Your first courses will teach you about key economic concepts and the role of markets, along with how to measure and interpret Gross Domestic Product (GDP), unemployment and price levels. You’ll examine economic instability through a study of causes and policy prescriptions from two major opposing schools of thought: Classical and Keynesian. You’ll learn about interest rates and the Federal Reserve and consider current policy debates on international trade, monetary and fiscal policy, the deficit, economic growth and productivity. You’ll also have an introduction to how economists interpret the everyday decisions of consumers, businesses and workers and apply economic analysis to real-world questions like minimum wage, business profits, taxes, outsourcing and environmental policies.
Later courses cover statistical thinking as applied to such topics as probability distributions, regressions, correlation, analysis of variance and so on. Advanced macro- and micro-economics classes in our department delve deeper into theories and policies surrounding income and price level, interest rates and monetary and fiscal policy. You’ll more closely examine market failures and government involvement in the economy.
Your studies will culminate as a senior in peer-reviewed scholarly research in sub-fields. You will prepare an original research proposal on a topic that interests you, submitting the research and presenting your results with close faculty guidance.
B.A. Colby College
Ph.D. Syracuse University
Areas of Expertise:
Macroeconomics, money and banking
My Saint Michael's:
Come to Saint Michael's if you want to enjoy the full college experience, while always keeping in mind that academics are the main reason you are here.
M.A., Ph.D. Boston University
B.S. University of Rhode Island
What attracted me to economics was a desire to learn more about problems of poverty and income inequality. I try to share with students my enthusiasm for learning and a conviction that economic ideas are stimulating, relevant and challenging.
Ph.D. University of Nebraska at Lincoln
M.A. University of Bombay, India
B.A. Sophia College, India
Areas of Expertise:
Applied research on development and poverty: food, agrarian change, capitalist transformation, development activism in India.
Courses I Teach:
- Development Economics
- History of Economic Thought and Policy
- Microeconomic Theory
- Senior Seminar
- World Economies
My Saint Michael's:
I like the fact that my students and I have a truly meaningful student-teacher relationship. They know me and I know them. Our college engenders mentoring as an ethos which when combined with manageable class sizes, makes it really possible for me to contact students personally and let them know that I care, not only about their understanding of the subject but also their well-being as a person through their educational experience.
After 10 years of being a faculty member here, I have realized how much this connection with students, matters to me. The kind of personal investment we make in each one of our students is a mutually reinforcing process between students, faculty and all those who are connected with students outside of classes as well, all of which is embedded in our evolving institutional ethos and collective values.
M.A., Ph.D. University of Colorado, Boulder
B.A. Ghazvin College of Economics, Iran
Courses I Teach
In addition to the introductory courses in economics, I teach upper level Macroeconomic Theory, Statistics for Economics, Senior Seminar and several electives such as International Economics, and Environmental Economics.
Ph.D. University of Michigan
B.A. Washington University in St. Louis
Areas of Expertise:
Economics of education; focusing on competition in education; sorting among schools; and peer externalities. Other topics include occupational choice and occupational switching.
Courses I Teach:
- Economics of Health Care
- Principles of Macroeconomics
- Principles of Microeconomics
- Public Finance
My Saint Michael's:
I chose to pursue a Ph.D. in economics so that I would have the opportunity to show students that economics is a powerful, interesting, and relevant way of understanding the world's problems.
Saint Michael's is a tight community where the individual doesn't get lost. As a young faculty member, I can have a much greater impact at Saint Michael's - both in and out of the classroom - than I can at a larger university.
The lights really come on when students see that economics offers a way to make sense of real-world issues. I think students gain a real sense of power in being able to cut to the core of an economic question.
Saint Michael's students are willing to have fun in their classes. While they are receptive to an in-class demonstration or exercise, these experiments can get some laughs, and yet they will ultimately stick in the students' minds better than a straight lecture.
My favorite class to teach is Principles of Microeconomics. My goal is to get students excited about economics during their first exposure to the subject. Even if they don't take any more classes in economics, I want them see how economics is a powerful, interesting, and relevant way to address today's problems.
The class sizes at Saint Michael's allow students to do more project-based work in my courses. Students in Public Finance design their own healthcare system, education system, and Social Security system - and then have to design the taxes to pay for it all.
Outside the classroom, students are engaged by the "Current Issues in Economics" series. In this series, faculty members discuss different views on issues such as minimum wage, outsourcing, immigration, Wal-Mart, and the presidential candidates' economic platforms.
Because of our proximity to the city of Burlington, you'll quickly have opportunities to apply your knowledge to real-world situations through internships with local businesses such as:
- National Life Insurance
- Wachovia Securities
- UBS Paine Weber
- Williams & Associates Financial Services.
We support internships whenever, in the judgment of the department, the internship substantially adds to the student's background in economics. The internship must in some significant way be relevant to the discipline and offer an educational opportunity not found in traditional course work. We believe that internships can be important to a student's educational experience for many reasons. We will specifically evaluate internship proposals on the basis of their academic merit. Approval of an internship proposal is based on the quality of a student's proposal and the academic character of the candidate. The department is selective in its sponsorship of students and selective in its acceptance of internship sites.
You'll also have the opportunity to conduct student research on and off campus. In recent years, students have extensively researched and studied how oil prices affect the adoption of solar energy, what the effect of competition is on health insurance premiums and how public-school students would perform in private schools.
Another opportunity is the Professor John Carvellas Scholarship in Economics, which recognizes one of our department’s beloved veteran faculty members for his exceptional teaching, mentoring talents and friendship, while providing financial support to students who want to pursue a degree in economics. The award(s) is renewable on an annual basis for juniors and/or seniors based on solid academic performance and the recommendation of the department chair.
The Professor John Carvellas Scholarship in Economics
The Professor John Carvellas Scholarship in Economics recognizes John for his exceptional teaching, mentoring talents and friendship while providing financial support to students who want to pursue a degree in economics.
The award(s) will be renewable on an annual basis for juniors and/or seniors based on solid academic performance and the recommendation of the Department of Economics Chair.
The 2010 scholarship recipients are Kaitlyn Tuthill and Josh Hoxie.
After graduation, our majors go on to careers like:
- Financial Analyst
- Mutual Funds Associate
- Senior Research and Statistics
- Internal Sales Representative
- Market Research Analyst
- Account Manager
- Climate Solutions Advisor
- Policy Analyst
You'll find Saint Michael's economics graduates working and studying at places like:
- ESPN
- Travelers Insurance Company
- UBS Financial Services
- NativeEnergy
- Bank of America
- Cabot Creamery
- ResU.S. Department of Agriculture
- State of Maryland
- United Parcel Service
Law: Syracuse, Boston University
MBA: Clarkson, Boston University, Northeastern, Boston College
MA: Duke, Tulane, Clark, University of Vermont
Ph.D.: Rutgers, University of Michigan, University of Connecticut
To contact the Department of Economics:
Department of Economics
Saint Michael's College
One Winooski Park, Box 144
Colchester, VT 05439
Fax: 802.654.2478