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Summer Schedule
The summer session is designed to convey basic analytical skills required for the core courses that follow in the academic year and provide instruction for students who need to improve their basic economics, mathematics, or English-language skills. Students with a particularly strong economics and math background may be exempted from some of the courses offered in the summer session.
Summer Session Courses Include:
- Mathematics for Economists: This is a new course, designed to introduce students to the essential mathematical concepts required for advanced economic analysis during the remainder of the program. The course will provide instruction on mathematical concepts and models which will be used in their macroenconomic and microeconomic courses during the summer, fall and spring semesters. Successful completion of this course is essential for actively participating in the economics discussions in future courses.
- Introductory Statistics: Covers essential mathematical concepts and statistical methods for economic analysis. Relying heavily upon concrete economic examples, it introduces students to the essentials of optimization and applied quantitative analysis, setting the stage for subsequent economic modeling. Basic probability and statistics are also reviewed. Stresses applied data analysis using computers and statistical software. Weekly assignments provide practice applying the concepts discussed in class.
- Macroeconomics I and Microeconomics I: These courses review the fundamental concepts, tools, and results of macroeconomics and microeconomics. Beginning at the advanced undergraduate level, the courses provide a master's-level understanding of the basic theory, in preparation for a more sophisticated treatment of specific issues and cases in subsequent semesters. Topics covered include supply-demand analysis; properties of market equilibrium; consequences of market imperfections and government distortions; national income determination; employment and unemployment; and money and inflation.
- Computer Skills for Economic Policy Management: Introduces students to the rudiments of PC-based office-productivity and analytical tools that will be used during their subsequent course work, including, basic word processing, spreadsheet, database, economic-modeling, and statistical software.
- Effective Professional Writing and Public Speaking: This optional course instructs participants in effective communication skills, while allowing them to brush-up on English-language skills directly pertinent to policymaking. Topics include writing persuasive memos, business letters, and speeches; communicating research results and policy analyses; and effective presentation in negotiating situations.