Economics PhD Mathematics Bootcamp
Instructor: Brett Devine
Office: 323B Hulbert Hall
Office Hours: T.B.A.
Email: [email protected]
Dates: Mon July 17th - Wed August 16th
Class Website
Go to my website (http://brettdevine.github.io) on Github.
Course Description
This course serves as a refresher for linear algebra, univariate calculus, and multivariate calculus. In addition, it will
cover important topics meant to help you begin to acquire what is often called mathematical maturity through covering
basic topics in logic, set theory and proofs. It is designed to help prepare you mathematically for the math course in
the fall semester. This is an active-learning course. Lecture notes will be posted online. Please note that the
instructor(s) of EconS 506 course during the Fall semester may assess your knowledge of the topics covered in this
summer course with an exam in the first week of the Fall semester, and the score will affect your grade in the
EconS 506 course.
Course Learning Goals
At the end of this course, students should be able to:
Understand and have working knowledge of mathematics used in PhD-level economics. Students will
learn/review calculus of one variable and of several variables, linear algebra and matrix properties. Students will
also learn some logic, set theory and proof strategies useful for learning and understanding more advanced
mathematical concepts.
The following will address this outcome:
Assigned readings and problem sets.
This outcome will be evaluated primarily by:
Completion of problem sets and exams.
Course Materials
The following are some recommended textbooks. The primary book used for this course will be Simon & Blume’s
“Mathematics for Economists”. However, Simon & Blume’s text, by itself, is inadequate for modern mathematics, you
should expect to consult other texts. I will provide other notes as additional resources, particularly for the set theory
and proofs sections.
Graduate-level Course Books
Mathematics for Economists
Carl Simon and Lawrence Blume. Mathematics for Economists. New York; W.W. Norton & Company, 1994.
Michael Carter. Foundations of Mathematical Economics. MIT Press, 2001.
Michael Hoy, John Livernois, Chris McKenna, Ray Rees and Thanasis Stengos. Mathematics for Economics.
MIT Press 2011.
Dean Corbae, Maxwell B. Stinchcombe. An Introduction to Mathematical Analysis for Economic Theory and
Econometrics. Princeton University Press, 2009.
Efe A. Ok. Real Analysis with Economic Applications. Princeton University Press, 2007.
Mathematical Proof
Daniel J. Velleman. How to Prove It: A Structured Approach. Cambridge University Press, 2006.
Gary Chartrand, Albert D. Polimeni, Ping Zhang. Mathematical Proofs: A Transition to Advanced
Mathematics. Pearson; 2nd ed, 2007.
Linear Algebra and Matrix Algebra
Sheldon Axler. Linear Algebra Done Right. Springer; 3rd ed, 2014.
Roger A. Horn, Charles R. Johnson. Matrix Analysis. Cambridge University Press, 1990.
Undergraduate-level Course Books As Additional Reference
Kevin Wainwright and Alpha C. Chiang. Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics. McGraw-Hill
Education, 2004.
Michael Klein. Mathematical Methods for Economics. Prentice Hall, 2001.
Grading, Exams, and Homework
Grading will be based off points accumulated through assignments and the exam.
Course Items Points
Assignment 1 20
Assignment 2 20
Assignment 3 20
Exam 40
Total 100
Final Grade
The letter grade corresponding to the final point total is provided in the table below.
Point Range Letter Grade
93–100 A
90–92.99 A-
87–89.99 B+
83–86.99 B
80–82.99 B-
77–79.99 C+
73–76.99 C
70–72.99 C-
67–69.99 D+
60–66.99 D
< 59.99 F
Workload
It is WSU policy that for every hour of faculty directed activities, students should expect a minimum of two hours
engaged in supportive learning activities. Depending on your skills and knowledge as a learner, additional time may
be required.
In this course, there will be no official “faculty directed time” and the workload will in all honesty be substantial for all
individuals that have not had a significant amount of prior mathematics education.
Assignments
An assignment will be posted on the course website. Due dates are given below. The assignments should be
submitted as PDF files by 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time on the due date. Each assignment will be worth
20/100 points. The assignments will be problem sets that give the students practice applying the mathematical tools
covered in the course texts.
Homework assignments, including the math, should be typed.
As a professional economist you will need to communicate mathematical arguments in a clear, well type-set
document. You may type your homework assignments using TEX (recommended), MathType, Microsoft Word’s
equation editor, scientific word, etc. It is a good idea to invest time and effort gaining proficiency in these tools as you
will use them later. It might seem slow at first, but these assignments will give you practice, making you more fluent in
these tools and prepare you for assignments in your first year courses. If doing so will be a particular hardship for you,
or you require an accomodation, then please email me to discuss it.
NOTE: If you are working on a chromebook or for some other reason are unable to use any of the above mentioned
tools to type your assignments, I recommend using an online browser-based LT
A X
E editor. Some good sites capable
of doing simple to complex projects are Overleaf.com and ShareLatex.com. Both sites have free options that allow
you full access without contributors.
For those using LT
A X
E I will provide assignment templates for you to use.
Exam
There will be one exam at the end of the course and it is worth 40/100 points. The exam will cover all the material
covered in the course. The exam will be proctored on campus in Hulbert Hall on Wednesday August 16, 2017.
Course Outline
Week Topics Readings Assignments
Univariate Calculus & S&B 2,3,4,5; Prerequisite assignment to be completed
Prereqs
Logic Provided notes early in the course.
Linear Systems and
1 S&B 6,7,8,9; Notes —
Matrix Algebra
Linear Spaces and Set S&B 10, 11;
2 Assignment 1 Due July 31, 2017 11:59 PM
Theory Provided Notes
Multivariate Calculus & S&B 13, 14; Assignment 2 Due August 7, 2017 11:59
3
Proofs Provided Notes PM
Multivariate Calculus & S&B 13, 14; Assignment 3 Due August 14, 2017 11:59
4
Proofs Provided Notes PM
Exam Comprehensive No Notes On Campus August 16
S&B ~ Simon & Blume text
Prerequisite Assignment
The prerequisite assignment will not count toward your grade for the course, but you will be entirely accountable for
the mastery of the related content in EconS 506. The assignment is given as a chance for you to review and practice
the univariate calculus and assess your level of mastery of the content.
Students with Disabilities
Students with Disabilities: Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. If you
have a disability and need accommodations to fully participate in this class, please either visit or call the Access
Center (Washington Building 217; 509–335–3417) to schedule an appointment with an Access Advisor. All
accommodations MUST be approved through the Access Center. For more information contact a Disability Specialist
at 509–335–3417, or on-line via http://accesscenter.wsu.edu or
[email protected] or
[email protected]Pullman or WSU Online
Phone: (509) 335–3417
Website: accesscenter.wsu.edu
Email:
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