Alexander Smith - Teaching

Courses

Projects


Courses

WPI

ECON 110X - Everyday Economics

This course provides a provocative introduction to basic principles of economic decision-making using relevant examples from everyday life. The textbook for the course is Freakonomics. Topics include Incentives and Cheating, Information (Asymmetry), Tournaments, Correlation vs Causation, and Signaling. The course involves giving presentations and writing reports in groups.

My next offering: C Term, 2015/16.

ECON 1110 - Introductory Microeconomics

This is a standard introductory microeconomics course. Topics include demand and supply analysis, public goods, externalities, firm behavior, and a little bit of behavioral economics.

My next offering: Not in 2015/16; Maybe in 2016/17.

My most recent reviews: 4.32/5 for the course; 4.43/5 for me.

ECON 2110 - Intermediate Microeconomics

This is an intermediate level microeconomics course. I make it interesting by incorporating short group problem-solving sessions into the lectures. Topics include preferences, budget sets, finding demand functions, income and substitution effects, uncertainty, the firm's problem, monopoly and oligopoly, and some behavioral economics. There are regular problem sets.

My next offering: D Term, 2015/16.

My most recent reviews: 4.80/5 for the course; 4.72/5 for me.

ECON 2145 - Behavioral Economics

This is an upper-undergraduate survey course in behavioral economics. Topics include mental accounting, decision-making under uncertainty, intertemporal choice, social preferences, and some behavioral game theory. Classroom activities include group discussions, problem-solving, and even debates. There is a mini-project at the end that includes a presentation and report.

My next offering: Sometime in 2016/17.

My most recent reviews: 4.79/5 for the course; 4.79/5 for me.

ECON 2155 - Experimental Economics

This is an upper-undergraduate survey couse in experimental economics. We discuss the different ways of conducting decision-making experiments, cover the basic principles of designing good experiments, and then devote some time to learning about the standard results from some of the most common experiments. There are regular demonstrations and mock experiments. There is a mini-project that includes a presentation and report.

My next offering: B Term, 2015/16.

My most recent reviews: 4.60/5 for the course; 4.67/5 for me.

University of Calgary

ECON 301 - Intermediate Microeconomics (5x).

ECON 341 - Money and Banking (3x).

Projects

Award-Winning Projects

"Experiments on Cooperation," an MQP by Xi Wen, Winner of the SSPS Dept Provost's Award for Best MQP in 2014.

"Okundjeneka, Okutalaleka: A Two-Step Process for Sustainable Thermal Regulation in Kambashus in Katatura," an IQP by Tim Grupp, Tony Guerra, Olivia Hart, and Dana Wolkiewicz (co-advised by Creighton Peet; completed at the Namibia IQP project center in 2013), One of Five Finalists at the President's IQP Awards in 2014.

"Efficiency Information and Participation in Charity Fundraising Events," an MQP by Satia Miller (co-advised by Kent Rissmiller), Winner of the SSPS Dept Provost's Award for Best MQP in 2012.

IQP Project Center Experience

Windhoek, Namibia, D Term, 2013. With Creighton Peet.