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Course Catalog

An Economic Approach to Religion

The purpose of this course is to apply principles of economics involving, for example, resource allocation and competition in an effort to increase our understanding of religious behavior. The content is driven by economic theory, but we see it informed by the important contributions of sociology, psychology and political science (among other disciplines). The majority of the course employs standard rational economic theory that has been prominent in the modern study of economic behavior. Coursework relaxes this assumption to reflect the contribution of behavioral economics, which has recently gathered attention within the discipline. The course employs both theoretical and empirical analyses. Consequently, the class develops or extends economic concepts in a step-by-step fashion in order to lead students to predictions of various aspects of religious behavior, enabling them to test these predictions with data. Prerequisites: ECON 101 and ECON 102.

Grade Basis: Letter Grade
Credits: 4.0