Professors: Marcellus Andrews (term), Andre Burgstaller, Perry Mehrling, Rajiv Sethi (Ann Whitney Olin Professor), David Weiman (Alena Wels Hirschorn '58 Professor)
Associate Professors: Alan Dye (Chair), Sharon Harrison, Lalith Munasinghe
Assistant Professors: Mariana Colacelli, Kristin Mammen, Sonia Pereira (Adjunct), Randall Reback
Other officers of the
University offering courses listed below:
Professors: Jushan Bai, Alessandra Casella, Yeon-Koo Che, Pierre-Andre Chiappori, Graciela Chichilnisky, Donald Davis, Padma Desai, Prajit Dutta, Ronald Findlay, Serena Ng, Brendan O'Flaherty, Xavier Sala-i-Martin, Stephane Schmitt-Grohé, Martin Uribe, David Weinstein, Michael Woodford
Associate Professor: Lena Edlund, Wojciech Kopczuk, Alexi Onatski
Assistant Professors: Stephanie Albanesi, Wolfram Schlenker, Till von Wachter
Adjunct Professors: Michael Adler, Carl Riskin
Lecturers: Susan Elmes, Sunil Gulati
For a complete list of
faculty on leave see:
http://www.barnard.edu/provost/facleavelist.html
The Department of Economics offers a broad course of study in economic theory and applied economics. The study of economics is an important foundation for a student's general understanding of modern history and society. Barnard's major programs in economics also prepare students for graduate work in economics, business, law, public administration, and international relations, as well as for careers in business, finance, and government. The aims of the programs are: (i) to foster a critical understanding of economics and its relation to other disciplines; and (ii) to develop students' mastery of modern economic theory and its tools of analysis.
Barnard will allow 3 points credit with a score of 4 or 5 on the AP exam in Macroeconomics only if the following conditions are satisfied: an AP score of 4 or 5 in either Macro or Micro plus a passing score on the Economics Department’s Placement Exam, or an International Baccalaureate (IB) score of 5 or higher, and a passing score on the Department’s Placement Exam. The Placement Exam is offered during the program planning period at the beginning of each semester. Contact the department administrative assistant or chair in advance to arrange to take it. Students may not receive credit for Econ BC 1003 or equivalent if they have AP or IB credit for any introductory economics course. For Statistics, Barnard will allow 3 points credit with a score of 5 on the Statistics AP exam. Economics track majors, however, will not be exempt from the statistics requirement ECON BC 2411 or the equivalent, even if they receive 3 points AP credit for Statistics.
There are two tracks for the major in Economics equal in rigor, but different in scope and focus. The track in Economics emphasizes modern economic theory along with associated analytical and mathematical tools. The track in Political Economy emphasizes the roots of modern economics in the history of economic thought and the interconnections between social forces, political institutions, and economic power. Either track offers excellent preparation for graduate study in a variety of professional schools and professional careers in many areas, including business and public administration.
Prospective majors should discuss their programs with any member of the department no later than the second semester of their sophomore year. At the time of declaring the major, the student meets with the department chair and chooses a major adviser, who will advise her on the choice of program and courses. Students planning to major in Economics or Political Economy should complete both intermediate macro- and microeconomic theory by the beginning of their junior year.
Students who wish to complete a double or joint major that includes Economics should consult the chair of the department or the major adviser as early as possible. Students interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in economics should take more mathematics than required for the economics major or choose the Economics and Mathematics interdisciplinary major. Any interested student should seek guidance from the Economics and/or Mathematics faculty on which mathematics courses to take.
All majors should file the "Major Requirements Declaration" form, available from the department office by the end of their sophomore year, or as soon as possible thereafter.
Economics
The Economics track major requires eleven courses in economics, including:
ECON BC 1007 |
Mathematical Methods for Economics |
ECON BC 2411 |
Statistics for Economics |
ECON BC 3018 |
Econometrics |
ECON BC 3033 |
Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory |
ECON BC 3035 |
Intermediate Microeconomic Theory |
ECON BC 3041 |
Theoretical Foundations of Political Economy; |
plus threeelectives in economics, two of which must be upper-level (that is, they must have intermediate micro- or macroeconomic theory as a prerequisite); and either ECON BC 3061-62 Senior Thesis, or ECON BC 3063 Senior Seminar and an additional upper-level elective in economics.
Political Economy
The Political Economy track major requires twelve courses, including:
ECON BC 1007 |
Mathematical Methods for Economics |
ECON BC 3033 |
Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory |
ECON BC 3035 |
Intermediate Microeconomic Theory |
ECON BC 3041 |
Theoretical Foundations of Political Economy; |
three electives in economics, two of which must be upper-level electives (that is, they must have intermediate micro- or macroeconomic theory as a prerequisite); three interdisciplinary electives (see further conditions below), and either ECON BC 3061-62 Senior Thesis, or ECON BC 3063 Senior Seminar and an additional upper-level elective in economics.
Interdisciplinary electives: The three interdisciplinary electives may be taken from any Related Area of Study (listed below), or in an area approved by the major adviser. Two of the interdisciplinary electives must be “linked” to one of the economics electives taken to fulfill the major requirement, and at least one of the linked interdisciplinary electives must be at the 3000-level or higher. The remaining “unlinked” interdisciplinary elective requirement may be satisfied by taking any course in a Related Area of Study, or a statistics course, such as ECON BC2411 Statistics for Economics, STAT W1111, STAT W1201, or ECON BC3018 Econometrics.
Linking interdisciplinary electives to economics electives: If a course is “linked,” this means that it addresses subject matter that is related to the subject matter of the economics elective to which it is paired. There are many possible ways to link a course to an economics elective. Some suggestions are given below. Whether a course qualifies as a linked course must be approved by the student’s major adviser.
