Courses

2024-2025 Academic Year

ECON 1101
Introduction to Microeconomics 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): grade XII mathematics
An introduction to the behaviour of individual agents in the Canadian economy and the markets in which they interact. Topics include consumer theory; theory of the firm, production and cost; government intervention in the microeconomic framework; and market structure. (Also listed under Canadian Studies and Public Policy Studies)

ECON 1102
Introduction to Macroeconomics 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): ECON 1101
An introduction to the Canadian macro-economy and the determinants of economic aggregates such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), national income accounts, employment, and the price level. The government use of fiscal and monetary policies and the effects of these policies on economic variables will also be studied. (Also listed under Canadian Studies and Public Policy Studies)

ECON 2201
Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): ECON 1102
The study of the determination of broad economic aggregates such as GNP, employment and the price level, analysis of problems such as inflation, unemployment, business cycles, economic growth and international financial crisis, and how governments respond to them.

ECON 2202
Intermediate Macroeconomics 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): ECON 2201
A course designed to enable students to apply macroeconomic tools to analyse and solve empirical problems. The topics covered may include Keynesian, monetarist and supply-side theories and policies; econometric macro models as vehicles for empirical analysis, forecasting and policy evaluation; and problems of the open economy.

ECON 2204
Labour Markets and Policies in Canada 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): ECON 1102
Topics may include: labour supply, emphasizing policies that influence participation, migration, and the acquisition of human capital; labour demand and unemployment; collective bargaining, labour organizations and wage determination. (Also listed under Canadian Studies and Public Policy Studies)

ECON 2206
Canadian Economic Problems and Policies 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): ECON 1102
An examination of the structure of Canadian economy, current economic problems and the role the Canadian government plays in implementing public policy to deal with these issues. Topics include: resource industries, manufacturing industries, foreign direct investment, service sector, environmental issues, poverty and distribution of income, health care, education and labour policies. (Also listed under Canadian Studies and Public Policy Studies)

ECON 2208
Corporate Power 0.5 unit
Prerequisites: ECON 1102
An examination of corporate power and the policy alternatives available for its control. Topics include the structural determinants of market power, dominant firms, cartels, merger and competition policy, public enterprise, monopoly, the military industrial complex, and corporations’
influence on the media, public opinion, and politics. (Also listed under Canadian Studies and Public Policy Studies)

ECON 2210
Intermediate Microeconomic Theory 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): ECON 1102
A study of how prices allocate resources, determine the methods of production, and distribute income in free market economies; how households and firms interact in different kinds of markets; and the effects of government regulation on them.

ECON 2215/POLS 2215
Political-Economy for Social Justice 0.5 unit
A non-mathematical examination of the interaction of economics and politics behind the promotion and impediment of social justice. Students will learn to critically challenge the political-economic institutions, structures, and theoretical arguments that obstruct social justice, and develop alternative, evidence-based counterarguments for socially-just alternatives.

ECON 2311
International Trade 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): ECON 1101
An examination of the motives for the exchange of goods and services among nations, the developments in the field from the orthodox theory of international trade to the recent theories of multinational enterprises, the patterns of international trade and production, and the welfare implications of trade. (Also listed under Public Policy Studies)

ECON 2312
International Finance 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): ECON 1102
An examination of the determination of exchange rates, international reserves, the balance of payments accounts, and international capital movements. It also examines international monetary arrangements with particular reference to the role of central banks and international monetary organizations. (Also listed under Public Policy Studies)

ECON 3305
Money and Banking 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): ECON 2210 or permission of the instructor
An examination of the history, financial institutions, and operation of the Canadian payments system, including the elementary theory of financial markets and financial intermediation, and the role of government in Canadian financial markets. (Also listed under Canadian Studies)

ECON 3307
Industrial Organization 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): ECON 2210 or permission of the instructor
An introduction to the determinants of market structure, theories of pricing, policy approaches to monopoly problems, and the economics of the patent system, with an overall appraisal of North American market structures and their performance.

ECON 3308
Health Care Policy 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): ECON 1102
An examination of the organization and performance of Canadian health care from an economics perspective. This course analyses peculiarities of Demand and Supply of health care, cost and benefits of forming health care public policies, role of government in the system, current problems surrounding these issues, and comparison with other countries’ health care system. (Also listed under Public Policy Studies)

ECON 3320
History of Economic Thought 1.0 unit
Prerequisite(s): ECON 2201 and 2210
The main outlines of the history of theoretical economics from the ancient Greeks to the present day including studies of several major economists and their ideas.

ECON 3325
Public Policy and Public Finance in Canada 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): ECON 1102 and 2206
An introduction to the economic theory and policy of government, including the functions, growth and fiscal management of the public sector in Canada. The course will include topics concerning the delivery of social goods, public sector financing, fiscal policy, and intergovernmental fiscal relations. (Also listed under Canadian Studies and Public Policy Studies)

ECON 3330
Economic Development 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): ECON 1102
An examination of the policy tools and planning techniques used to formulate and implement economic development strategies. Topics include an overview of economic development and growth theories, development problems in general and those faced by less developed countries in particular, and major policies and practices influencing economic development. (Also listed under Public Policy Studies)

ECON 3335
Pverty and Economic Inequality 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): ECON 1102
An examination of the recent theoretical and empirical developments of income inequality and redistribution. It explains how various distribution theories deal with the increase in income inequality between rich and poor countries and with trends in Canada. (Also listed under Public Policy Studies)

ECON 3341
Introductory Econometrics I 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): ECON 1102, and either MATH 2209 or 3304
An introduction to linear estimation in the context of the classical model. Problems caused by violation of the assumptions of the classical model are also discussed, together with appropriate methods of estimation.

ECON 3550
Environmental Economics 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): ECON 1102
An examination of the economics of the environment. Topics include market failure (public goods and externalities), approaches to environmental management and regulation, measuring the cost and benefits of environmental action, environmental risk analysis, and environmental challenges within the Canadian economy. (Also listed under Public Policy Studies)

ECON 4408
Directed Study or Research 0.5 unit
ECON 4409
Directed Study or Research 0.5 unit
ECON 4410
Directed Study or Research 1.0 unit
Prerequisite(s): open to senior students doing a major or concentration in economics who have received departmental approval
An open course, permitting students to study an area of economics not accommodated in the regular program. The student plans a syllabus in consultation with the supervising professor. Students interested in this alternative should apply for departmental permission before the term in which they wish to take this course. Equivalent to three lecture hours.

ECON 4444/POLS 4444
Global Issues Seminar 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): 1.0 unit of political studies or economics at the 2000 level or above or permission of the instructor
An advanced seminar which explores contemporary theoretical approaches and research in the area. The particular topics and discussions will be determined by the professor and students in the seminar. Students will do in-depth work on selected topics in the area. (Also listed under Public Policy Studies)

Academic Note: This web-based calendar information is applicable for the 2024-2025 academic year which runs from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2025.

For information on previous years, please consult the University Academic Calendars web page.