Advanced Economic Theory

Despite the broad-sounding catalog blurb, this course is really a mathematical methods bootcamp: it gives you the optimization and dynamical-systems toolkit that modern micro and macro theory actually run on, from convexity and fixed-point arguments to calculus of variations and optimal control. Expect weekly problem sets that grind through static and dynamic programming proofs, with a midterm and final that lean heavily on technique, plus economic applications in the back third where the machinery finally meets consumer, firm, and equilibrium models. It sits as the bridge between the standard intermediate theory sequence and graduate-style work, so taking it seriously pays off later in any field course or thesis that uses dynamic models.