Professor:
Amir Moftakhar
Required Reading:
Brue, C. R., & Mcconnell, S. L. (2004). Economics: Principles, Problems, and Policies, 16th Edition. New York, New York: Irwin/Mcgraw-Hill.
Pugel. (2007). International economics (13th edition) (13th ed.). New York: Tata Mcgraw Hill.
Ancillary Reading:
Sethi, R. (2009). I Will Teach You To Be Rich. Chicago: Workman Publishing Company.
Solin, D. R. (2006). The Smartest Investment Book You’ll Ever Read: The Simple, Stress-Free Way to Reach Your Investment Goals. Chicago: Perigee Trade.
I was never very good with money growing up. I was great at making money, but I blew it all on comics (which is why I stay away from the ComicCon now, it would be akin to an AA member going into a bar). I successfully avoided Economics in High School, and I dropped out of Macro Economics in Jr. College when a classmate proudly proclaimed that he had never worked a day in his life and had just recently maxed out the number of kids to collect the maximum amount of welfare. I was working 3 jobs at the time.
Years later in an MBA program Economics reared it’s ugly head again, looming before me and threatening to tarnish my beautiful GPA. As it turns out, I actually LOVE Economics! Mr. Moftakhar presented the idea in such a way that I felt empowered by my actions, that each dollar I had and spent was a vote. Companies and products lived and died by how I spent my money. I started to understand why magazines and newspapers were so cheap compared to the obvious costs, and then I started to look deeper into every product or transaction for the pieces I had missed before.
I was surprised how much I fell in love with the movement of money and the Darwinist approach to such a seemingly boring subject. I am sorry to see the class end, but am very excited for a new area to study. I tried reading the Economist, but that was perhaps a bit premature. Mr. Moftakhar did recommend Freakonomics, so I will have to pick that up next!