Below you can find my Teaching Portfolio, which contains my Teaching Philosophy, Teaching Evaluation Summary Statistics, Descriptions of the Courses I have taught , Select Student Evaluation Comments, as well as my recent achievements in Pedagogical Development.
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Economic Development
Why are some countries poor and others rich? Why should we care? How can we explain the divergent performance of seemingly similar economies? What can be done, if anything, to help impoverished nations grow and develop their economies? What role do various institutions (political, economic, cultural, etc.) play in the growth and development process of a country? This course will show you some of the tools that economists use to study these questions. We will discuss various possible determinants of growth and development, including technology, infrastructure, culture, governance, natural resources, and education, among others. This course is designed to only sparingly use equations (if at all) and graphs; rather, our focus will be on understanding what economic theory tells us should happen, and then looking at the most recent empirical research that documents what has actually happened. Building on this knowledge will allow us to analyze and develop policy prescriptions for developed and developing countries alike. Upon completion of this course, you should have a much deeper understanding of the inner workings of the world around you, you should have an enhanced ability to think critically about complex problems, and you should have a solid grasp on various economic concepts including, but not limited to, economic growth, economic development, opportunity cost, unintended consequences, income inequality, and poverty.
International Trade
Traditionally, this course is split into two parts: international trade and international finance (which is based on the monetary side of the world economy). Although this course is titled "International Economics" we spend the majority of our time focusing on international
trade theory and applications. However, we will still cover important topics from international finance, such as exchange rates, and how they affect our theories. Upon completing this course, the students are able to competently address issues such as comparative advantage and why nations trade, who gains from trade and who potentially loses (and is this a good or bad thing), what the patterns
of trade look like and why they may shift, the role of protectionism within trade, and how exchange rates shape trade. We use theoretical models to motivate answers to these issues and real-life empirical evidence to provide further support.
Money and Banking
The goals for this course are to develop an understanding of financial markets, financial institutions, and monetary policy; you will also understand how these topics are interrelated and affect the macro economy. As a result of taking this course students develop an understanding of how economic news (such as FOMC statements) affect financial markets and the decision-making of policymakers and households. Students become proficient in thinking analytically and summarizing complex economic ideas in a concise way. More generally, this course provides the students with a detailed, policy-oriented examination of financial institutions and markets in the U.S. economy, as well as an in-depth analysis of Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) policy and its impact on the macroeconomy. In this course we discuss the Federal Reserve and banking structure, including topics such as monetary policy, regulation, and money creation. We have detailed discussions about interest rates, as they underpin much of the economic activity that takes place as well as many of the economic decisions you make in life. This is an exciting time to take this course! The financial crisis of 2007-2009 has proven to have far-reaching consequences for the U.S. economy (and the world). We look at how serious were those effects? How long have they lasted? Was there any better way to fix them? These are just a few of the many important questions we address throughout this course .
Business Statistics
We will review some essential foundations in descriptive statistics, basic probability distributions, and hypothesis testing that will support and extend concepts learned in your introductory statistics course. The course will focus on statistical techniques of regression analysis as well as substantive data analysis. This course will cover statistical techniques such as estimation, hypothesis testing, correlation, modeling, analysis of variance, time series analysis, and forecasting, among various aspects of regression. Overall, you will develop a deeper intuition for modeling complex issues and solving quantitative problems through the application of statistical techniques. The goal of our class is to learn the material in both interactive and productive fashion ; we will do lots of examples and hands on exercises.
Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory
This course provides students with a comprehensive description and explanation of concepts in macroeconomics, growth theory, and business cycle theory using analytical and mathematical tools. This course is intended to provide economics majors and other interested students with rigorous analysis of macroeconomic theory. This course requires both intuition in basic economic concepts and analytical skills. There are mainly two parts to the course: First part is long run economic growth, where we mainly focus on why some countries are rich and others are poor and why these differences persist in the long run. Second part is where we try to understand the short run determinants of economic growth, and the focus is largely on the effectiveness of monetary and fiscal policy at tackling macroeconomic fluctuations.
Principles of Macroeconomics
This course is looking at the field of economics form a macro perspectives, instead of studying individual consumer or firm behavior we focus on the aggregate economy. The material studied in this class allows the students to get familiar with concepts and tools applied by managers in the business sector, policy makers in the government field and economic researchers in the academic arena. After taking this course students should be able to critically analyze domestic and international issues using concepts such as inflation, unemployment, monetary and fiscal policy, budget deficits, economic growth, exports and imports, balance of trade, exchange rates, etc. Students successfully completing this course should leave with a strong understanding of the macroeconomic concepts discussed and, most importantly, apply this knowledge to real world situations.
Principles of Microeconomics
This course is an introduction to the principles of microeconomics. After taking this course the students should be familiar with basic tools of economic theory used to study markets, individual consumer behavior, and the behavior of firms. The key takeaway is understanding how markets work and how supply and demand interact to determine prices. Unfortunately, sometimes markets fail and we look at what happens with market failure and the role of the government in market activity. Analytical tools acquired in this course are applied by managers in the business sector, policy makers in the government sector, and economic researchers in the academic arena. Students successfully completing this course should have a strong understanding of these basic economic principles and, most importantly, be able to apply this knowledge to real world situations.
