents students with an intensive introduction to economic development in sub-Saharan Africa, with an emphasis on Ghana as a case study, beginning with building a firm theoretical basis for students to understand the economics of development and including issues facing developing countries today. Students review the classic theoretical models of economic development and then move on to present contemporary models of economic development. We discuss the importance of health and education in economics development, especially the importance of educating girls and the potential importance of adult literacy programs in economic development in Ghana. While some of this addresses historical experiences, a major focus is on future challenges and opportunities. Readings are from the Todaro-Smith textbook and selected articles, again mostly with a focus on Ghana. Blunch.