Probability and Statistical Distributions

ECON 221 builds the probabilistic vocabulary that the rest of your economics degree quietly assumes you speak — how to reason about uncertainty, summarize messy data, and recognize when a random outcome behaves like a Binomial, a Normal, or something stranger. Expect weekly problem sets that drill distributions and expectations by hand, a lab component for working with real datasets, and two midterms plus a final where you'll be deriving and applying results, not just recalling them. It's the gateway to ECON 222 and every later econometrics course, so the goal isn't memorizing formulas but developing the intuition that lets the Law of Large Numbers and the Central Limit Theorem feel obvious by December.