Department of Economics
Course: Economics 404-3 Semester: Fall 2008
Title: Honors Seminar in Methodology Instructor:
of the Social Sciences
Prerequisites: 70 credit hours
Course
Description:
This will be a seminar devoted
to the discussion of the methodology of economic theory in particular and
social science in general. There are no lectures, only seminars where students
are responsible for presentations and
discussion. The seminar will meet three hours a week. There will be a final
exam based on the discussions and readings. Grades
will be based on the final exam and above all on classroom discussions – that
is, the quantity and quality of your general contributions to the discussions
and to a lesser extent your in-class presentations.
The first week will be devoted to
discussing the Plato dialogues listed below (and which can be downloaded free from
the Internet). The second week will be devoted to discussing the Carl Becker’s
book listed below.
NOTE WELL: your failure to
attend the first week of classes and especially the first class of the semester
will leave you seriously handicapped to participate in subsequent discussions. If you cannot attend the first class for any reason,
please do not sign up for this class.
Required
Plato, "Euthyphro",
"The Apology" and "Crito" (early
dialogues) [you can find these on the Web]
Carl
Becker, The Heavenly City of the Eighteenth-Century
Philosophers
Recommended
Boland, Foundations of
Economic Method (free copy at http://www.sfu.ca/~boland)
second edition available
from Routledge Paperbacks Direct website:
www.routledge.com/paperbacksdirect.
Boland, Methodology of Economic Model
Building (free copy at http://www.sfu.ca/~boland)
Boland, Critical
Economic Methodology (free copy at http://www.sfu.ca/~boland)
Attendance at first class of the
semester is considered mandatory!
More information available at
my web page:
http://www.sfu.ca/~boland
or I can be reached by e-mail me at boland@sfu.ca
Students
requiring accommodations as a result of a disability must contact the
Centre for Students with Disabilities 778-782-3112 or csdo@sfu.ca.
All
students are expected to read and understand SFU’s
policies with
regard to academic dishonesty (T 10.02 and T 10.03).
These
policies are available at the following web addresses: