International Economics.

Catalog description

International economics is traditionally a combination of two areas of study: (1) international flows and (2) international macroeconomics/finance. In the first part of the course, students will be exposed to several of the prevailing theories on the international flows of goods and services, people and capital with a goal of answering three fundamental questions. * Why do international flows occur? * What are the impacts of these flows on the various groups affected? * How do governmental policies affect these flows and who are various individuals and groups affected by these policies. The second part of the course will concentrate on international macroeconomics. Macroeconomics is the study of economy wide variables, including prices, interest rates, income, wealth and exchange rates. These variables are linked across countries and the objective of the second half of the course is to more fully understand these economic linkages. Particular topics covered will depend on student interest and may include exchange rates, balance of payments, capital flows, financial crises, as well as monetary and fiscal policies in a global context. The material will not be covered in a way that is mathematically complex, but it will be presented in a formal and rigorous manner which will require a good familiarity with basic economic concepts. Prerequisites: ECON 211 and ECON 212 .