In this course, students engage with newly released economic data (e.g., inflation, labor markets, etc.) and determine which indicators are most relevant for assessing current economic conditions. Through weekly individual and team data briefings, students must justify their data choices, evaluate source credibility, and interpret data within the broader policy and economic context. These skills are formallyassessed through individual policy briefings, team mock FOMC presentations, and individual and team written policy views, where students demonstrate their ability to select, contextualize, and defend the use of specific data in forming monetary policy recommendations. Technology is integrated throughout the course curriculum through frequent, applied data work using FRED, Excel, and Google Colab for collecting, cleaning, visualizing, and interpreting macroeconomic data. The course emphasizes written briefings, data visualizations, and oral presentations, culminating in two mock FOMC presentations and a final scripted policy statement. Achieves technology student learning outcomes c and d.

View ECO 3130 in the Academic Catalog

Approved for Data Intensive Course Designation starting Spring 2026.