Faculty Development Plan
Department of Economics
2007
Research
Philosophy — An active research program is integral to true scholarship, and infuses vitality in the professor, his students, his department, and the profession. On the individual level, I began a study of economics because I found myself thinking on these issues whenever I wasn’t distracted by other coursework. This natural economic curiosity has only grown stronger, and I find it invigorating to construct new informative models of economic behavior.
I believe that students can sense this enthusiasm for ideas, and it engenders respect for the discipline and tolerance for the difficult aspects of learning economics. Also, most professional interaction with colleagues in my department or at other institutions occurs primarily in regards to our current research activity. Thus, my research effort also provides access to the community of economic scholars, which further supports my own studies and brings credit to BYU.
My research is primarily conducted in price theory through theoretical modeling. Following the general equilibrium approach, most of my work builds from micro-level decisions to analyze the aggregate effect on the system. In particular, I study the consequences of policies that interfere with the standard function of market forces in determining prices. My dissertation focused on decisions to wait in line in order to obtain a particular product, as a consequence of artificially low prices. My new projects look at the consequence of other policies on individual decisions, such as Health Savings Accounts on search effort and thus medical prices, or loan offerings on home prices. While these models will likely produce testable implication, I primarily leave the empirical testing to others, or perhaps will pursue it with coauthors.
Self Assessment — I completed my dissertation in June of 2006, and have since prepared the main two chapters into a single paper and submitted it to an appropriate outlet. While this was rejected from two general interest journals, it is now at a top field journal (which was recommended by a referee). I also have a game theory paper that was written in graduate school which is now under review at one of the better game theory journals.
I have one more paper from my dissertation that I recently presented, though it still needs additional work. Beyond that, I have five nascent projects that could each result in one or two papers.
Thus far, I am satisfied that I have gotten a quick start in submitting work to be published, and have gained experience in managing rejected submissions and seeking out a new venue. My continued effort should result in publications soon, and has given me impetus to work on new projects. I am also pleased with my new project ideas, and expect some of them to appeal to a broad audience.
My only concern at this time is that my research spans several topics, and thus it is harder to identify a unified research agenda. This may make it harder to establish a reputation among senior researchers in a particular field.
Short Term Goals — I presented my 2 nd dissertation paper recently, where I became aware of additional methods that could facilitate more results. I plan to incorporate revisions by early June, and will present it again later that month. I expect to submit it to an appropriate outlet by September. Beyond this, my other projects are in early stages right now. Over the summer, I will identify the two most promising to pursue; with focused effort, I expect to have at least one of these ready to present at conferences in the fall. By next winter, I aim to have at least two new working papers.
Long Term Goals — By the time my third year review arrives, my work from graduate school (three papers) should be accepted for publication in appropriate venues. I also would like to have at least three other papers either in a working paper status or submitted for review. When CFS review comes, I hope to have seven papers published or accepted, with others in the pipeline. I aim to have three of these in either the top general interest journals or the top journal in the appropriate field.
To accomplish this goal, I will need to generate new research papers at a pace of about two per year, keeping the pipeline appropriately filled. Also, regular attendance at economic conferences will help spur success in research. I aim to present at two to three good-quality conferences per year.
Teaching
Philosophy — Teaching economics gives me great satisfaction because I am convinced that economic theory holds relevance for all of my students. Of course, the burden of proving this lies on me, as the instructor, but it is a welcome challenge. My primary duty is to present the ideas, methods, and analytical tools of economics in such a way that the student will first and foremost appreciate their usefulness. After accomplishing this, I find it much easier to lead students through the required technical details.
I find it particularly important to monitor student progress through regular assignments and feedback. Due to the somewhat intuitive nature of economics, it is easy for a student to feel he understands the material because it was understandable in lecture; yet there are many subtle issues and counter-intuitive results that will be missed without thorough exploration. Only through working out a number of variations on each type of problem can the student master the topic, gaining the ability to handle the intuitive issues as well as the elusive exceptions.