Below you can find some of the student responses to the courses I have taught so far.
Why are some countries poor and others rich? Why should we care? How can we explain the divergent performance of seemingly similar economies? What can be done, if anything, to help impoverished nations grow and develop their economies? What role do various institutions (political, economic, cultural, etc.) play in the growth and development process of a country? This course will show you some of the tools that economists use to study these questions. We will discuss various possible determinants of growth and development, including technology, infrastructure, culture, governance, natural resources, and education, among others. This course is designed to only sparingly use equations (if at all) and graphs; rather, our focus will be on understanding what economic theory tells us should happen, and then looking at the most recent empirical research that documents what has actually happened. Building on this knowledge will allow us to analyze and develop policy prescriptions for developed and developing countries alike. Upon completion of this course, you should have a much deeper understanding of the inner workings of the world around you, you should have an enhanced ability to think critically about complex problems, and you should have a solid grasp on various economic concepts including, but not limited to, economic growth, economic development, opportunity cost, unintended consequences, income inequality, and poverty.
International Trade
Traditionally, this course is split into two parts: international trade and international finance (which is based on the monetary side of the world economy). Although this course is titled "International Economics" we spend the majority of our time focusing on international
trade theory and applications. However, we will still cover important topics from international finance, such as exchange rates, and how they affect our theories. Upon completing this course, the students are able to competently address issues such as comparative advantage and why nations trade, who gains from trade and who potentially loses (and is this a good or bad thing), what the patterns
of trade look like and why they may shift, the role of protectionism within trade, and how exchange rates shape trade. We use theoretical models to motivate answers to these issues and real-life empirical evidence to provide further support.
Money and Banking
The goals for this course are to develop an understanding of financial markets, financial institutions, and monetary policy; you will also understand how these topics are interrelated and affect the macro economy. As a result of taking this course students develop an understanding of how economic news (such as FOMC statements) affect financial markets and the decision-making of policymakers and households. Students become proficient in thinking analytically and summarizing complex economic ideas in a concise way. More generally, this course provides the students with a detailed, policy-oriented examination of financial institutions and markets in the U.S. economy, as well as an in-depth analysis of Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) policy and its impact on the macroeconomy. In this course we discuss the Federal Reserve and banking structure, including topics such as monetary policy, regulation, and money creation. We have detailed discussions about interest rates, as they underpin much of the economic activity that takes place as well as many of the economic decisions you make in life. This is an exciting time to take this course! The financial crisis of 2007-2009 has proven to have far-reaching consequences for the U.S. economy (and the world). We look at how serious were those effects? How long have they lasted? Was there any better way to fix them? These are just a few of the many important questions we address throughout this course .
Business Statistics
We will review some essential foundations in descriptive statistics, basic probability distributions, and hypothesis testing that will support and extend concepts learned in your introductory statistics course. The course will focus on statistical techniques of regression analysis as well as substantive data analysis. This course will cover statistical techniques such as estimation, hypothesis testing, correlation, modeling, analysis of variance, time series analysis, and forecasting, among various aspects of regression. Overall, you will develop a deeper intuition for modeling complex issues and solving quantitative problems through the application of statistical techniques. The goal of our class is to learn the material in both interactive and productive fashion ; we will do lots of examples and hands on exercises.
Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory
This course provides students with a comprehensive description and explanation of concepts in macroeconomics, growth theory, and business cycle theory using analytical and mathematical tools. This course is intended to provide economics majors and other interested students with rigorous analysis of macroeconomic theory. This course requires both intuition in basic economic concepts and analytical skills. There are mainly two parts to the course: First part is long run economic growth, where we mainly focus on why some countries are rich and others are poor and why these differences persist in the long run. Second part is where we try to understand the short run determinants of economic growth, and the focus is largely on the effectiveness of monetary and fiscal policy at tackling macroeconomic fluctuations.
Principles of Macroeconomics
This course is looking at the field of economics form a macro perspectives, instead of studying individual consumer or firm behavior we focus on the aggregate economy. The material studied in this class allows the students to get familiar with concepts and tools applied by managers in the business sector, policy makers in the government field and economic researchers in the academic arena. After taking this course students should be able to critically analyze domestic and international issues using concepts such as inflation, unemployment, monetary and fiscal policy, budget deficits, economic growth, exports and imports, balance of trade, exchange rates, etc. Students successfully completing this course should leave with a strong understanding of the macroeconomic concepts discussed and, most importantly, apply this knowledge to real world situations.
Principles of Microeconomics
This course is an introduction to the principles of microeconomics. After taking this course the students should be familiar with basic tools of economic theory used to study markets, individual consumer behavior, and the behavior of firms. The key takeaway is understanding how markets work and how supply and demand interact to determine prices. Unfortunately, sometimes markets fail and we look at what happens with market failure and the role of the government in market activity. Analytical tools acquired in this course are applied by managers in the business sector, policy makers in the government sector, and economic researchers in the academic arena. Students successfully completing this course should have a strong understanding of these basic economic principles and, most importantly, be able to apply this knowledge to real world situations.
Below you can find some of the student responses to the courses I have taught so far.