Related Areas of Study
The Political Economy track major requires twelve courses, including:
Departments |
Regional or Interdisciplinary Programs |
Anthropology |
Africana Studies |
We recommend that all Political Economy track majors—especially those who plan to go on to business school or to graduate school in public administration or international relations—take Economics BC 2411 or equivalent.
Suggestions for Linking Interdisciplinary Electives to Economics Electives
Here is a list of suggestions for Interdisciplinary Electives that link to Economics Elective Courses. It is NOT an exhaustive list. You should feel free to propose alternative courses that form similar links. All linked courses must be approved by the student’s major adviser.
ECON BC 2010: The Economics of Gender
ECON BC 2014: Topics in Economic History (depends on the topic, for example, if “Globalization and Industrial Revolution”)HIST BC 3323: European Women in the Age of Revolution
HIST BC 3567: American Women in the 20th Century
POLS BC 3007: Modern Political Movements
POLS V 3460: Gender and Politics in Comparative Perspective
SOC V3200: Gender, Class and Race
SOC V 3302: Sociology of Gender
HIST BC 3116: Filthy Lucre: A History of Money
HIST BC 3180: Merchants, Pirates, and Slaves in the Making of Atlantic Capitalism
HIST BC 3321: Colonial Encounters: Europe and the Culture of Empire
HIST BC 3980: World Migration
HIST BC 4119: Capitalism and Enlightenment
HIST BC 4327: Consumer Culture in Modern Europe
POLS V 1601: International Politics
POLS V 3615: Globalization and International Politics
POLS V 3633: International Political Economy
ECON BC 3011: Inequality and Poverty
ANTH 3987: Ethnicity, Class and RaceECON BC 3012: The Economics of Education
HIST BC 4335: Poverty and the Social Order in Europe
HRPS V 3001: Introduction to Human Rights
POLS W 3245: Race and Ethnicity in American Politics
POLS V 3313: American Urban Politics
SOCI V 3235: Social Movements
SOCI V 3324: Poverty, Inequality and Policy
SOCI BC3235: Social Movements
HIST BC 3461/4542: Education in American History
POLS V 3313: American Urban Politics
SOCI V 3225: Sociology of Education
PHIL V 3758: Philosophy of Education
ECON BC 3013: Economic History of the US
HIST BC 3470: Modern American Social MovementsECON BC 3017: Economics of Business Organization
HIST BC 3496: History of American Cities
POLS BC 3200: American Political Development, 1789-1980
-- Or any course on aspects of the American political system
SOCI V 3206: Race, Culture, and Identity in the Contemporary United States
SOCI BC 3227: The Sociology of U.S. Economic Life
SOCI V 3247: The Immigrant Experience
SOCI V 3216: Organizations in Modern SocietyECON BC 3029: Development Economics
SOCI BC 3903: Work and Culture
SOCI V 3902: Institutional Analysis in Organizations
POLS W 4316: The American Presidency
POLS 3322: The American Congress
POLS BC 3331: Colloquium on American Political Decisionmaking
PSYC BC 2151: Organizational Psychology
HIST BC3668: Social Revolution in Latin AmericaECON BC 3038: International Money and Finance
POLS 3633: International Political Economy
POLS V 3615: Globalization and International Politics
POLS W 4496: Contemporary African Politics
POLS W4461: Latin American Politics
POLS V 3620: Contemporary Chinese Politics
POLS W 4850: Making Markets
POLS W 4435 Political Corruption and Governance
POLS V 1601: International Politics
POLS V 3633: International Political Economy
POLS V 3615: Globalization and International Politics
ECON BC 3039: Environmental and Resource Economics
ANTH V 3971: Environment and Cultural Behavior;ECON BC 3047: International Trade
SCPP BC 3333: Genetics, Biodiversity and Society; SCPP 3334: Science, State Power and Ethics
POLS V 1601: International Politics
POLS V 3615: Globalization and International Politics
POLS V 3633: International Political Economy
HIST BC 3980: World Migration
ECON G 4235: Historical Foundations of Modern Economics: Adam Smith to J.M. Keynes
PHIL V 3230/3250/3270: 17th; 18th, 19th Century Philosophy;
PHIL V3653: Mind and Morals; PHIL V 3755: European Social Philosophy;
POLS 1013, 1014: Political Theory I, II;
POLS W 3211 Liberalism in America; POLS V 3020: Democracy and its Critics;
POLS BC 3307: Modern Political Movements
Mathematics Training for the Major
The department expects all majors to have a working knowledge of arithmetic, high school algebra, and the fundamentals of analytic geometry.
Majors in the economics track may complete the mathematics requirement by taking ECON BC 1007 Mathematical Methods for Economics, or MATH V1101 Calculus I and MATH V1201 Calculus III. Students who have received advanced placement credit or have placed out of Calculus I may take either Math Methods or Calculus III to complete the requirement. (Students with 5 on the Calculus BC test may begin with Calculus III.)
Majors in the political economy track may complete the mathematics requirement by taking ECON BC 1007 Mathematical Methods for Economics or MATH V1101 Calculus I. Students who have received advanced placement college credit for calculus have satisfied the mathematics requirement for the political economy track.
Students interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in economics should take more mathematics than required for the economics major or choose the Economics and Mathematics interdisciplinary major. Any interested student should seek guidance from the Economics and/or Mathematics faculty on which mathematics courses to take.
The minor in economics consists of five courses, including ECON BC1003 or equivalent, ECON BC 3033 or ECON BC 3035, and three electives, one of which must have an intermediate micro- or macroeconomic theory course as a prerequisite.
Printable Version
Barnard Catalogue 2009-2010