The course operates simultaneously on many levels. We describe economic phenomena in words, graphs, and algebra. We apply logic in identifying cause and effect relationships. We relate the formal ideas to newspaper stories about current events. We learn to be economic naturalists, seeing economics in the world around us.
Different students learn in different ways, have different backgrounds, skills, and motives.
We will learn from each other and look for new ways to learn. To understand an economy, we need to see it from a variety of points of view and discover how the parts fit together. Econ 100 Introduction to Macroeconomics is a prerequisite for this course. We assume basic familiarity with reading a graph, solving an equation, and analyzing demand and supply. The textbook for the course is John B. Taylor, Principles of Microeconomics , 2nd ed.