1110E. Population, Food, and the Environment

The role of agriculture in the growth and development of societies throughout the world. Economic, social, and environmental problems of food production and resource needs in developing and advanced societies. CA 2.

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1150. Principles of Applied and Resource Economics

An introduction to microeconomic analysis with applications to food, nutrition, health, natural resources, and the environment. Topics include consumer and firm behavior, supply, demand, markets, and economic policy. CA 2.

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1333Q. Introduction to Data and Visualization

The use of Excel tools and commands to organize, analyze, and interpret data and create reports that can be understood by lay audiences in an increasingly data-driven world.

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2150. Intermediate Applied and Resource Economics

Applications of intermediate level microeconomic theory to problems and policy issues in agriculture, natural resources, and the environment. Topics include supply, demand, market equilibrium, consumer and producer behavior, perfect competition, and welfare economics. Emphasis will be placed on using the theory in applied and computational exercises.

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2155. Imperfect Competition and Behavioral Economics

Extension of intermediate microeconomic theory to include noncompetitive markets and psychology to consumer behavior. Topics include monopolies and oligopolies (and their welfare implications); game theory (including adverse selection and moral hazard); and behavioral economics (such as time inconsistency, loss aversion, and pro-social preferences). Emphasis will be placed on real-world applications of theory in agriculture, health, natural resources, and the environment.

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2210. Essentials of Accounting and Business

An analysis of basic business principles, fundamentals and concepts for agribusiness entrepreneurs. Taught with SARE 460.

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2215. Business Management

Analysis of marketing, management, and financial decision-making tools in agribusiness.

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2250E. Energy Economics: Sustainable Transitions

Application of economics theory, methods and concepts to focus on electricity markets, electricity generation, financing of the power transmission grid, regulation, policies and the welfare effects of policies within the current generation and implications for future generations. Topics include energy demand and supply, energy pricing, the environmental consequences of energy consumption and production, the regulation and design of energy systems and markets, and economics of policies designed to facilitate transitions to carbon neutrality, such as carbon credits, offsets, and renewable portfolio standards. Lectures, computer applications with data, analysis of current events, and class discussions. CA 2.

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2260. Food Policy

Analysis of food and agricultural policies in the United States and abroad. Designed for students with diverse departmental affiliations.

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2261W. Writing in Food Policy

A writing intensive course on issues related to food policy, integrated with course content in ARE 2260.

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2434E. Environmental and Resource Policy

Emergence of environmental policies from the local, legal, and regulatory angles. Formalization and structure of environmental policy with a focus on the hurdles, design, and implementation of policy, particularly air and water policy. Suitable for all majors.

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2435W. Writing in Environmental and Resource Policy

A writing intensive course integrated with course content in ARE 2434E.

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2464. Measuring Impact of Programs that Raise Human Well-being

The theory and practice behind measuring impacts and costs of programs that raise human welfare through poverty alleviation, economic development, and social and environmental justice. Case studies will show how governments and organizations can best optimize programming. Examples include how to increase incomes and farm productivity, how to decrease disease and child mortality, and how to improve resilience to climate change. Topics include survey design, performance indicators, the logical framework and results matrix, sample design, impact evaluation methodologies and project appraisal.

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2525. Sustainability Policy and Management

What factors do we need to consider for evaluating sustainability and its implementation? How do those factors depend on the topic at hand? This course is an effort to answer these two questions and to provide perspectives and tools to better evaluate whether we should or should not pursue a particular sustainability option. We will discuss a wide array of topics in sustainability, such as waste, healthcare, energy, food, climate, and the production of animal agriculture. CA 2.

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3221. Managerial Economics and Business Strategies

The application of microeconomic analysis to decision-making techniques of businesses and management units with a particular focus on the food industry covering topics such as electing or developing products, deciding on product output and pricing, organizational design, promotional strategies, worker hiring and training, and investment and financing.

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3222. Marketing and Consumer Behavior

This course focuses on principles of contemporary marketing, including consumer behavior, social media, product, promotion, distribution and pricing strategies, with special emphasis on food and health.

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3223. Business Organization and Labor Markets

Analytical tools that economists use to evaluate the organizational and hiring decisions of firms. Emphasis on the effect of government policies and programs on how many workers are hired, how much they are paid, and how other forms of compensation are structured. Specific areas of consideration may include: minimum wages, federal income tax, payroll and self-employment taxes, unemployment insurance, immigration, health insurance, retirement account contributions, the use of contractors in place of employees (the so-called "gig economy"), legal form of organization, and business liability. Special emphasis on using original sources, including federal statistical agency data products, reports from federal oversight bodies, US Code, and IRS publications.

