2024-2025 Undergraduate Bulletin

Economics Minor

Description. Economics follows human beings as they strive to fulfill their aspirations within different social and physical environments, notably via the production of commodities, their distribution and consumption, and the elaborations of institutions to organize these three processes. Additionally, economics courses enable students to improve their writing, analytical, and research skills. John Jay economics minors will not only learn mainstream economics, but also alternative theoretical perspectives. The economics minor at John Jay will equip students to critically evaluate how society and government policies affect their daily lives.

Rationale. The Economics Minor is a highly valued compliment to any major, but particularly for those who are interested in policy analysis, activism, employment relations, and business. Moreover, an economics minor is highly regarded and recognized by potential employers, and graduate and law schools because it is a rigorous analytical and critical discipline, thus suggesting that the students will already have the skills to succeed in many career or educational paths they pursue.

Learning outcomes. Students will:

  • Demonstrate economic literacy by using its terminology in writing assignments, exercises, and oral presentations.
  • Critically evaluate economic/social phenomena from multiple theoretical perspectives.
  • Be able to analyze and critique government policies with particular attention to social injustices.

Credits required. 18

Minor coordinator. Professor Jay Hamilton (jhamilton@jjay.cuny.edu), Department of Economics. 

Advisor. Rita Taveras, Department of Economics (rtaveras@jjay.cuny.edu). 

Requirements. Students who desire a minor in Economics must complete 18 credits (two required courses and four electives). A maximum of two 100-level courses can be used for this minor. A maximum of two courses can overlap with a student’s major, other minors or programs.

Part One. Required Courses

Select one
ECO 101Introduction to Economics and Global Capitalism

3

ECO 120Introduction to Macroeconomics

3

ECO 125Introduction to Microeconomics

3

Required
ECO 310Economics in Historical Perspectives

3

Subtotal: 6

Part Two. Economics Electives

Select four courses. Two courses must be at the 300-level or above, only one course may be at the 100-level.

 

AFR 250Political Economy of Racism

3

AFR 322Inequality and Wealth

3

ECO 105Understanding U.S. Economic Data

3

ECO 120Introduction to Macroeconomics

3

ECO 125Introduction to Microeconomics

3

ECO 170Crime, Class, Capitalism: The Economics of Justice

3

ECO 207Movements for Economic Justice

3

ECO 215Economics of Regulation and the Law

ECO 231Global Economic Development and Crime

3

ECO 235Finance for Forensic Economics

ECO 245International Economics

3

ECO 260Environmental Economics, Regulation and Policy

3

ECO 265Introduction to Public Sector Economics

3

ECO 270Urban Economics

ECO 280Economics of Labor

ECO 283Selected Topics in Economics

3

ECO 289Independent Study 200-level

3

ECO 315/PSC 315An Economic Analysis of Crime

3

ECO 324Money and Banking

3

ECO 325Economics and the Law

3

ECO 327The Political Economy of Gender

3

ECO 330Econometrics

3

ECO 333Sustainability: Preserving the Earth as Human Habitat

3

ECO 360/SOC 360Corporate and White-Collar Crime

3

ECO 370Urban Economics

3

ECO 380Economics of Labor

3

ECO 385Faculty Mentored Research Experience in Economics

3

ECO 389Independent Study 300-level

3

ECO 489Independent Study 400-level

3

Notes: ECO 325 Economics and the Law formerly ECO 215 Economics of Regulation and Law
ECO 335 Finance for Forensic Economics formerly ECO 235 Finance for Forensic Economics
ECO 370 Urban Economics formerly ECO 270 Urban Economics
ECO 380 Economics of Labor formerly ECO 280 Economics of Labor

Subtotal: 12

Total Credit Hours: 18