2021-2022 University Catalog 
    
    May 15, 2024  
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2021-2022 University Catalog archived

Course Descriptions

 

Dance
  

  • DANC 422 - Directed Independent Research


    Credits: 2
    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Students will enrich their academic experience by pursuing advanced study in a specialized area of dance. Permission to undertake directed individual research is a privilege granted to students who have demonstrated their ability to work with little supervision. The student wishing to undertake the class must develop a three- to five-page written proposal that includes the problem or issue to be addressed, an outline of the proposed methodology to be used in executing the research, and a statement of the intended outcome with a schedule for completing it. Student must secure approval for the research by the faculty advisor of the project. May be repeated for credit. Staff.
  

  • DANC 423 - Directed Independent Research


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Students will enrich their academic experience by pursuing advanced study in a specialized area of dance. Permission to undertake directed individual research is a privilege granted to students who have demonstrated their ability to work with little supervision. The student wishing to undertake the class must develop a three- to five-page written proposal that includes the problem or issue to be addressed, an outline of the proposed methodology to be used in executing the research, and a statement of the intended outcome with a schedule for completing it. Student must secure approval for the research by the faculty advisor of the project. May be repeated for credit. Staff.
  

  • FILM 403 - Directed Individual Study


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Students enrich their academic experience by undertaking a performance project. Students must demonstrate ability to work with little supervision and must develop a written proposal defining the issue to be addressed, an outline of the proposed methodology, and a statement of the intended outcome with a schedule for completion. The project must include written, historical, and practical components, and permission must be secured in advance of registration. May be repeated for up to 12 credits.



Data Science
  

  • DS 395 - Special Topics in Data Science


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Exploration of a topic in data science, where students craft testable research questions and retrieve an appropriate data set to answer those research questions. Includes training in some aspect of data science and incorporates extensive independent student work, with individual projects being the key product of that work, synthesizing what you have learned in the data science minor and demonstrating mastery of core data-science skills. Topics may include causal inference for data science with directed acyclic graphs (DAGs); analysis of spatial data; or multilevel models. Data Science faculty. Offered periodically depending on faculty availability and expertise and student interest.

    Winter 2022, DS 395A-01: Special Topics in Data Science: Statistics & Medicine, How a Vaccine is Born (3). Covid-19 has changed life as we know it for everyone on the planet. While we are still in the clutches of this deadly, global pandemic, we recently received a ray of medical hope in the form of several vaccines. How are vaccines developed? What are the statistical methods used to analyze their effectiveness? What can history tell us about the ethics, efficacy and quality of vaccines and their distribution? How do the current available Covid-19 vaccines compare to one another? This course will attempt to answer these questions using data science skills. Prince Nelson. Data Science faculty.
  

  • DS 399 - Data Science Capstone


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. In this course, students have the opportunity to identify a topic of interest, craft testable research questions, and retrieve an appropriate data set to answer those research questions. Students’ primary goal is to synthesize what you have learned in the data science minor and demonstrate mastery of core data-science skills. Data Science faculty.
  

  • DS 401 - Directed Individual Study


    Credits: 1
    To be taken during the fall or winter term of the senior year. Under the guidance of faculty in the data-science program, the student produces a digital portfolio (required for the minor) of coursework, research, and non-curricular activities in data science that demonstrates the student’s mastery of data science. Students receive instruction in best practices and expected requirements but have considerable freedom in designing their portfolios. It is expected that the student works independently each week on producing the portfolio. Data Science faculty.

Digital Culture & Information
  

  • DCI 100 - Introduction to Critical Data Science


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite or corequisite: MATH 101 or equivalent and instructor consent. Open to students from any class year or academic discipline. No coding experience is required. An introduction to the methods of data science, including visualization, manipulation, programming, and modeling. Data plays a central and important role in scholarship, in research, and in modern society. Data science is a collection of analytical and computational methods to enable insight, understanding, and predictions to be drawn from data. Students gain inspiration and confidence to apply the tools and methods of data science in numerous ways, by exposure to theory and application of data science tools and methods that are useful for studying problems in the social sciences, environmental science, psychology, medicine, ecology, chemistry, physics, and other disciplines. This course is taught fully online through both real-time (synchronous) and asynchronous delivery, with faculty of LACOL-affiliated colleges. W&L faculty: Khalifa, Toporikova.
  

  • DCI 102 - Data in the Humanities


    FDR: SC
    Credits: 3
    This course introduces students to the creation and visualization of data in humanities research. The course is predicated on the fact that the digital turn of the last several decades has drastically changed the nature of knowledge production and distribution. The community and set of practices that is digital humanities (DH) encourages fluency in media beyond the printed word such as text mining, digital curation, data visualization, and spatial analysis. Readings and discussions of theory complement hands-on application of digital methods and computational thinking. While the objects of our study come primarily from the humanities, the methods of analysis are widely applicable to the social and natural sciences. Three unit-long collaborative projects explore the creation, structure, and visualization of humanities data. This course meets in two-hour blocks to accommodate a lab component. Brooks.
  

  • DCI 103 - Digital Humanities: Social Justice Collections and Liberal Arts Curricula


    Credits: 3
    Through a unique collaboration between ten peer colleges, this course uses college archives and collections, and curricular data, as a multi-campus corpus to be interrogated as a basis for historically and socially relevant digital research. Students will apply different lenses - history, language, culture, religion, solo/ensemble works of art, “digital making” to formulate and address a research question through digital means. This course is taught fully online through both real-time (synchronous) and asynchronous delivery, with faculty of LACOL-affiliated colleges. W&L Faculty: Brooks.
  

  • DCI 108 - Communication Through the Web


    Credits: 3
    Although the World Wide Web is nearly 30 years old, the medium is in its relative infancy. and we are still learning how to use it to communicate effectively. This course takes a liberal arts approach to Web design and development by clearly defining the message that is being sent; determining the audience to whom the message should reach; shaping the message for the medium; designing a website with suitable coherent structure, text, and multimedia content; planning to allow access to the site for those other than fully capable visitors; use of HTML and CSS; and soliciting feedback for making changes and improvements. Mickel.
  

  • DCI 110 - Web Programming for Non-Programmers


    FDR: SC
    Credits: 4
    Prerequisite: No prior programming experience is needed, but a desire to learn and to be challenged is a must. Computer science and IT graduates are no longer the only people expected to have some knowledge of how to program. Humanities and social science majors can greatly increase their job prospects by understanding the fundamentals of writing computer code, not only through the ability itself but also being better able to communicate with programming professionals and comprehending the software development and design process as a whole. The most centralized and simple platform for learning is the Web. This course starts with a brief introduction to/review of HTML and CSS and then focuses on using JavaScript to write basic code and implement preexisting libraries to analyze and visualize data. Students become familiar with building a complete Web page that showcases all three languages. Mickel.
  

