| Office Location |
| 1113 Social Sciences and Humanities Building |
| Hours |
| Phone |
| (530)752-0741 |
| Website |
| http://www.econ.ucdavis.edu/ |
| Department Chair |
| Gregory Clark |
| [email protected] |
Steven M. Sheffrin is a professor of Economics and also the Dean of the Division of Social Sciences.
Economics is the study of society's allocation and distribution of resources. The essential insights of economics are that these resources are scarce and have a price, that prices provide the link between individual agents (consumers and firms), and that individual behavior can vary across different incentive schemes. The study of economics provides a valuable way of analyzing many of the major issues facing society today.
If you take some economics classes then you're likely to encounter Greebes.
UC Davis has one of the best graduate economics history programs in the country, as well as a fairly strong undergraduate program. It is a good program to come out of for either undergraduate or graduate study. Be warned, graduate study is vastly different to undergraduate study. Be sure to have a lot of mathematics under your belt.
Prereqs for the major are Statistics 13, Mathematics 16AB or 21AB. If further economics study is planned, it is recommended to take MAT 21ABCD, and 22AB. For advanced students looking to obtain a PhD, MAT 25, 67, 108, 125AB, 133,167, and 168 are helpful, as well as STA 131ABC, 108, 106, and 137. There are 11 upper division classes required for the major, of which 100, 101, 102, and one economic history class is required. Some classes that are recommended for those continuing to graduate economics: ECN 122, game theory; ECN 140, econometrics; ECN 194HB, special honors seminar.
Some ECN 1AB, 100, and 101 courses use Aplia, a website for homework. Some students find it difficult to work with, but it has useful study guides, practice tests, etc.
Undergraduate Courses
1A.Principles of Microeconomics. Basic lower division micro class, discussing perfect competition, supply and demand theory, monopoly, etc.
1B.Principle of Macroeconomics. Basic lower division macro class, covering money supply, employment, and a lot of Keynesian ideas.
100.Intermediate Micro Theory. More in-depth version of 1A with calculus and statistics required to understand a lot of the course material. Math 16B is a prereq, but the calculus used comes from math 16c or 21c, so look over partial derivatives and maximization with multiple variables (i.e., Lagrange Multipliers).
101.Intermediate Macro Theory. More in-depth and mathematical look at 1B material. Solow growth model introduced.
102.Analysis of Economic Data. Statistical methods used in economics, focusing on regression analysis. A less rigorous version of Econometrics (140).
103.Economics of Uncertainty and Information. How to optimize economic decisions with imperfect information. More mathematical and statistical than some other ECN classes.
104/105.Intermediate micro/macroeconomics. Courses 100 and 101 for non-economics majors.
110A.World Ecn History Before the Industrial Revolution. Usually taught out of Gregory Clark's Farewell to Alms. Unorthodox look at economics before the industrial revolution, focusing on Malthusian trap. Note: this is not taught like a history class (i.e., you won't start in The Roman Era and move forward in time).
110B.World Ecn History Since the Industrial Revolution. Continuation of 110A. This is a series, meaning 110A is a prereq for the class.
111A.Economic History. US economic history until the Civil War.
111B.Economic History. US economic history from the Civil War to the post WW2 era. 111A is NOT a prereq.
115AB.Economic Development. Two courses focused on macro- and micro- economic issues facing underdeveloped and developing nations, such as capital flow/generation, monetary/fiscal policies, poverty, wealth distribution, etc. Not a series; classes can be taken in either order.
116.Comparative Economic Systems. Discussion of gains/drawbacks of the most popular economic theories (capitalism, socialism, etc). One of the few classes where socialism will be seriously discussed.
121AB.Industrial Organization. Not a series, can be taken in either order. Study theory of industrial organization, monopolies, antitrust, etc. Good courses for those interested in an MBA.
122.Game theory. More mathematical/logic based course on game theory, or the study of strategic situations. Will most likely encounter prisoner's dilemma, Nash equilibrium, etc. May also encounter non-economics or ECN related majors in that class, such as math or political science majors. Practically a prereq for a masters or PhD program in economics.
130.Public Microeconomics. Theory of public expenditures, externalities, cost/benefit analysis, etc.
131.Public Finance. An economic look at the US tax system, how it works, how to make it better, etc. Good course for those wanting to work in public finance or politics.
132.Health Economics. Economic look at the US health system. Good course for future health administrators.
134.Financial Economics. A look at financial system, capital markets, etc. Good course for MBA hopefuls.
135.Monetary Economics. Study of banks, the Fed, and monetary institutions. Good course for those Fed hopefuls out there.
136.Topics in Macroeconomics. More in-depth look into the theory of macroeconomics. If you're lucky, you may get country risk evaluation.
137.Macroeconomic Policy. Look at Macroeconomics as it is practiced at the governmental level.
140.Econometrics. Mathematical economics and development of mathematical economic models. Practically a prereq for PhD programs in economics.
145.Transportation Economics. Study of infrastructure on economics.
151A.Economics of the Labor Market. Theory of supply and demand of labor, labor unions, etc.
151B.Economics of Human Resources. Course 151A is a prereq. Human capital theory, wage differentials, etc.
160A.International Microeconomics. Trade theory, in goods, resources, capital, and labor.
160B.International Macroeconomics. Balance of payments, the Forex market, etc.
162.International Economic Relations. 160A/B for non-ECN majors.
171.Economy of East Asia. A look at the major economies of Asia (China, Japan, Korea, etc) and well as some more minor players. Discussion of business groups, transition economies, and Financial Crisis of 1997.
194HAB.Special study for Honors Students. The course is a senior honors thesis course. Good idea for those planning on attending grad school in economics.
