Senior Seminar Descriptions
Fall 2024
Economics Senior Seminar Descriptions
Seminars listed below are only open to CC and GS undergraduate economics majors.
NOTE: All seminars will satisfy the FE major for this semester.
PLEASE NOTE: ALL PREREQUISITES (ECON UN3211, UN3213, UN3412) must be successfully completed before the seminar may be taken—not after and not concurrently, otherwise the seminar will not count towards the major. Check the CC/GS bulletin for all seminar prerequisites and details.
DAYS, TIMES and CLASSROOMS can be found on the Registrar’s Directory of Classes.
GU4911 (Sec. 1) MICROECONOMICS Seminar
Instructor: Dr. Sunil Gulati
Day/Time: Mon. 2:10pm – 4:00pm
Topic: Sports Economics
This seminar will focus on an economic analysis of the sports industry. Topics covered will include economics of sports leagues, the labor market for professional athletes, sports marketing and broadcasting, economic impact of teams & stadiums and antitrust policies. A number of guest speakers from the sports world (including the professional leagues and media industry) will be featured. One textbook and a number of separate readings will be assigned. Seminar students are expected to actively participate in class discussions, make an in-class presentation of selected readings and of original work and write a term paper on an agreed upon topic.
GU4911 (Sec. 2) MICROECONOMICS Seminar
Instructor: Prof. Lena Edlund
Day/Time: Wed. 4:10pm – 6:00pm
Topic: Seminar in Gender Economics
This seminar will take a critical look at the family. We will discuss the social, biological and material origins of different family systems, as well as consequences thereof, with a particular focus on the status of women. Sample questions include: Why would sons be considered more valuable than daughters, and why more so in China and India than in the West? Despite similar levels of son preference, women’s status appears greater in China than India, is that correct and if so why? Medieval Europe and 20th century East Asia are prominent examples of growth miracles; what do they have in common? Is contemporary Western family post-patriarchal? #MeToo, why now? Is surrogate motherhood the future? Active classroom participation and a term paper are required.
GU4911 (Sec. 3) MICROECONOMICS Seminar
Instructor: Prof. Tri Vi Dang
Day/Time: Tues. 10:10am – 12:00pm
Topic: Private Equity & Hedge Fund Investing
This seminar course discusses the economics of professional asset management with special focus on private equity and hedge fund investing. The aim of this seminar is to provide the students with the analytical skills and conceptual frameworks necessary to significantly deepen their understanding of asset management. The first part of the course examines how private equity funds and hedge funds as the two most prominent alternative investment vehicles are raised and structured. The second part of the seminar discusses the deal making of private equity managers as well as various investment strategies of hedge fund managers.
GU4911 (Sec. 4) MICROECONOMICS Seminar
Instructor: Prof. Jack Willis
Day/Time: Wed. 10:10am – 12:00pm
Topic: Development Economics
This seminar explores development economics from an applied-micro perspective. In the lectures, we will cover major empirical methods for analyzing natural experiments: difference-in-differences, instrumental variables, regression discontinuity designs, and some recent Machine Learning tools. We will do so via recent example applications to a diverse set of topics, speaking to the economic forces shaping the lives of the poor in developing countries, the determinants of economic development and barriers to achieving it, and the role of policy. Students will initiate an original research project, harnessing the econometric tools covered in the class to attempt to answer a causal research question.
GU4911 (Sec. 5) MICROECONOMICS Seminar
Instructor: Prof. Waldo Ojeda
Day/Time: Thurs. 2:10pm – 4:00pm
Topic: Real Estate
Real Estate is the largest financial asset for most households in the United States. Housing is a financial decision that all households make. Real Estate is fundamental to the United States economy as seen in the housing boom and then bust that led to the 2007-2009 Great Recession. In this seminar, we will study real estate investment analysis, mortgage concepts, residential and commercial real estate financing, and mortgage-backed securities. Within each topic, we will discuss empirical research that uses applied econometric tools to expand our understanding of the Real Estate market. If time permits, we will investigate current trends in Real Estate such as FinTech, affordability and environmental concerns, as well as other Household Finance topics. Seminar students are expected to actively participate in class discussions, present a research paper in class, and write and give presentations on their term paper on an agreed-upon topic.
GU4911 (Sec. 6) MICROECONOMICS Seminar
Instructor: Prof. Neal Masia
Day/Time: Wed. 2:10pm – 4:00pm
Topic: Public Policy, Economics and the Healthcare Industry
The healthcare industry accounts for nearly 20% of GDP in the United States. This seminar will explore the links between major public policy events – for instance, healthcare reform or recent Medicare and Medicaid changes – and the financial prospects and implications for various healthcare industry sectors. Lectures will examine how current and potential public policy decisions impact the bottom line and the behavior of key industry sectors including pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, doctors, insurance companies, nursing homes, and others. Each student will conduct research on an industry sector and a live public policy or regulatory issue of their choosing. Students will be expected to use their quantitative and analytic toolkit to evaluate how a key government policy (or potential policy within the health reform context) is likely to affect the industry’s fortunes and behavior going forward, with implications for consumers, investors, and future policymakers.
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GU4913 (Sec. 1) MACROECONOMICS Seminar
Instructor: Prof. Noémie Pinardon-Touati
Day/Time: Wed. 4:10pm – 6:00pm
Topic: Financial Policy and Regulation: Fostering Growth and Macroeconomic Stability
Well-functioning financial markets can foster economic growth and contribute to improving living standards. However, finance can also be a destabilizing force at the origin of deep economic crises. In this seminar, we will investigate how finance can affect macroeconomic outcomes and explore the tools policymakers have to encourage the development of finance while limiting the risk of financial instability. We will also investigate how the influence of finance in politics can distort these policy choices. Within each topic, we will briefly discuss the theory to guide us through the exploration of empirical research. Seminar students are expected to actively participate in class discussions, present a research paper in class, and write a term paper on an agreed-upon topic.
GU4913 (Sec. 2) MACROECONOMICS Seminar
Instructor: Prof. Richard Clarida
Day/Time: Thurs. 8:10am – 10:00am
Topic: International Monetary Economics
This seminar will study and assess central bank policies in the world’s major economies in the first 20 years of the 21st century. The format will combine lectures with class discussion led by student presentations of recent central bank decisions. Requirement for the course will be a term paper on the post pandemic monetary policy of a G3 central bank as well as presentation to the class of the paper.
