• Economics courses at Williams offer the advantages of a liberal arts college setting, including small class sizes and significant interaction between faculty and students. The department offers a wide variety of courses, including introductory classes designed to serve the needs of potential majors and non-majors alike, core courses in economic theory and econometrics, numerous lower-level and upper-level electives, tutorials, and senior seminars involving a significant research and writing component. The offering of electives is flexible and designed to serve the teaching and scholarly interests of faculty members as well as the interests of students. Department members are also encouraged to develop new courses. A number of department members teach in several inter-departmental programs in the College (Political Economy, Environmental Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, and several geographic Area Studies programs).
  • The primary objectives of the economics major are to develop an understanding of how individuals, organizations, and societies meet their material needs. The introductory courses present the fundamental principles of economics at a level that is useful for understanding a wide range of social and policy issues. The core theory courses provide a more rigorous grounding in the tools used in analyzing individual choice, the functioning of markets, and the behavior of output, employment, and inflation. The econometrics course familiarizes students with the methods used to analyze economic data and equips them with the tools necessary to critique and conduct empirical research. The electives draw on the skills developed in the introductory and core courses to gain a richer understanding of specific aspects of economic behavior and public policy.
  • The economics major and business careers. The analytical and critical thinking skills taught in economics classes are useful for many careers, including business. The major is not designed to provide pre-professional training in business or management, however. Students from a wide variety of majors, including the sciences and humanities, have gone on to successful business careers. We, therefore, advise those interested in business to acquire broad exposure to the arts, social science, and natural sciences, and to major in a subject that engages their interest even if that subject is something other than economics.