  • DCI 175 - Innovations in Publishing


    Credits: 4
    An intensive introduction to the publishing industry with a focus on digital innovations. A hands-on approach in a series of four laboratory sessions provides students with the ability to tackle a variety of technical scenarios for publishing. Each class begins with news from the publishing industry and ends by examining job ads to understand the types of skills and experiences necessary for pursuing careers in this very broad field. This course focuses primarily on the publishing of video games.  Barry.
  

  • DCI 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar


    Credits: 3
    First-year seminar. Prerequisite: First-Year class standing. A seminar for first-year students. Applicability to FDRs and other requirements varies.

    Winter 2022, DCI 180-01: FS: First-Year Seminar: Every Map Tells a Story (3). First-year Seminar. Prerequisite: First-year class standing only. Place-based technologies permeate our lives, from the location services on our smartphones to the spatial-decision support systems that guide applications in areas such as disaster management, health care and public health, digital humanities, resource and water management, urban and regional planning, sustainability, and business analytics. This class will investigate the power of maps and spatial data to document and illustrate local and global issues. Learn how to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to explore the world around you and share ideas. Apply GIS principles and tools to create your own maps and tell your own stories. Tombarge.

    Fall 2021, DCI 180-01: FS: First-Year Seminar: Every Map Tells a Story (3). First-year Seminar. Prerequisite: First-year class standing only. Place-based technologies permeate our lives, from the location services on our smartphones to the spatial-decision support systems that guide applications in areas such as disaster management, health care and public health, digital humanities, resource and water management, urban and regional planning, sustainability, and business analytics. This class will investigate the power of maps and spatial data to document and illustrate local and global issues. Learn how to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to explore the world around you and share ideas. Apply GIS principles and tools to create your own maps and tell your own stories. Tombarge.


  

  • DCI 190 - Digital Culture and Information Studio


    Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
    Credits: 1
    This course examines the research questions that guide digital humanities methodology, reviews exemplary scholarly projects on the topic at hand, and offers significant hands-on experience exploring relevant tools. May be repeated for up to three degree credits if the topics are different.


  

  • DCI 191 - Conventions of Scholarship: Past, Present, and Future


    Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
    Credits: 1
    What is scholarship? Who controls it? Who is left out of scholarly conversations? In the first six weeks of this course, students will explore how various information stakeholders define scholarship, from academics to government bodies. We will primarily explore how academic inquiry differs from personal inquiry; what conventions people observe within the social sciences, humanities, fine arts, and STEM; and the problem of gatekeeping in academic scholarship, and how certain populations are marginalized. Students will learn how to identify quality scholarship, while remembering that quality is subjective and fluid. The second half of the course will leave behind the classroom in favor of an experiential learning lab in the University Library. Students will help their peers not only find information and scholarship to satisfy their own academic inquiry, but will also learn how libraries organize that material and make it discoverable.  Abdoney.
  

  • DCI 201 - Digital Collections and Exhibits


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: Completion of the FDR FW writing requirement. Students explore W&L’s history through primary sources in Special Collections and Archives to develop a public-facing online collection of materials and a narrative exhibit. This course teaches students how to plan and implemeAnt a digital collection and exhibit from the initial concept through the final project. Kiser.
  

  • DCI 202 - Introduction to Data Science


    FDR: FM
    Credits: 3
    Not open to students with credit for ECON 202 or INTR 202. Foundation in introductory statistics and data science which enables students to understand and participate in introductory data-science projects. The course starts with an introduction to the concepts of data science and its use in today’s society. Students are exposed to a survey of the basics of statistics and probability theory; tackle the basics of regression analysis, learn a multitude of data manipulation and visualization techniques; and are introduced to programming in R. Khalifa.
  

  • DCI 270 - 21st-Century Show and Tell: Multimedia Design for Instruction


    Credits: 3
    E-learning provides a method to convey instruction for concepts and skills that require minimal to moderate explanation and nuance. It can serve as a primer for information that a wide audience needs to know prior to diving deeper into a topic or as a refresher for knowledge that can be accessed anytime and anywhere an Internet connection is available. Students learn core instructional-design theories and to use instructional technology to develop a learning module in the context of an academic library. They design the course from scratch following industry-standard principles using tools that aid in wire-framing, scriptwriting, asset collection, and module construction. Mickel.
  

  • DCI 271 - New Dark Age


    Credits: 3
    Are we living in a “New Dark Age”? Artist and writer James Bridle argues that the abundance of information intended to enlighten the world has, in practice, darkened it. This course takes a big-picture look at the interconnected impact of technology on the world around us. Is it enough to learn to code or think computationally? Through research, hands-on assignments, and local trips, we seek to understand what has led to our present technological moment and where we can go from here. We cover topics such as climate change, e-waste, big data, algorithmic bias, and automation. Brooks.
  

  • DCI 275 - Immersive Digital Culture Experience: Tech and Networking in Austin, Texas


    Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
    Credits: 4
    Prerequisite: Instructor consent required. Demonstrated experience in HTML and CSS through Winter 2020’s DCI 190-02 or completion of DCI 108, DCI 110 or JOUR 341. Experiential Learning. An exploration of the world of technology startups on site in the technology hub of Austin, TX. Students in this immersive and intensive exploration gain exploratory experience in the working world. They build both technical skills (software for prototyping, HTML/CSS, product management) and interpersonal skills (presentation, teamwork, , networking) in a heavily team-focused and project-based environment. Students learn a rigorous customer-focus and design-thinking approach to produce creative solutions for a real company. Students leave speaking the language of a technology company and with valuable connection with technology professionals. Mentorship to develop professional skills and personal presentation is a significant component. Mickel.
  

  • DCI 295 - Topics in Digital Culture and Information


    Credits: 3
    Study of a selected topic focusing on digital culture, digital information, or both. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.


  

  • DCI 393 - Creating Digital Scholarship Seminar


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: Either junior or senior standing and one course chosen from DCI 102, 108, 110 or instructor consent. This seminar provides students with the skills, theoretical background, and methodological support to transform a work of traditional scholarship within an academic discipline into a public-facing work of digital scholarship. Students decide on a digital project in consultation with classmates and the instructor. Students survey and analyze examples of digital scholarship to determine what form each student’s project should take. Brooks, Bufkin.
  

  • DCI 401 - Directed Individual Study


    Credits: 1
    Prerequisite: DCI 102 or DCI 108 or instructor consent; at least junior standing. A course designed for students who wish to undertake a digital scholarship project of their own conception and execution. Applications must be approved by the department and accepted by the student’s proposed director. In consultation with a director, students plan an independent course of study which must culminate in the production of a work of public-facing digital scholarship. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Staff.
  

  • DCI 402 - Directed Individual Study


    Credits: 2
    Prerequisite: DCI 102 or DCI 108 or instructor consent; at least junior standing. A course designed for students who wish to undertake a digital scholarship project of their own conception and execution. Applications must be approved by the department and accepted by the student’s proposed director. In consultation with a director, students plan an independent course of study which must culminate in the production of a work of public-facing digital scholarship. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Staff.
  