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3225. Price Analysis and Futures Trading

Principles and applications of market price determination, with special emphasis on the use of futures markets for profit and price risk management. Includes food and energy case studies, internet applications, and a futures simulation exercise.

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3305E. Economic Development, Environment, and Policy

Integrating the topics of economic development and the environment. Overview of economic development and growth in developed and developing nations. Classical and modern theories of economic growth and measures of economic inequality. Population growth, sustainable economic development, rural-urban interactions, agricultural transformation, and impacts on the environment. The role of education and health, policies for economic development, and climate adaptation.

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3333. Computational Analysis in Applied Economics

Learn fundamental concepts of statistics and economics through analysis of economic data using computer spreadsheets.

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3437E. Marine Fisheries Economics and Policy

Explores the various natural, human and management components of the fishery system and presents the application of economic and policy analysis for the optimal allocation of resources to a fishery.

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3438E. Climate Economics

Analysis of the interactive relationship between the economy and climate change. Use of principles and tools of economics to focus on the costs of changes in the severity and frequency of weather events, how these costs are influenced by markets and policies, and how costs and benefits are distributed across populations within the U.S and across the globe in the short and long terms. Examination of household, firm-level, national and international decision-making as influenced by climate change, taking into account uncertainty, diverging interests, external costs, and evaluation of models used to alternative scenarios.

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4205. Market Planning and Survey Research in the Food Industry

Overview of market planning in the food industry, with emphasis on survey design and implementation. Student groups will work with clients to develop tailored market plans.

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4215. Sustainable Business Planning

The practice of creating a sustainable business plan as a critical step for entrepreneurial success. In this class you will learn principles of marketing, financial and human resource management as well as budgeting techniques and the legal and organizational structure of businesses while creating a sustainable business plan.

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4217. Business Finance and Investment Management

Theory and practice of business finance and investment management, including sources of funding, the capital structure of corporations, the actions that managers take to increase the value of the firm, and the tools and analysis used to allocate financial resources. Emphasis on investment decision-making, corporate risk management, capital flow management, and mergers and acquisitions. Use of real-world applications to provide students with a solid background in the economic theory of business finance and investment management in food and resource industries.

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4279. International Commodity Trade

The basic principles of international commodity trade and market institutions. Applications to current problems of international commodity trade and policy.

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4305. Sustainable Economic Development

The role of sustainable economic development of less developed economies. Microeconomic dimensions of agricultural development, food security, agricultural production and supply, foreign assistance, and government programming.

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4438E. Valuing the Environment

Conceptual and practical understanding of main methods used to evaluate economic benefits of environmental protection and damages from degradation. Methods include: change in productivity, hedonic pricing, travel cost method, contingent valuation, defensive expenditures, replacement costs, and cost-of-illness. Topics covered include: recreation, soil-erosion, energy, forestry, hazardous waste, air pollution, deforestation, wetlands, wildlife, biodiversity, noise, visibility, water, and water pollution.

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4444. Economics of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

Economics of energy issues with special reference to local and regional environmental quality, global climate change, and energy markets. Environmental and economic implications of developing alternative sources of energy. Regulatory policies in relation to transportation, industry, commercial and residential energy use.

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4462E. Environmental and Resource Economics

Natural resource use and environmental quality analysis using economic theory. Reviews of empirical research and relevant policy issues.

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4476. International Trade and Policy

Analysis of international trade and trade policy focusing on agricultural and food markets. Covers trade-related issues concerning economic development and growth. Focus on current challenges to the multilateral trading system and the theoretical foundation for understanding the economic importance of firms, international trade, and global capital flows. Introduction of methods and tools for counterfactual evaluation of trade policies. Taught concurrently with ARE 5476.

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4897. Honors Thesis

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4900. Farm Credit Fellows Seminar

Course offered with Farm Credit East. Students learn agribusiness concepts from the lender's perspective. Students taking this course will be assigned a grade of S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory).

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4991. Professional Internship

Provides students with a meaningful experience in a formalized applied resource economics program under supervised conditions. Each student taking this course must submit a formal written report for evaluation and meet all other course requirements as specified by the instructor. Requires Independent Study Authorization with consent of department head and advisor.

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4993. Foreign Study

Special topics taken in a foreign study program. Consent of department head required, normally to be granted prior to the student's departure.

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4995. Special Topics

Topics and credits to be published prior to the registration period preceding the semester offerings.

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4999. Independent Study

Designed primarily for Resource Economics majors. Open to students with Independent Study Authorization.

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