Teaching

This course introduces the essential principles of economics, including both microeconomics (the study of individual and firm behavior) and macroeconomics (the study of the economy as a whole). We use models and data to analyze economic decisions and explore topics like labor markets, inflation, and economic growth. Current events and policy discussions provide context for applying the tools we learn. No prior experience with economics is expected.

Gender is a significant factor in shaping individuals' economic circumstances and outcomes. In this course, we use both neoclassical and feminist economic theories to analyze how gender norms influence economic structures, policies, and choices. Topics include the division of labor in the home and workplace (including occupational segregation), the role of gender in economic growth, development, and globalization, and gendered dimensions of family life. The course emphasizes critical thinking, empirical analysis, and the application of economic theory to understand and address gendered economic disparities.

Why do governments intervene in the economy? How should they intervene? And what are the consequences? This course examines the role of government in addressing market failures, promoting social welfare, and redistributing resources through taxation and spending. We analyze three major areas: market failures and government solutions (externalities, public goods), social insurance and redistribution (Social Security, unemployment insurance, public health), and taxation and revenue design at the federal, state, and local levels.

This course explores why markets may fail and how governments respond through regulation and antitrust. We build a foundation in industrial organization (market structure, strategic firm behavior, market power, and welfare) and then apply those tools to real cases and industries. The second half of the course emphasizes how policy works in practice: how agencies and courts evaluate evidence, why similar cases can produce different outcomes, and how industry context shapes intervention.

This course focuses on techniques for estimating regression models and the problems encountered in applying them. The goal is to teach econometric theory while providing hands-on experience estimating models with real data. The course culminates in an intensive research paper that takes students through all stages of the empirical research process, from question formulation and data collection through analysis and interpretation.

This is a course in the history of the American economy and an exploration of the historical roots of contemporary economic issues. The events of history help us better understand and evaluate economic theory; economic theory helps us better understand history. Readings challenge commonly held perceptions of the past and reveal how history shapes current economic debates. Students complete an original research project.

Taught as part of Furman’s Edinburgh study away program, this course traces the long transformation of Scotland from a rural society to a network of burghs, then turns to the Scottish Enlightenment and the conception of commercial society it produced. Using that foundation, we explore the actual process of industrial transformation in Britain, linking the theory of the Scottish Enlightenment with the practice of the Industrial Revolution, set against the backdrop of living and traveling in Edinburgh and Scotland.

Students conduct an internship with a non-U.S. legislative body, NGO, or private company while participating in the Edinburgh study away program. Weekly seminars and individual assignments connect the internship experience to broader questions of professional development, career reflection, and portfolio building. Students intern a minimum of 16–20 hours per week under the supervision of Arcadia University.