  • DCI 403 - Directed Individual Study


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: Either junior or senior standing and one course chosen from DCI 102, 108, 110 or instructor consent. Applications must be approved by the department and accepted by the student’s proposed director. A course designed for students who wish to undertake a digital scholarship project of their own conception and execution. In consultation with a director, students plan an independent course of study which culminates in the production of a work of public-facing digital scholarship. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Staff.

East Asian Languages and Literatures
  

  • EALL 175 - Cool Japan: Manga, Business Etiquette, Language, and Culture


    FDR: HU
    Credits: 3
    Taught in English, this course examines a variety of visual artifacts such as manga, anime, and unique social phenomena, observable in current Japan through reading materials and discussions, to understand Japanese culture and society. Students learn the visually beautiful writing system of Japanese and onomatopoeia, which is used extensively in Japanese manga. Through hands-on experiences, students gain a deeper understanding and multicultural perspective of the culture and society of Japan. Naito.
  

  • EALL 180 - FS: Multiple Perspective of Japan: Literature, Film, Culture and Language


    Credits: 4
    First-Year Seminar. Prerequisite: First-Year class standing only. Limited to 15 students, these seminars are reading- and discussion-based with an emphasis on papers, projects, studio work, or hands-on field experience rather than exams. Today Japan is known for its vibrant visual culture of anime and manga, exportation of commodities such as J-Horror and J-Pop, exquisite slow-food culture, and reverence for traditional values of beauty and honor. This course is an introductory seminar to understanding Japan from a multiple of perspectives, which include examination of literature, film, culture, and language. Ikeda.
  

  • EALL 215 - East Asian Cinema


    FDR: HA
    Credits: 4
    This course provides an introduction to and overview of contemporary East Asian cinema, including the Chinese-language cinemas of the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and those of Japan and Korea. It focuses on the flourishing cinema of East Asia since the 1980s and provides a solid foundation in the successes and dominant tendencies of contemporary East Asian cinema and culture. Among the aims of the course are examining ways in which the contemporary East Asian cinemas and cultures are in dialogue with one another and looking at specific conditions and cultural forces at work in each unique case. The course also explores how the cinemas of East Asia reflect the changing cultural, economic, historical, political and social conditions of each country and how these cinemas and cultures are part of a larger redefinition of the idea of a national culture. Screenings and readings consist of exemplary works from each East Asian culture, organized around specific motifs, such as history, memory, identity, communication, love, and death. Zhu.
  

  • EALL 399 - Capstone Project


    Credits: 1
    Prerequisite or corequisite: CHIN 312 or JAPN 312. Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. A translation project required of all EALL majors typically done during their senior year, preferably while taking Chinese 312/Japanese 312. The appropriate faculty member assigns a literary piece to be translated (not poetry), written in the modern language. The project results in a final translation of at least 2,500 words. Staff.
  

  • EALL 493 - Honors Thesis


    Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
    Credits: 3-3
    Prerequisites: Senior standing, honors candidacy, major in East Asian Languages and Literatures, and instructor consent. Honors Thesis. Staff.

East Asian Studies
  

  • EAS 391 - Senior Capstone in East Asian Studies


    Credits: 1
    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Weekly seminar in East Asian studies that focuses on research tools and methodology. Students develop and present to the group their capstone proposals. Additional presentations by East Asian Studies faculty and guest speakers. Staff.
  

  • EAS 393 - Senior Capstone in East Asian Studies


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: EAS 391 and instructor consent. Capstone project. Weekly seminar, focusing on the completion of the capstone project, including a formal presentation of the finished project to East Asian Studies faculty and students. Staff.
  

  • EAS 401 - Directed Individual Study


    Credits: 1
    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Directed Individual Study.


  

  • EAS 403 - Directed Individual Study


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Directed Individual Study.



Economics
  

  • ECON 100 - Introduction to Economics


    FDR: SS1
    Credits: 3
    Open only to students who have not taken ECON 101 and/or ECON 102. No retakes allowed. Economics is the study of how a society (individuals, firms, and governments) allocates scarce resources. The course includes a survey of the fundamental principles used to approach microeconomic questions of consumer behavior, firm behavior, market outcomes, market structure, and microeconomic policy, and macroeconomic questions of performance of the aggregate economy, including unemployment, inflation, growth, and monetary and fiscal policies. Staff.
  

  • ECON 101 - Principles of Microeconomics


    FDR: SS1
    Credits: 3
    (No longer offered. See ECON 100) Survey of economic principles and problems with emphasis on analysis of consumer behavior, firm behavior, market outcomes, market structure, and microeconomic policy. The first half of a two-term survey of economics. Should be followed by ECON 102. Staff.
  

  • ECON 102 - Principles of Macroeconomics


    FDR: SS1
    Credits: 3
    (No longer offered. See ECON 100) Emphasis on performance of the aggregate economy. Analysis of unemployment, inflation, growth, and monetary and fiscal policies. Staff.
  

  • ECON 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar


    FDR: SS1 (if approved)
    Credits: 3

    First-year seminar. Prerequisite: First-year standing only. Topics vary by term and instructor.

    Fall 2021, ECON 180-01: FS: First-Year Seminar: The 4th Industrial Revolution and the Future of Work and Society (3). Prerequisite: First-year class standing only. This fall, millions of students will head off to start college, eager to understand more about themselves and the world they will work and live in. The technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution - voice and facial recognition, machine learning, and algorithms to guide predictions, all of which fall under the umbrella of artificial intelligence, and industrial robotics - are emerging as defining features of contemporary social and economic life.  This course explores the determinants and socioeconomic impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution through an economic lens, while also embracing and utilizing insights from other disciplines.  The full range of fundamental economic ideas and concepts found in a conventional course on the principles of micro and macroeconomics will be introduced, mastered, and drawn upon to facilitate our exploration.  Indeed, this course meets the requirement for economics courses that have Economics 100 as a pre-requisite.  Students will develop their analysis, writing, and presentation skills through readings, short compositions, essay exams, class discussion, and small group activities. (SS1) Goldsmith and Casey.


  

  • ECON 202 - Statistics for Economics


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: MATH 101. Not open to students with credit for DCI 202 or INTR 202. Fundamentals of probability, statistics, estimation, and hypothesis testing and ending with an introduction to regression analysis. The topics are critical for success in upper-level economics electives and are important for careers that rely on empirical research in the social sciences. Students engage in a dialogue between theory and application and learn to think formally about data, uncertainty, and random processes, while learning hands-on methods to organize and analyze real data using modern statistical software. Staff.
  

  • ECON 203 - Econometrics


    Experiential Learning (EXP): Y
    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: ECON 202 or INTR 202 or consent of instructor or department head. Explorations of regression models that relate a response variable to one or more predictor variables. The course begins with a review of the simple bivariate model used in INTR 202, and moves on to multivariate models. Underlying model assumptions and consequences are discussed. Advanced topics include non-linear regression and forecasting. Examples in each class are drawn from a number of disciplines. The course emphasizes the use of data and student-directed research. Anderson, Blunch.
  

