MRUniversity Courses

The Eurozone Crisis

4

What's the future of the European Union and the Euro? The Eurozone Crisis is one of the most important issues in the world today. In this free three week mini-course, we cover both the institutions that make up the European Union and the underlying economics that are behind the crisis. We cover what is considered "consensus" knowledge by economists while also adding our own speculations in the mix.We will be updating this course as the situation changes in Europe. Click the "follow this course" button to stay up-to-date.This class does not require any particular knowledge of mathematics. If you pass the final exam, you will earn our "Eurozone Crisis" certificate on your profile.

International Finance

5

This free video course covers some of the most complex but also important topics in economics. How are exchange rates determined? When if ever are ongoing trade deficits harmful? Are fixed or floating exchange rates better? What are the roots of the euro crisis and what resolution can we expect? Does China manipulate its exchange rate and if so how does that matter? We cover all of these topics and more, with an eye toward what a person really might want to know. There is no use of mathematics in this course beyond the very basic.The interesting thing about international finance is that even a lot of professional economists don’t understand it very well, unless they have specialized in the area. If you complete this course, you’ll probably know a lot which they don’t! We encourage you to dive in at your own pace and watch videos more than once if it's helpful.

Development Economics

4

Why are some countries rich and others poor? This fundamental question has been on the mind of economists since Adam Smith wrote "The Wealth of Nations" in 1776.This is a full course that covers all the major issues and developments in the field of development economics. Unlike typical college courses, we will take you to the frontier of the discipline, covering recent research as well as more established material.This course is non-technical and is accessible to a beginner. If you pass the final exam, you will earn our "Development Economics" certificate on your profile.Feel free to either go through the entire course or if you prefer, pick and choose videos of interest.

Money Skills

0

Unsure of how to invest your money? Whether to rent or buy? Or which career path is right for you? We've all asked ourselves these questions, and it seems that everywhere you turn — the TV, radio, financial advisors, friends, and family — someone has an answer.In this free video course we turn down the noise to bring you sound advice. With two seasoned economists as your guides, you’ll walk through what everyone needs to know about personal finance.And, since this course is meant to be as helpful as possible to the MRU community, we want to hear from you! Let us know what questions you have or vote on topics submitted by others. Your submission may be the topic of a future video!

Economics of the Media

4

In the Information Age, media is everywhere. This course will help you make sense of it all, providing insight into the structure of media firms, the nature of their products and how they make money.Is media biased? Is consolidation of media companies bad for consumers? This course will address those questions as well as how the government affects the structure of media through policies such as net neutrality, copyright, TV regulation, and spectrum allocation.This course will provide a general background on the research from economists on media and journalism. There will be a lot of economics and not too much math.If you pass the final exam, you will earn our "Economics of the Media" certificate on your profile.

Understanding Data

3

Data is all around us. Everything from the fitness tracker on your wrist to researchers at your local university are creating mountains of data — big data. What does all this data mean? And how can it help us answer important questions, such as: What are the leading causes of heart disease? Or what patterns are related to higher pay at your job? Looking at data can help us answer fun questions too — who’s likely to win the next Super Bowl?Leave the boring lectures behind and intuitively learn data analysis through interactive exercises that allow you to play with fascinating real-world datasets. By the end of this free course, you’ll be comfortable applying the basics of statistical analysis and econometrics. There are no prerequisites and we encourage you to repeat the interactive lessons as often as you need.

Great Economists: Classical Economics and its Forerunners

0

This free video course covers the history of economic thought up until the "Marginal Revolution" in the 1870s and features a video for each chapter of Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations." The videos answer important questions such as: Who were the first economic thinkers? What are the very origins of economic thought? What did earlier economists understand but has been lost to the modern world? Why is Adam Smith the greatest economist of all time? How did the economic issues of the 18th and 19th centuries shape the thoughts of the classical economists?This course is non-technical and is accessible to a beginner. If you pass the final exam, you will earn our "Great Economists" certificate on your profile.

Mexico's Economy: Current Prospects and History

3

Is Mexico the most dynamic economy in Latin America? After some tough times in the 1980s and 90s, Mexico has emerged as one of the economic leaders of the region. Where does it stand among other emerging markets and what are its prospects for the future? In this four-week course, we will study the modern Mexican economy, some of the unique elements of development in a one-party, authoritarian regime, and some of the challenges the country faced in getting to this point.This course is non-technical and is accessible to a beginner.

