Boston College
Department of Economics
Econ 3317.01-3317.02 – Economics of Inequality Professor Geoff Sanzenbacher
Day/Time: MW 4:30PM & 6:00PM
Phone: 410-259-9437
Email: sanzenba@bc.edu
Office Hours: 208 Hovey House, 4:30-5:45 Tuesday
Recommended Text: Ehrenburg, Ronald, Modern Labor Economics, 11 th
Edition (part I of course only)
Iclicker Device: Should be purchased, will be used frequently in class.
Economics 317 is designed to teach about the structural economic factors that result in or lead to inequality in economic outcomes and opportunity. The course will offer a distinction between inequality in opportunity and inequality in outcomes and will discuss policies currently in place and those that have been suggested to attempt to alleviate these inequalities.
Grading and Course Requirements: The final grade will be assigned based on the requirements and weights described below. The rule for final grade assignment will be: 93+ (A),
90-92 (A-), 87-89 (B+), 83-86 (B), 80-82 (B-), 77-79 (C+), 73-76 (C), 70-72 (C-), 67-69 (D+),
63-66 (D), 60-62 (D-), below 60 (F). I will provide your current grade after the midterm so you know where you stand.
One Midterm Exam (1 Exam, 30 percent of grade): There will be one Midterm Exam assigned a score out of 100 to be used in the final grade calculation. A make-up exam for the exam is allowed if I am appropriately informed beforehand. The makeup exam must occur within 3 days of the original exam, which is on March 23 rd
, 2016.
Short papers (3 papers, 15 percent of grade): Should be no more than 3 pages 1.5 spaced and based on a news article or policy brief. Will be graded on a check-plus (5 pts), check (4.5 pts), check-minus (3 pts) system. Check plus papers will tie the issue to the theories discussed in class in a way that provides illumination of the economic structure behind the article. Check papers will discuss the issues clearly and show an understanding of the economics. The article the paper is based on should be turned in with the paper.
Final Exam (1 Exam, 25 percent of grade): The Final Exam will be given during the th exam period on May 16 , 2016.
Final paper and proposal (1 proposal, 5 percent of grade; 1 paper, 20 percent of grade): The final paper should be no more than 2,500 words. The paper should contain two original data based figures to illustrate the issue you are describing and a works cited page with at least 5 references , 3 of which should be academic articles. Neither the figures or reference page are counted in the word length. Details will be discussed in

class. You need to turn in your proposal one month before the final paper is due at the latest.
Attendance and participation (5 percent of grade): We are using Iclicker, which will help me keep track of attendance and participation. You can miss up to three classes without excuse. The Iclicker needs to be functional by February 1 st
. After three misses there is a 0.5 percentage point deduction per class missed unless excused.
Course Organization and Expectations
Lectures: There are two lectures per week most weeks, save for holidays (See schedule below). There is 5 percent attendance and participation grade for the course, attendance is required to do well on the exam and papers.
Readings: I will be providing a seminal academic article on each of the major topics in the course. You will be provided discussion questions for these articles and these questions will be covered on the Midterm and Final Quiz.
Integrity:
Please familiarize yourself with the “Academic Integrity” section of the
Boston College Catalog, which is also available online.
Canvas: I will be using Canvas to provide you with a variety of information, including handouts I will create, any assignments, and I will post the article readings for the class there.
In conclusion, let me say welcome to the course! Economics is an exciting subject area that will help you better understand the world you live in. Please keep up with current events and feel free to ask me about them in class.
Good luck! Here is a brief outline of the course and reading assignments.
Date Topic
January 20
Part I – Inequality of Economic Outcomes
Introduction
What do we mean by inequality?
Defining and measuring inequality January 25
Sources of Cross-Sectional Inequality
January 27 Occupational/Industrial Differences
Labor supply and demand

Date
February 1 (Have Iclicker Registered)
February 3
February 8
February 10
February 15
February 17
February 22
February 24
Changes in Inequality Over Time
February 29
March 2
March 7 - 11
March 14
March 16
March 21
March 23
Part II – Inequality in Opportunity
March 28
March 30
April 4
April 6
April 11
Topic
Compensating differentials
Finishing compensating differentials
Introduction to human capital
A model of human capital
Human Capital and inequality
Discrimination in markets
Discrimination in markets (cont.)
Marriage and inequality across households
Finishing marriage and inequality
Inequality in employment
Unions and inequality
CEP Pay/theory of superstars/board stacking
Skill-biased technological change
No Class/Spring Break
Globalization and inequality
Capital and Inequality
Loose Ends/Review for Midterm
Midterm Exam
No Class/Easter Weekend
Defining circumstances and choice
Defining equality of opportunity
Defining equality of opportunity (cont.)
Equality of opportunity vs. reality

Date
April 13
April 18
Topic
Equality of opportunity vs. reality (cont.)
An international comparison
No Class/Patriot’s Day
Part III – Policies Related to Inequality
April 20 Economic policy towards youth/young adults
April 25
April 27
May 2
May 4
Economic policy towards adults
The welfare state
The economics of health care
Policy towards the aged
Inequality and political capture
Please Note: This schedule is an outline for the course and is subject to change as I feel necessary or because of inclement weather. Any changes will be noted by me during class.