  • ECON 210 - Microeconomic Theory


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: ECON 100 or 101, and MATH 101. Contemporary theory relating to consumer behavior, the firm’s optimizing behavior, the nature of competition in various types of markets and market equilibrium over time. Recommended for economics majors not later than their junior year. Grajzl, Guse.
  

  • ECON 211 - Macroeconomic Theory


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: ECON 100 or both ECON 101 and 102, or instructor consent. This course develops the classical macroeconomic framework and uses this to explore the causes and consequences of economic growth, inflation, output, and employment. This same exercise is conducted using alternative theoretical frameworks, including those associated with Keynes, Monetarists, and New Classical thinkers. Emphasis is placed on investigating the impact and effectiveness of monetary and fiscal policy under each of the theoretical paradigms or schools of thought developed. Davies, Goldsmith.
  

  • ECON 215 - Money and Banking


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: ECON 100 or both ECON 101 and 102; and junior or senior standing, or instructor consent. A study of the fundamental principles of money, credit, and banking in the United States. Emphasis is on modern conditions and problems, with particular attention to the validity of monetary and banking theory in the present domestic and international situation. Hooks.
  

  • ECON 222 - Current Public Policy Debates


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: ECON 100 or 101, or instructor consent. The course is an applied public finance and policy course that focuses on current policy debates. While the topics are updated with each offering, students in this course examine options for replacing the Affordable Care Act, analyze whether the country should adopt a universal voucher program for K-12, discuss containing the cost of college, and explore options for securing the long-term financial stability of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. We use economic theory to frame the each of the policy questions. Students conduct additional research on each of the topics, debate topics, and author policy opinion papers. Diette.
  

  • ECON 229 - Urban Economics


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: ECON 100 or 101. A study of the economics of cities. Students discuss why cities exist, what determines city growth, and how firms make city location decisions. We then shift our focus to within-city location decisions, and we discuss land-use patterns, housing, and neighborhoods. Our discussion of housing and neighborhoods focus on a number of issues related to urban poverty, including the effects of segregation and housing policies on the poor. Shester.
  

  • ECON 230 - Labor Economics


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: ECON 100 or both ECON 101 and 102.  This course addresses how labor markets and institutions allocate labor and determine earnings and the distribution of income in the United States. Economic models are used to explain labor market outcomes generated by our economy. Where such outcomes are deemed less than socially optimal, these models are used to evaluate prospective and current labor market policies intended to address these shortcomings. Some attention is given to comparing American labor market outcomes with those in other developed countries. Handy, Kaiser.
  

  • ECON 231 - The Economics of Race


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: ECON 100. A critical examination of the causes and consequences of racial disparities in valued life-course outcomes in America. More than 50 years have elapsed since the passage of civil-rights and equal-employment-opportunity legislation in the U.S. Nevertheless, racial gaps persist – with blacks lagging whites – on most socioeconomic indicators. The course is divided into four parts: (1) an introduction to the biological and social construction of race; (2) theories to explain racial disparities; (3) an examination of racial disparity in such realms as education, health, wealth, wages, and unemployment; and (4) policies to address racial disparities. In each section of the course, students explore relevant issues through assigned readings, films, and classroom discussion. We foster the development and use of critical thinking, effective writing, and oral presentation skills. Student evaluation is based on classroom participation, an examination of concepts discussed, film commentaries, and a term paper.  Goldsmith.
  

  • ECON 234 - Urban Education: Poverty, Ethnicity and Policy


    Credits: 4
    Prerequisite: ECON 100 or 101 and instructor consent. Not open to students with credit for EDUC 369. Students explore the determinants of education achievement and attainment in urban education through three weeks of fieldwork in schools in the Richmond area (Monday through Thursday each week) and seminar meetings in Lexington. Students observe and work to understand critical components of teaching and learning in the urban classroom. The readings and experience challenge students to consider factors including early childhood development, the role of the family, school finance, teachers, and curriculum. The students then evaluate the current policy proposals for school reform in the United States such as teacher merit pay, charter schools, and student accountability. In addition, students develop and present their own policy proposal for improving public schools. Housing is provided through alumni in Richmond. Diette.
  

  • ECON 235 - The Economics of Social Issues


    Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: ECON 100 or 101. This seminar is based on readings that set out hypotheses developed by economists and other social scientists regarding the causes and consequences of a wide range of social problems. Evidence examining the validity of these hypotheses is scrutinized and evaluated. The course is writing intensive and interdisciplinary since readings are drawn from a wide variety of fields. Topics discussed include, but are not limited to, poverty, education, health, crime, race, ethnicity, immigration, and fiscal matters. Goldsmith.
  

  • ECON 236 - Economics of Education


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: ECON 100 or 101, or instructor consent. Investigation of the role of education on outcomes for both nations and individuals. Understanding of the factors in the education production function. Emphasis on the challenges of pre-K-12 education in the United States; secondary coverage of postsecondary education. Analysis of the effect of existing policies and potential reforms on the achievement and opportunities available to poor and minority students. Naven.
  

  • ECON 237 - Health Economics


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: ECON 100 or 101. An overview of the determinants of health using standard microeconomic models to analyze individual behavior, markets, institutions, and policies that influence health and health care. The primary focus of the course is the United States but also includes comparisons to health systems in other developed countries and very limited coverage of developing countries. Particular emphasis is given to challenges faced by disadvantaged groups. The course includes an optional service-learning component with placements involving health issues and/or health care services in Rockbridge County. Diette.
  

  • ECON 239 - Exploring Childhood in Scandinavia: Comparing Policies and Practices to the U.S.


    (EDUC 239)
    Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
    Credits: 4
    Prerequisite: ECON 100 or 101. Study Abroad Course.An exploration of childhood in Scandinavia and the United States. Students spend one week in the U.S. and three weeks in Denmark, Sweden, and/or Finland. Students have experiences inside schools, daycare facilities, and preschools in both economically advantaged and disadvantaged areas and speak with administrators and policymakers. With additional readings focusing on education policy and broader family policy in each country, students engage in discussions and reflections on the relative strengths and weaknesses of policies in each country. Diette, Sigler.
  

  • ECON 241 - Economics of War and Peace


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: ECON 100 or ECON 101. Preference to ECON majors during the first round of registration. Other majors are encouraged to add to the waiting list after registration re-opens for all class years. In this course. we will look at the economic conditions and behaviors during periods of conflict. As such. the focus of the course is to develop a theoretical understanding of how human interaction can be modeled to study both peace and violent outcomes. To do so, we will view individuals’ decision to be engaged in conflict as a rational choice. This viewpoint allows us to use economic principles to study individual behavior, design policies to alter those behaviors, and assess economic losses due to conflict. The topics covered in this class range from civil wars and genocide to international terrorism. Silwal.
  

