Independent Study

How can I participate in an independent study arrangement in Economics?

There are several ways in which you can pursue independent study inthe department, depending on the kind of project you're interested in.

EC 401 gives you the chance to pursue a particular topic in depth, probably resulting in a research term paper.

EC 404 allows you to receive academic credit for aninternship experience, usually requiring that you do a bit of readingto put your work experience into academic perspective and writing ashort paper discussing your practical and academic understanding ofeconomic issues which with you dealt during your internship.

EC 405 lets you create your own course, so that youread widely rather than deeply on a topic. The only limitation is thatyou cannot duplicate a regular course already on the books. Typicalassignments for EC 405 are short papers critiquing and synthesizingyour readings.

To register for any of these three independentstudy options, you should give some thought to the topic that you wantto pursue. Then you can approach a faculty member who would be a goodchoice to supervise you project, due to their field of expertise and/oryour comfort with them. The two of you will come to an agreement as towhat you'll do, including the number of credits you'll earn and whatassignments you'll complete, and the faculty member will fill out a "ByArrangement Form" that will register you for these credits.