Contemporary Topics in EconomicsCourse OutlineThe first four weeks of the course are devoted to learning basic economic theory. We will discuss the concepts of scarcity and opportunity cost, supply and demand, and some basic macroeconomic definitions. The rest of the weeks deal with particular issues such as budget deficits or health care. For each topic you are responsible for reading the assigned material and coming to class prepared for discussion. This will help you to follow the lectures better. In some of the links below, there are other WWW sites that contain interesting information. Visit these sites and "surf" the Web for any other related information. Part I: TheoryWeek and Topic1. Scarcity and Choice and Production Possiblilities Frontiers
2. Marginal Analysis: Costs and Benefits
4. Basic Macroeconomic Concepts: GDP, unemployment, inflation. Exam 1.
Part II: Contemporary TopicsWeek and Topic5. Health Care, Should Consumers, Businesses,or Government Pay?
6. Protectionism, Should We Protect U.S. Firms from Foreign Competition?
7. Budget Deficits, Are They Too Big? 8. Should Pollution Be Regulated? If So, How? Exam 2.
10. Drugs, Should They Be Legalized?
11. Social Security. Will There Be Anything Left?
12. The Inflation, Unemployment Tradeoff. What Should the Fed Do?Exam 3.
13. Immigration: Costs and Benefits
14. Income Distribution and Poverty
15. College Education, Is It Worth the Cost?Exam 4.
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