  • ECON 246 - Caste at the Intersection of Economy, Religion, and Law


    (REL 246) FDR: SS4
    Experiential Learning (EXP): YES
    Credits: 4
    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. ECON 100 or 101 required only for credit as an elective in the Economics major. Social stratification touches every aspect of life, and South Asia’s traditional caste structure is a special case: this highly complex, strictly-adhered-to system has been religiously legitimized and criticized over a 3,000-year history, and is nowadays seen as being at odds with the modern world. Yet it remains a crucial factor in social identity, economic roles, legal status, and religious practice. This course offers a 360-degree survey of caste both historically and in practice today in Nepal. The course addresses four themes, respectively providing for each a combination of historical background, social scientific analysis of the modern situation, and direct field experience for the students. Silwal, Lubin.
  

  • ECON 250 - Public Finance and Public Policy


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: ECON 100 or both ECON 101 and 102. Public choices and the public economy. An inquiry into how the references of individuals and groups are translated into public sector economic activity. The nature of public activity and public choice institutions. The question of social balance. The effects of government expenditures and taxes on the economic behavior of individuals and firms. Naven.
  

  • ECON 251 - Women in the Economy


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: ECON 100 or 101. Preference to ECON majors during the first round of registration. Other majors are encouraged to add to the waiting list after registration re-opens for all class years. Students explore how economic theory and analysis can be applied to examine the multiple roles that women play in our society. In particular, we examine linkages and changes in women’s human capital, marriage, fertility, family structure, and occupation and labor supply decisions in the post-World War II era. We also investigate the magnitude and causes of the gender wage gap. We assess how much of the gender wage gap can be explained by education and occupational choice, and how much appears to be due to discrimination. We also learn about {and try to explain} the differences in labor-market outcomes for women with and without children. Finally, we access the causes and consequences of teenage pregnancy and single motherhood. Shester.
  

  • ECON 255 - Environmental and Natural Resource Economics


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: ECON 100 or ECON 101. The course serves as an introduction to environmental and natural resource economics. Economic principles are used to evaluate public and private decision making involving the management and use of environmental and natural resources. Aspects pertaining to fisheries, forests, species diversity, agriculture, and various policies to reduce air, water and toxic pollution will be discussed. Lectures, reading assignments, discussions and exams will emphasize the use of microeconomic analysis for managing and dealing with environmental and natural resource problems and issues. Casey, Kahn.
  

  • ECON 257 - Economics of the Chesapeake Bay: Agriculture, Recreation, Fisheries and Urban Sprawl


    Credits: 4
    Prerequisite: ECON 100 or 101 or instructor consent. This course examines the causes of, consequences of, and solutions to the environmental problems of the Chesapeake Bay, using economic tools in an interdisciplinary context. The course will spend approximately four days in the Chesapeake Bay area. Students work as a group to develop a plan to recover the Chesapeake Bay to promote its ecological health and the ecological services that it provides for the watershed. Kahn.
  

  • ECON 259 - Supervised Study Abroad: The Environment and Economic Development in Amazonas


    Credits: 4
    Prerequisite: ECON 100, ECON 101 or ENV 110, and instructor consent. Spring Term Abroad course. Amazonas is a huge Brazilian state of 1.5 million sq. kilometers which retains 94 percent of its original forest cover. This course examines the importance of the forest for economic development in both the formal and informal sectors of the economy, and how policies can be develop to promote both environmental protection and an increase in the quality life in both the urban and rural areas of Amazonas. The learning objectives of this course integrate those of the economics and environmental studies majors. Students are asked to use economic tools in an interdisciplinary context to understand the relationships among economic behavior, ecosystems and policy choices. Writing assignments focus on these relationships and look towards the development of executive summary writing skills. Kahn.
  

  • ECON 270 - International Trade


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: ECON 100 or 101. Preference to ECON majors during the first round of registration. Other majors are encouraged to add to the waiting list after registration re-opens for all class years. Specialization of production, the gains from trade, and their distribution, nationally and internationally. Theory of tariffs. Commercial policy from the mercantilist era to the present. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Transnational economic integration: the European Community and other regional blocs. Anderson, Davies.
  

  • ECON 271 - International Finance


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: ECON 100 or both ECON 101 and 102. International monetary arrangements, balance-of-payments adjustment processes, and the mutual dependence of macroeconomic variables and policies in trading nations. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), international investment, and the World Bank. International cooperation for economic stability. Anderson, Davies.
  

  • ECON 274 - China’s Modern Economy


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: ECON 100 or both ECON 101 and 102. Preference to ECON majors during the first round of registration. Other majors are encouraged to add to the waiting list after registration re-opens for all class years. Economic analysis of the Chinese economy in the 20th century. Comparisons of pre- and post-revolutionary periods. Performance and policies of Taiwan and mainland China. Issues include the population problem, industrialization, provision of public health and education, alleviation of poverty and inequality. Microeconomic emphasis. Staff.
  

  • ECON 276 - Health Economics in Developing Countries


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: ECON 100 or 101. A survey of the major issues of health economics. with a focus on developing countries (although the issues are also relevant for developed countries, including the U.S. Economic modeling of health-related issues, supply and demand of health, cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis, health goals, and policy alternatives. Economic epidemiology, including HIV/AIDS. Selected case studies. Group project, where the group selects a developing country for which a policy proposal is then developed for a health-related policy issue of the group’s choice. Blunch.
  

  • ECON 280 - Development Economics


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: ECON 100 or both ECON 101 and 102. Preference to ECON majors during the first round of registration. Other majors are encouraged to add to the waiting list after registration re-opens for all class years. A survey of the major issues of development economics. Economic structure of low-income countries and primary causes for their limited economic growth. Economic goals and policy alternatives. Role of developed countries in the development of poor countries. Selected case studies. Casey, Blunch.
  

  • ECON 281 - Comparative Institutional Economics


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: ECON 100 or 101. Institutions such as laws, the political system, and cultural norms embed all social activity. They structure economic, political, and social interaction and as such play a central role in facilitating (or hindering) economic development. This course’s objective is to explore from a broad perspective how institutions affect economic performance, what the determinants of institutions are, and how institutions evolve. We study examples from the existing capitalist economies, the developing and transition countries, as well as the more distant history. Because the study of institutions is necessarily an interdisciplinary endeavor, the course combines the approach of economics with the insights from law, political science, history, and sociology. Grajzl.
  

  • ECON 282S - African Economic Development


    Credits: 4
    Prerequisite: ECON 100 and instructor consent. Taught by W&L faculty at the University of Cape Coast as part of the W&L in Ghana. This course introduces issues in African economic development, with an emphasis on Ghana as a case study. The course reviews the classic theoretical models of economic development and presents contemporary models of economic development. We discuss the importance of health and education in economic 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 the future challenges and opportunities. As an integral part of the course, students work together to produce a public policy proposal for a specific region in Ghana, of their choice. Throughout the course, we emphasize the importance and relevance of readings for public policy. Blunch.
  

