Globalization, Economics and Business

Group of students in front of GW summit banner

The Globalization, Economics & Business cohort (GEB) is designed for first-year students who are interested in an intensive study of economics and humanities, combined with out-of-classroom experiences designed to promote leadership development and bring classroom concepts to life as they relate to topics such as: economic policy, sustainable economic development and growth, microfinance, global business, entrepreneurship, social enterprise, and the importance of women in these areas.

This year-long program is designed to foster deep and meaningful engagement through its structure as a living and learning community. Students in the GEB cohort not only share classes, but they also reside together on the Mount Vernon Campus. Classes within the program are small and intimate, and the faculty also serve as academic advisers and mentors.

The courses within the GEB curriculum satisfy core requirements for the School of Business, the Elliott School of International Affairs, and Economics majors within the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (CCAS). They also satisfy general education requirements for other majors within the CCAS.

Academic Program

The academic program for the GEB cohort has three important pieces:

two semester sequence in “Principles of Economics” (introductory level micro and macro economics courses)
one semester of University Writing 1020
two semester evening symposium series

The GW undergraduate tuition rate applies to students taking 12-18 credit hours per semester.

Courses and Credits

Fall Semester

Principles of Microeconomics

The Principles of Microeconomics course is taught by the Program Coordinator for the Globalization, Economics & Business cohort. Over the course of the year, students learn to think like economists, building a set of tools with which they can better understand, appreciate, and evaluate the economic news and information they encounter on a regular basis. In each principles course, students are required to apply core economic principles and theory to think through economic relationships, to analyze problems, to think critically about potential solutions, and to consider any trade-offs made when focusing on specific objectives.

The Principles of Microeconomics course lays the groundwork for economic thought. Students learn how a set of fundamental principles can be used to help explain and predict behavior of individual economic agents in a multitude of settings. Students are then shown the importance of considering how that behavior feeds into economic systems (such as individual markets) and how an understanding of these economic relationships is crucial when developing and evaluating policy measures.

University Writing Course

This course fulfills one literacy requirement. The University Writing Program provides comprehensive writing and research instruction and is required for all undergraduate students. WLP offers a choice of topics taught by the program’s University Writing faculty. This course is not cohort-specific and students may select any of the courses offered.

Symposium

This course does not fulfill an academic requirement, but counts towards the students’ overall earned credit-hours. The symposia are designed to supplement the academic component of the program with a wide variety of extra-curricular opportunities, many of which are exclusive to members of WLP. The symposia fall into two main categories: women’s leadership and discipline-specific exploration. Every semester several key symposiums are shared across all four cohorts in the WLP.

Cohort-specific symposiums in GEB are geared toward enabling further understanding and appreciation of key issues of interest relevant to international economics and business. In some semesters, the programming has inspired deeper discussions around specific issues such as, "How does altruism relate to foreign aid?" and "How do we evaluate the impact of micro-lending?"

Spring Semester

Principles of Macroeconomics

The Principles of Macroeconomics course broadens the focus to consider the economy as a whole. As in microeconomics, students are taught how economists use economic models to study the complex workings of our economy. Students are introduced to key macroeconomic indicators, are taught leading macroeconomic theories, and are required to use this knowledge to think critically about important macroeconomic issues and to evaluate various policy measures.

Symposium