Economics

• Faculty
• Description
• Minor Requirements
• Program Policies
• Course Descriptions

Faculty

Cristina Parsons, Associate Professor of Economics (Program Chair)
Dennis Farley, Assistant Professor of Economics

Description

The Economics Program at Trinity combines the traditional cornerstones of economics with the distinct emphases of Trinity’s mission. The curriculum provides all students with the opportunity to become familiar with the macroeconomic and microeconomic paradigm, as well as to develop facility with economic applications in various policy areas. Consistent with the interdisciplinarity of Trinity’s curriculum and its focus on gender, race, and diversity, the courses offered by the Economics Program invite students to study the discipline from a variety of perspectives and to understand the historical and institutional context in which both private and public decisions are made. In addition, the Economics Program follows the mission of Trinity by providing both breath and depth of study and by encouraging students to develop an ability to abstract, handle data, and critically analyze existing work, both theoretical and applied.

The Economics Program supports a minor in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Minor Requirements

Required Courses (21credits)
ALL of the following courses:

ECON 101 Introduction to MicroeconomicsIntroduces principles of microeconomics and their applications. Topics include supply and demand, operation of markets, consumer and enterprise behavior, competition and monopoly, and microeconomic policy. Formerly ECO 122 Principles of Economics I.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ECON 100 and Either MATH 105, MATH 109, or Math 123
FLC Area V
Core Area II: Understanding Self, Society, and Nature

ECON 102 Introduction to MacroeconomicsIntroduces principles of macroeconomics and their applications. Topics include national income, unemployment, inflation, and economic growth. The role of policy in affecting macroeconomic outcomes is examined in detail. Formerly ECO 121 Principles of Economics II.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and either MATH 105, MATH 109 or MATH 123
FLC Area V
Core Area II: Understanding Self, Society, and Nature

ECON 311 Microeconomic TheoryExamines the behavior of individual economic agents. Develops models of consumer and producer behavior in the setting of perfect competition, monopoly, and other market structures. Formerly ECO 365 Microeconomic Theory.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and ECON 102 OR ECON 321 Managerial Economics

ECON 312 Macroeconomic TheoryExamines the economy from the aggregate point of view. Analyzes the factors that cause fluctuations in important economic variables such as output, employment, consumption, investment, the price level, interest rates, and exchange rates. Formerly ECO 366 Macroeconomic Theory.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and ECON 102
OR BADM 328 Business, Government, and SocietyThis course provides an introductory examination primarily of macroeconomic theory and policy. Its purpose is to assist non-economists in dealing with real world economic issues. The course deals with such topics as eco nomic growth, money and taxes, the balance of payments, exchange rates, international trade, business cycles, and financial markets.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and ECON 102

MATH 110 Introduction to StatisticsPresents the basic principles of statistics with applications to the social sciences. Topics include descriptive statistics, probability theory, normal and binomial distributions, and central limit theorem, with an introduction to the use of statistical software. Formerly MAT 110 Introduction to Statistics.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry Area
Prerequisites: MATH 108, MATH 109 or higher level mathematics course

Elective Courses 
TWO additional upper-level (200- or 300-level) courses in economics

Program Policies

Advanced Placement:
Advanced Placement scores of 4 or 5 will be accepted for credit by the Economics Program to satisfy ECON 101 and ECON 102.

CLEP Policy:
Standard scores and above are accepted in the CLEP examination only in consultation with program faculty.

Grades in Major Courses:
Majors must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in their major.  Majors must receive a grade of “C” or better in required courses.

Pass/No Pass:
With the exception of internships, courses fulfilling a major or minor requirement may not be taken pass/no pass.

Senior Assessment:
The senior assessment for economics majors, a comprehensive project to be completed under the direction of program faculty, is a component of ECON 499. Students must earn a grade of “C” or better on this project.

Transfer Credits:
Transferring students who wish to minor in economics must take at least three economics courses at Trinity. Transferring students who wish to major in economics must take at least six economics courses at Trinity, one of which must be ECON 499. Acceptance of transfer courses is dependent upon program review and approval.

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