  • ECON 286 - Lakota Land Culture, Economics and History


    (SOAN 286) FDR: SS4
    Credits: 4
    Prerequisite: ECON 100 or 101 or instructor consent. This class focuses on the cultural, economic, and historical dimensions of the Lakotas’ (Titonwan tawapi) ties to their lands as expressed in their pre- and post-reservation lifeways. It includes a 10 day field trip to western South Dakota to visit and meet with people in the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations and the Black Hills. Guse, Markowitz.
  

  • ECON 288 - Supervised Study Abroad


    Credits: 4

    Prerequisites: ECON 100 or both ECON 101 and 102, instructor consent, and other prerequisites as specified by the instructor(s). 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.

     


  

  • ECON 295 - Special Topics in Economics


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: Normally ECON 100 or both ECON 101 and 102 but may vary with topic. Course emphasis and prerequisites change from term to term and are announced prior to preregistration. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. A maximum of nine credits chosen from all special topics in economics courses may be used, with permission of the department head, toward requirements for the economics major.

    Spring 2022, ECON 295C-01: Special Topics in Economics: Introduction to Sustainable Development (3). Prerequisite: ECON 100 or 180. In September 2015, the world/UN adopted a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2015-2030 to replace the Millennium Development Goals when they expired in 2015. These SDGs set targets for reducing poverty, protecting the environment, and increasing equality of opportunity for those who may have had less than equal opportunity in the past - These are the three pillars of Sustainable Development.  The primary objective of this course is to provide an introduction to the concept, theories, and potential outcomes of sustainable development.  In addition to this, we will take a case study approach and look at policies and programs that have aimed to address each of the SDGs.  By the end of the term, you will have been introduced to sustainability through policies addressing oceans, biodiversity, climate, energy, education, social investment and health. Casey.

    Fall 2021, ECON 295A-01: Special Topics in Economics: Economy of Latin America (3). Prerequisite: ECON 100 or both ECON 101 and 102. Why were many Latin American countries, which started with levels of development similar to those of the U.S. and Canada, not able to keep up?  This course reviews the historic and contemporary economic issues and development in the Latin America and Caribbean region. We will start with the policies, both domestic and foreign, undertaken during the colonial and post-Independence periods and see what effects they still have today. Next, we examine the post-WWII period, exploring subjects like the import substitution of the 1970s, the debt crises of the 1980s, and the structural reforms of the 1990s. Finally, we will look at the current state of the region, emphasizing the new macroeconomic challenges and contemporary domestic social problems. Topics discussed include income inequality and poverty, inflation, macroeconomic populism, dollarization, and the more recent debt crises and restructurings. Alvarez.

    Fall 2021, ECON 295A-02: Special Topics in Economics: Economy of Latin America (3). Prerequisite: ECON 100 or both ECON 101 and 102. Why were many Latin American countries, which started with levels of development similar to those of the U.S. and Canada, not able to keep up?  This course reviews the historic and contemporary economic issues and development in the Latin America and Caribbean region. We will start with the policies, both domestic and foreign, undertaken during the colonial and post-Independence periods and see what effects they still have today. Next, we examine the post-WWII period, exploring subjects like the import substitution of the 1970s, the debt crises of the 1980s, and the structural reforms of the 1990s. Finally, we will look at the current state of the region, emphasizing the new macroeconomic challenges and contemporary domestic social problems. Topics discussed include income inequality and poverty, inflation, macroeconomic populism, dollarization, and the more recent debt crises and restructurings. Alvarez.

    Fall 2021, ECON 295B-01: Special Topics in Economics: Behavioral and Experimental Economics (3). Prerequisite: ECON 100 or ECON 101. The aim of the course will be to understand the notions of human behavior in everyday lives and its impact on markets. We will be taking the help of psychological insights to decipher why we overthink a bad outcome while undermining the possibility of a good outcome, what role does bias play when we place our bets in a casino or how do we create expectations in our minds regarding tomorrow’s prices. We will be discussing policy prescriptions and analyzing case studies on how small changes in the environment can change human behavior so drastically. We will discuss the fundamentals of conducting laboratory and online experiments, which are valuable skill sets. Upadhyay.

    Fall 2021, ECON 295B-02: Special Topics in Economics: Behavioral and Experimental Economics (3). Prerequisite: ECON 100 or ECON 101. The aim of the course will be to understand the notions of human behavior in everyday lives and its impact on markets. We will be taking the help of psychological insights to decipher why we overthink a bad outcome while undermining the possibility of a good outcome, what role does bias play when we place our bets in a casino or how do we create expectations in our minds regarding tomorrow’s prices. We will be discussing policy prescriptions and analyzing case studies on how small changes in the environment can change human behavior so drastically. We will discuss the fundamentals of conducting laboratory and online experiments, which are valuable skill sets. Upadhyay.


  

  • ECON 302 - Game Theory


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: MATH 101 or equivalent and ECON 210. This course abandons the assumptions of perfect competition. Buyers and sellers may be few; information may be privately held; property rights may poorly enforced; externalities abound and uncertainty is the rule. Game theory is a general framework for analyzing the messy world of strategic interactions. Standard solution concepts such as Nash Equilibrium, subgame perfection, and Bayesian equilibrium are introduced in the context of a broad array of microeconomic topics. These include auctions, bargaining, oligopoly, labor market signaling, public finance and insurance. Class time combines lectures, problem-solving workshops, and classroom experiments. Guse.
  

  • ECON 310 - Advanced Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Theory


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: ECON 210 and 211. An introduction to the scope and tools of modern economic theory, including student applications of these theories. Equal time is spent examining topics, with the focus in microeconomics on examining sources of market failure (externalities, public goods, asymmetric information) and decision-making under uncertainty, and the focus in macroeconomics on constructing models of the demand-side and supply-side of the macroeconomy and on policy-setting in both the closed and open economy settings. Davies.
  

  • ECON 320 - Mathematical Methods in Economics


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: Either ECON 210 or MATH 221. Preference to ECON majors during the first round of registration. Other majors are encouraged to add to the waiting list after registration re-opens for all class years. An introduction to fundamental mathematical methods of economic analysis with a variety of applications from both microeconomics and macroeconomics. Topics covered include theory and applications of linear algebra, multivariable calculus, static optimization, and comparative statics. The course is highly recommended for anyone planning to undertake graduate studies in economics or a closely related field. Should not be taken if completed ECON 220: Mathematical Economics. Grajzl.
  

  • ECON 330 - Advanced Labor Economics


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: ECON 100 or 101, and ECON 203 This course is an empirically advanced introduction to fundamental topics in the economic study of labor markets. We focus on labor supply, labor market equilibrium, investments in education, the distribution of labor income, and the effects of discrimination. Each part of the course provides a theoretical treatment of the respective topic followed by coverage of one or more academic research papers on that topic. Compared to most undergraduate labor economics courses, this course adopts a narrower topical focus in order to study, in depth, some primary research from the discipline. Students further develop their own quantitative research skills by writing two empirical papers. Handy.
  

