In the Economics Department at Skidmore, faculty and students alike are actively engaged in research that contributes to society's understanding of economic behavior, broadly defined. Students work side-by-side with faculty to conduct research through student assistantships, independent studies, and summer research collaborations. Students' educational experience culminates in the writing of a senior thesis, original research produced by students on a topic of their choosing.
Each year, the Economics Department selects 10 students from Senior Seminar (EC375), including the recipients of the Weiss Prize, to present their senior theses at Skidmore's annual Academic Festival. Students share their research questions, methods, and findings with a college-wide audience of students, faculty, and staff.
These presentations provide an opportunity for graduating seniors to showcase their independent research, engage in scholarly discussion, and communicate their economic analysis to a broader audience.
Learn more about Academic Festival
Students in economics courses also have opportunities to present their research through academic posters that communicate complex economic questions and findings to a broader audience.
In Economics of Latin America (EC282), students develop research projects comparing economic policies and their outcomes in Latin American countries and the United States. Their final posters combine economic analysis, data visualization, and discussions of institutions, power, and justice. An artistic component connects their research to broader historical and social contexts.
These presentations encourage students to communicate their research clearly and creatively, making economic analysis accessible to the wider Skidmore community.
The culminating experience in the economics major is the Senior Seminar, taken in the spring semester of a student's final semester at Skidmore. The Senior Seminar provides students with the opportunity to engage deeply with a topic of their choosing. Students write a thesis, and a selection of these papers are chosen for presentation at the College's Academic Festival.
Students who are writing papers for an economics course or are working on their thesis may find the following resources to be helpful:
Data:
The Faculty-Student Summer Research program provides funding for students and faculty to work together for a five- or 10-week period during the summer break on a project of their design. This is a competitive grant program that offers a stipend, room, and board for students. The Economics Department has participated in this program in the past, and we look forward to continuing to provide these experiences for our economics majors.
To learn more about this program, please see the information provided by the Faculty Development Committee.
The Economics faculty at Skidmore are active scholars in their fields. Faculty regularly publish their work in top journals, present at national and international conferences, and are featured in the press. For more information about each faculty member's research program, please visit their profiles on the faculty page.
Filene, 2nd Floor
Phone: 518-580-5090
Fax: 518-580-8067
Monica Das
Professor
mdas@skidmore.edu
Amelia Clark
acclarke@skidmore.edu