Principles of Economics: Macroeconomics

0

In this free macroeconomics course, following our Principles of Microeconomics, you’ll continue to explore the economic way of thinking and the role incentives play in all our lives.We’ll cover fundamental macroeconomics questions such as: Why do some countries grow rich while others remain poor? How important is a country’s banking system — and what happened during the recent financial crisis? How did Zimbabwe end up with an inflation rate that rose into the quadrillions?We’ll also cover important topics like the Federal Reserve, monetary policy, fiscal policy, the Solow Growth Model, institutional analysis, the “economics of ideas,” and more. We'll release a new video every Tuesday.

Principles of Economics: Microeconomics

3.5

By taking this free microeconomics course, you’ll be exposed to the economic way of thinking. You’ll understand how to use economics in your life and, ultimately, see the world differently.We’ll cover fundamental microeconomics concepts like supply and demand and equilibrium. We’ll also answer questions such as: How are prices determined? What did Adam Smith mean when he said the market process works like an "invisible hand"? How is it that we have access to fresh roses in very chilly cities every Valentine’s Day? We will cover all the key topics including competition, monopoly, price discrimination, externalities, public goods and more.There are no prerequisites to this course and it is accessible to a beginner.

The American Housing Finance System

3

The course is intended for people who would like a deeper understanding of the American housing finance system. The focus will be on providing necessary background knowledge rather than on evaluating specific policy proposals. Near the end of the course, participants will be encouraged to bring up policy issues and to discuss them in light of the information presented.Special emphasis will be placed on two factors. One is mortgage analytics, which means the measurement and modeling of default risk and interest-rate risk from the standpoint of the lender. A second factor is business process and industry structure, which means describing the tasks involved in mortgage lending and characterizing the firms that perform each task.

Principios de Microeconomía

0

Note: This course is entirely in Spanish.Este curso introductorio es en español y está dirigido a personas que desean entender los conceptos básicos de microeconomía, un área de la economía que estudia, entre otras cosas, cómo los individuos (consumidores y productores) se comportan.Primero explicaremos el lado de la demanda y cómo ésta responde a cambios en los precios. Luego explicaremos cómo los individuos toman decisiones de consumo, y la manera en que cambios en el ingreso afecta esas decisiones. También explicamos la oferta, constituida por productores o firmas, los costos que enfrentan en el proceso de producción, y por qué los costos son importantes para la decisión de producción.Una parte importante de la clase es explicar las diferentes estructuras de mercado y la manera en la que los precios de equilibrio se determinan en cada una de ellas. También miraremos los efectos que la regulación del gobierno, en la forma de controles de precios, tienen sobre precios de equilibrio, y el bienestar de consumidores y productores.

International Trade

3.7

This free video course takes a look at the basic theories of international trade and the consequences of trade in today's global economy. You'll have the opportunity to learn more about fundamental ideas such as comparative advantage, increasing returns to scale, factor endowments, and arbitrage across borders. The consequences we discuss include the effects of offshoring, how trade has shaped the economies of China, Mexico, and Korea, when foreign direct investment is desirable, and the history of free trade and tariffs, among other topics. Trade is a topic of increasing importance and this material will give you a better grasp on the theories and empirics as they have been developed by economists.This course is non-technical and is accessible to a beginner. If you pass the final exam, you will earn our "International Trade" certificate on your profile.

Economic History of the Soviet Union

0

Economic theory must distinguish between publicly owned and privately owned property if it is to account for the effect of institutions on the behavior of individuals. Careful study of the theories of Marxists and the real-world experience in the Soviet economy offer important lessons and insight for economic modeling and the ongoing development of theory. In this course, Marxist/Leninist theory and Soviet reality will be studied with an open mind, and with the goal of taking lessons from the case study.

Mastering Econometrics

0

If you're looking to untangle cause and effect in a complex world, then econometrics is what you seek. Join MIT professor Josh Angrist and learn to master the econometrics "Furious Five": random assignment, regression, instrumental variables, regression discontinuity designs, and differences-in-differences methods.Think econometrics is boring? So it was once, but will be no more! Skipping theoretical tedium, we use real empirical questions to bring the numbers to life. Does a private university education pay off with higher earnings? Do lower drinking ages cost lives? Econometrics uncovers the answers.