  • ECON 344 - Advanced U.S. Economic History


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: ECON 203. This course examines selected topics in the economic development of the U.S. economy. The goals are to review some major themes in U.S. economic history, to study professional research papers to learn how economists develop and interpret historical evidence, and to give students hands-on experience analyzing historical data. Major themes vary, but usually include: agriculture/environment; fertility; health; race; World War II; and urbanization. Students will read, discuss, and present empirical economic research papers, replicate results from select papers, and write original empirical research papers.  Shester.
  

  • ECON 356 - Economics of the Environment in Developing Countries


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: ECON 203 and either ECON 255 or 280, or obtain instructor consent. Preference to ECON or ENV majors during the first round of registration. Other majors are encouraged to add to the waiting list after registration re-opens for all class years. This course focuses on the unique characteristics of the relationship between the environment and the economy in developing nations. Differences in economic structure, political structure, culture, social organization and ecosystem dynamics are emphasized as alternative policies for environmental and resource management are analyzed. Kahn, Casey.
  

  • ECON 376 - Health: A Social Science Exploration


    Credits: 4
    Prerequisite: ECON 203. Much of the work done by consulting companies, banks, insurance companies, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, government agencies, etc., is based on applied statistical and econometric analysis. This course helps prepare students for careers in these environments using a hands-on approach and emphasizing the use of data and student-directed research in the specific context of health-related issues. Example of these issues include obesity, vaccinations, pre- and post-natal care, contraceptive use, or child mortality; possible determinants include poverty, education, or distance to the nearest health clinic or hospital. An interdisciplinary perspective is highlighted, as is the use and importance of quantitative analysis for public policy. Blunch.
  

  • ECON 377 - Global Public Health


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: ECON 203. A survey of the major issues of public health, with case studies from across the world. These include water and sanitation, vaccinations, contraceptive use, obesity, child work and health outcomes, quality of medical care and provider choice, and HIV-AIDS. Further explorations of regression models, building on the material from ECON 203, using a hands-on approach. The course emphasizes understanding of the use and analysis of data and student-directed research using policy-relevant applications related to public health. Staff.
  

  • ECON 380 - Economics of Culture and Development


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite: ECON 203. Economists have long been interested in understanding the sources of (under) development. Topics include labor coercion, corruption, health, education, and many more. As reliable micro-level data has become increasingly available from developing countries, our understanding of the process of development has evolved accordingly. Students gain familiarity with those datasets and the recent empirical papers utilizing them. While our approach is grounded in economic theory and empirical findings, one of our goals is to contextualize economic development. That is, development or under-development does not happen in vacuum. The roots of economic well-being of a country can be traced to its history, culture, and geography. The course, therefore, combines topics from economics of culture as it relates to development economics. Selwal.
  

  • ECON 395 - Special Topics in Economics


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: ECON 203 or varies with topic. Course emphasis and prerequisites change from term to term and will be announced prior to preregistration. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. A maximum of nine credits chosen from all special topics in economics courses may be used, with permission of the department head, toward requirements for the economics major.

    Spring 2022, ECON-395A-01: Special Topics in Economics: Generating Credible Evidence: Advanced Methods for Causal Inference (3).  Economists (and social scientists more broadly) are often interested in understanding causal effects. However, distinguishing between causation and correlation can sometimes be tricky. In this course, we will learn about and implement various methodological tools including randomized experiments, difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity design, and instrumental variables models. We will read and discuss papers using these methods. Students will also use statistical software throughout, as we use these methods to replicate results from published papers and apply these methods to other questions and datasets. Shester.

    Fall 2021, ECON 395A-01: Special Topics in Economics: Environmental Valuation (3). Prerequisite: ECON 203. This course focuses on advanced knowledge of environmental valuation techniques and how it can be used to inform policy decisions. Both theoretical models and empirical work are discussed. Work includes critiquing literature in the area of environmental valuation and empirical assignments. Kahn.

    Fall 2021, ECON 395B-01: Special Topics in Economics: Experimental Economics: Understanding Human Behavior (3). Prerequisites: ECON 210 and ECON 203 or instructor consent as co-requisite. This course focuses on understanding human behavior in response to stimuli.  For example, why does the appearance of Tiger Woods in a Nike commercial instill customer faith?  Why are consumers confused by the long aisle of breakfast cereals at Walmart?  Theoretical and experimental studies of human behavior rely heavily on Economics and Psychology and have answered many such interesting questions.  Firms have noticed this research, and have responded with novel marketing decisions.  Other actors have also noticed.  For example, the research has influenced government advertisements aimed at increasing vaccination rates, lowering public smoking, saving electricity, etc.  Students become familiar with state-of-the-art research methodology in experimental economics, where they learn to conduct their own research projects by participating and designing experiments. Students also learn how to describe and interpret well-known results in experimental economics, alongside analyzing and critiquing experimental designs. Upadhyay.


  

  • ECON 401 - Directed Individual Study


    Credits: 1
    Prerequisites: Six credits in economics courses numbered 200 or above, either a cumulative grade-point average of 3.000 or 3.000 in all economics courses, and instructor consent. The objective is to permit students to follow a course of directed study in some field of economics not presented in other courses, or to emphasize a particular field of interest. May be repeated for degree credit with permission for different topics. Staff.
  

  • ECON 402 - Directed Individual Study


    Credits: 2
    Prerequisites: Six credits in economics courses numbered 200 or above, either a cumulative grade-point average of 3.000 or 3.000 in all economics courses, and instructor consent. The objective is to permit students to follow a course of directed study in some field of economics not presented in other courses, or to emphasize a particular field of interest. May be repeated for degree credit with permission for different topics. Staff.
  

  • ECON 403 - Directed Individual Study


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: Six credits in economics courses numbered 200 or above, either a cumulative grade-point average of 3.000 or 3.000 in all economics courses, and instructor consent. The objective is to permit students to follow a course of directed study in some field of economics not presented in other courses, or to emphasize a particular field of interest. May be repeated for degree credit with permission for different topics. Staff.
  

  • ECON 421 - Directed Individual Research


    Credits: 1
    Prerequisite: ECON 203, 210, and 211; senior major standing, honors candidacy, and instructor consent. Independent research culminating in an honors thesis. See the departmental web site for requirements for honors in the major. May be repeated for degree credit. Staff, Hooks.
  

  • ECON 422 - Directed Individual Research


    Credits: 2
    Prerequisite: ECON 203, 210, and 211; senior major standing, honors candidacy, and instructor consent. Independent research culminating in an honors thesis. See the departmental web site for requirements for honors in the major. Staff, Hooks.
  

