Behavioral Economics: Week By Week Schedule

NOTE: This schedule can and will change regularly as the semester goes along. Please refer to this prior to each class to make sure that we are all on the same page.

INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND

Week 1 Jan 22 and 24: What is Behavioral Economics? What is Experimental Economics?

Weeks 2 & 3 Jan 29 and 31; Feb 5 and 7: Evolution and Cognitive Psychology

INDIVIDUAL DECISION-MAKING

Week 4 Feb 12 and 14: Heuristics, Biases and Utility

Week 5 Feb 19 and 21: Prospect Theory Part I and the Endowment Effect

Week 6 Feb 26 and 28: The Endowment Effect and Prospect Theory Continued

Week 7 Mar 5 and 7: Prospect Theory Part II

SPRING BREAK: NOTE that your midterm essays will be "take home". I will post them by Week 7 and they will be due after the break on March 28th in the office. The essays will be over all material covered prior to the break. I will provide choices as to the questions as well as explicit rubrics for formal writing and critical thinking.

Week 8 Mar 26 and 28: Discounting and Intertemporal Choice

COLLECTIVE, COMPETITIVE AND/OR COOPERATIVE DECISION-MAKING

Week 9 April 2 and 4: Game Theory and Interdependent Decision-Making

Week 10 April 9 and 11: Trust, Fairness, Compassion and Altruism

Week 11 April 16 and 18: The Wisdom of Crowds, Learning and Cascades

Topics in Behavioral Economics

Week 12 April 23 and 25: The Labor Market, the Environment and Macroeconomics