Editor’s note: Wondering what’s happening in the classroom at Colgate? Here’s a real-time glimpse into academic life on campus — a syllabus from a course underway this semester.
ECON 436 Sports Economics
Benjamin Anderson, Assistant Professor in Economics
T 7:00–9:30 p.m., W 6:00–8:30 p.m., Persson 226
Course Description
This seminar is an advanced study of the interactions between sports and economics, including the institutions that organize sports and the unique economic data made available by sporting contests. The specific fields of economics covered in the seminar include labor economics, industrial organization, public finance, and game theory. Special consideration is also given to discussions of the economics of collegiate and amateur sports.
Major Assignments
Because this class is a senior seminar, students are responsible for producing a piece of original research. They begin by generating a research question and proposal and are responsible for conducting their own data collection and analysis. Students will present their findings to their peers and also write a cumulative paper on their topic.
Class Format
While professor Anderson begins each class with an overview of the topic being covered that day, the students are responsible for presenting the readings each week. They will talk about the reading’s motivations and the methodology and results of the data covered. The class then typically transitions into a discussion of the texts and how they fit into student research projects or larger course themes.
The Professor Says
“I enjoy teaching this class because it reaches into multiple fields of economics, such as labor economics, industrial organization, and public finance. Additionally, I enjoy teaching this course because students enjoy it so much. A lot of students are interested in sports, and this class lets them gain a deeper understanding of the subject. As a result, people really buy into this course and connect with it in ways they might not with some other economics courses.”