  • ECON 423 - Directed Individual Research


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisites: ECON 203, 210, and 211; senior-major standing and honors candidacy. Co-requisite: ECON 440. Independent research culminating in an honors thesis. See the departmental website for requirements for honors in the major. Must be taken in the senior year. Staff.
  

  • ECON 440 - Honors Thesis Workshop


    Credits: 0
    Prerequisites: ECON 203, 210, and 211; senior-major standing and honors candidacy; and instructor consent. Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. Group workshop and seminar for students pursuing an honors thesis in Economics. Includes directed readings and research as well as presentations of Individual work. Must be taken in the senior year. Staff.
  

  • ECON 441 - Honors Thesis Proposal


    Credits: 1
    Prerequisite: ECON 203, 210, and 211; senior major standing; honors candidacy, instructor consent. Group seminar with directed readings and research leading to a proposal for an honors thesis, which minimally includes a feasible research question, a written proposal, data, and a complete thesis committee. Taken fall term of senior years only. Anderson.
  

  • ECON 491 - Honors Thesis


    Credits: 1
    Prerequisite: Senior major standing and honors candidacy. Instructor consent required. A course for honors candidates in economics.  An Honors Program is offered for qualified students; see the department head or the department web site for more information. Staff.
  

  • ECON 492 - Honors Thesis


    Credits: 2
    Prerequisite: Senior major standing and honors candidacy. Instructor consent required. A course for honors candidates in economics.  An Honors Program is offered for qualified students; see the department head or the department web site for more information. Staff.
  

  • ECON 493 - Honors Thesis


    Credits: 3-3
    Prerequisite: Senior major standing and honors candidacy. Instructor consent required. This course is required of honors candidates in economics.  An Honors Program is offered for qualified students; see the department head or the department web site for more information.


  

  • ECON 494 - Honors Thesis


    Credits: 4
    Prerequisite: Senior major standing and honors candidacy. Instructor consent required. A course for honors candidates in economics.  An Honors Program is offered for qualified students; see the department head or the department web site for more information. Staff.

Education
  

  • EDUC 200 - Foundations of Education


    FDR: SS5
    Credits: 3

    An introduction to the issues relating to American public education in the 21st century. Students are introduced to information about teaching strategies and school policy upon which future courses can build. Emphasis is given to school efforts to create environments which promote equity and excellence within a multicultural system. Required for teacher licensure in Virginia.

    Fall Term 2021: EDUC 200-01 is a first-year seminar and open only to first-year students. Staff.
  

  • EDUC 201 - Practicum: Foundation of Education


    Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
    Credits: 1
    Prerequisite or Co-requisite: EDUC 200. Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. This practicum is designed to provide an experience observing and participating in a primary or secondary classroom. Additionally, a forum is provided for discussion of issues in education such as classroom management, differentiation, standardized curriculum and more. With these topics in mind, students challenge and refine beliefs as they spend time in a classroom. Working closely with a supervising teacher is invaluable to meeting the goals of this course. To meet the course requirements, students must complete 24 hours of fieldwork during the term. Sigler.
  

  • EDUC 210 - Fieldwork in Education


    Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
    Credits: 1-3 in fall and winter; 1-2 in spring
    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. This course provides students an opportunity to observe, assist, or tutor in a local educational setting. It is intended for those students who wish to explore education as a profession or who are interested in post-graduate programs and jobs in education and education policy. Students in the teacher-licensure program should enroll in the practicum courses that correspond to upper level education courses. May be repeated for up to 3 credits total. Sigler.
  

  • EDUC 215 - Earth Science and Chemistry for K-6 Elementary Education


    Credits: 0
    Prerequisite or corequisite: EDUC 343. Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. This 30-hour required seminar includes a review of key science content for the elementary classroom, as required by the Virginia Standards of Learning. The course involves online work, using the Annenberg Learner series for teachers, as well as face-to-face meetings and includes the following topics: Interrelationships in Earth/Space Systems; Earth Patterns, Cycles, and Change; Earth Resources; and Matter. Students also analyze the specific SOLs needed for K-6 Elementary Science instruction and create and practice hands-on lessons for elementary students. Emphasis is placed on helping elementary children understand the underlying concepts of science. Sigler, Kearney
  

  • EDUC 230 - Educating Citizens for Democracy


    FDR: SS5
    Credits: 3
    Students study the relationship between education and democracy by critically examining various theories of democracy, competing conceptions of citizenship, and its implications for formal education. Specifically, students investigate the actual and possible roles for citizens in a democracy and the function of education in reproducing, altering, or challenging these roles. Students analyze and evaluate historic and philosophical texts, educational research, and conduct a narrative inquiry project to help draw conclusions about the best practices and policies for educating citizens for democracy. Moffa.
  

  • EDUC 235 - Educating for Global Citizenship: Policies and Practices in the US and Italy


    FDR: SS5
    Credits: 4
    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. An examination of global citizenship education–its development, characteristics, and outcomes–in Italy and the United States. Beginning with study and fieldwork in Lexington, students then travel to Italy to study in the Tuscany Region, including immersion in the schools of Castiglion Fiorentino where they critically analyze sociopolitical contexts of schooling while developing and implementing educational programming on global citizenship, with opportunities for further cultural travels around Italy. As a culminating experience, students connect US and Italian students using digital communication technologies. Throughout the term, students read and evaluate a variety of texts on the politics and economics of globalization, global citizenship education, education policy, and curriculum theory.  Moffa, Sigler.
  

  • EDUC 239 - Exploring Childhood in Scandinavia: Comparing Policies and Practices to the U.S.


    (ECON 239)
    Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
    Credits: 4
    Prerequisite: ECON 101. Study Abroad Course. An exploration of childhood in Scandinavia and the United States. Students spend one week in the U.S. and three weeks in Denmark, Sweden, and/or Finland. Students have experiences inside schools, daycare facilities, and preschools in both economically advantaged and disadvantaged areas and speak with administrators and policymakers. With additional readings focusing on education policy and broader family policy in each country, students engage in discussions and reflections on the relative strengths and weaknesses of policies in each country. Diette, Sigler.
  

  • EDUC 302 - Teaching the Exceptional Learner


    Credits: 3
    Prerequisite EDUC 200, POV 101, or POV 103. This course addresses education for exceptional individuals by examining the key issues surrounding instruction for children and adolescents with disabilities or special talents. Students study the identification, etiology, and incidence of exceptionality. Through case-study review and individual research projects, students investigate the educational, social, and cultural dimensions of life in American society for exceptional individuals. Required for teacher licensure in Virginia. Staff.
  

  • EDUC 303 - Practicum: The Exceptional Learner


    Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
    Credits: 1
    Prerequisite: EDUC 202 or instructor consent. Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. This practicum reinforces the content of EDUC 302 by providing students with an opportunity to explore special education in the field through observing and assisting in inclusive classrooms and special classes. Students also study the relationship between general-education and special-education teachers. Staff.
 

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