Econ 654 will use recent developments in economic and financial theory to analyze the potential effects of financial markets and monetary policy instruments on the consumption and investment decisions of households and firms over time. Article readings will be stressed; there is no required course textbook.
The prerequisites for the course are Econ 604 (old 603) and Econ 607 (old 502), that is, the second semesters of the Ph.D. micro and macro theory sequences. Grades for the course will be based on one midterm exam (70 points), an article critique (30 points), and a final comprehensive exam (100 points). Contributions to class discussion will be taken into account in the case of a borderline grade.
More detailed information concerning course objectives, course topics, and assigned readings can be found in the syllabus for Econ 654.