The central question of macroeconomics is the determination of output, employment, and prices. This course develops models which incorporate behavioral assumptions concerning consumption, investment, and the role of money and their relationship to macroeconomic variables. Macroeconomics, unlike microeconomics, has been in a constant state of flux during the 20th and into the 21st century. Theories which purport to explain macroeconomic behavior have come into and gone out of fashion depending upon institutional changes and external factors. This course will primarily focus on examining four macroeconomic theories; the Classical, Keynesian, Monetarist, and New Classical models. In addition, macroeconomic public policy will be analyzed in the context of recent economic history. This analysis will be extended to consider open economy macroeconomics in a global context.

The main objective of the course is to analyze financial decision-making and the role of the financial sector in modern life. The course explores economic theory and modeling of asset pricing, risk management, and digital currency (cryptocurrency). The course examines the history of financial institutions and regulations in an economy and the important roles they have in promoting economic stability and growth.