One of the greatest challenges to economic undergraduates is that it requires abstract analytical thought — a skill that is largely untaught in grade school and high school. Many students find it frustrating that they cannot simply memorize responses or have a perfect algorithm for solving each math problem. As a teacher, I help them see the commonality among various problems so that they can generalize the solution strategy or thought process. As they learn to recognize common elements and to appreciate crucial differences in the various problems, they will develop an analytical method of thought that can be applied in situations that even their instructor cannot envision.
Self Assessment — I feel very confident in my abilities as an instructor. I had four years of experience as a graduate student, including several semesters of teaching a large lecture of up to 550 students. I feel particularly adept at helping students see the connection between concepts, mathematics, and graphs. I am very organized in my presentation and course administration.
I am very happy with my current course assignments. Econ 382 is a fantastic class, and fills an important need as part of our departmental core. I have structured the lectures to develop the scattered topics under a unified approach of mathematical modeling. I take particular effort to help the students identify the assumptions of the model and the general results. As one of the few theorists in our department, I am offering a unique perspective to the students in this regard. I am also looking forward to teaching Econ 110 in the fall. I have taught similar courses as a graduate student.
In upper division courses, I sometimes convey the mathematics in such a way that intimidates some students. I believe this can be improved by giving greater justification for the use of mathematics, by presenting examples with greater attention to detail, and by involving students more in working out the examples. In addition, I believe that students will feel more comfortable in the class if I am more social towards them.
Short Term Goals — Over the summer, I will revise my Principles of Economics notes to fit the single semester format and changed textbook. I will also prepare assignments and readings. For Econ 382, I intend to provide a few more sample questions for each chapter, and write up some questions for a daily quiz. In the fall, I will make a greater effort to remember student names.
Long Term Goals — I expect to regularly teach Econ 382 for the coming years, which I look forward to. I will closely monitor how the students respond to different ways of developing the mathematics, since this tends to be the sticking point. In Econ 110, I will probably need some adjustment after the first semester or two, though I expect that applying my previous experience should be fairly straight forward.
For future courses to add to my repertoire, my department chair and I have looked at the possibility of me teaching Theory of Money and Banking (453), and perhaps the Advanced Price Theory (580). Both of these would require serious development of course materials, but would be very enjoyable. I anticipate only one of these to be added before I am considered for CFS status.
Citizenship
Philosophy — Good scholarship also requires the fostering a community of scholars. This involves a variety of administrative tasks, professional services, and informal networking. I plan to vigorously fulfill the assignments I am given, and look for opportunities to reach out to colleagues at BYU and in the profession.
Self Assessment — I currently serve in the Visiting Scholars Committee. This has been ideal, since I can help bring a variety of researchers to our campus, whose work is valuable to me and others in our department. The time impact of this assignment has been minimal. Informally, I have been fostering ties with my colleagues through regular lunches and hallway discussions. I have also enjoyed the friendship of my mentor, XXXX.
Professionally, I have not yet been asked to serve as a referee or editor, nor have I been invited to give seminars at other campuses (besides during the job search). This is likely to occur as I begin to have publications. I have been active in presenting my work, going to two conferences during 2007.
I feel I have performed as expected in citizenship. Undoubtedly I will be asked to carry a heavier load as time progresses (both within the university and within my discipline), so I am preparing for that. I am by no means an extroverted person, so I have to consciously work on initiating conversations. This is particularly true at conferences with researchers I have not previously met; subsequent conversations are much more natural once I have formed an acquaintance.
Short Term Goals — This year, I will continue with the same committee assignment. I will particularly look to invite two or three researchers who might provide some good commonality with my research (as was encouraged by my department chair). I will continue in other aspects, and happily accept any referee work that I am asked to perform. I will also make a special effort during conferences to meet and talk with economists of stature in my fields.
Long Term Goals — I will be sure my research and teaching are on solid footing in the coming two years, so that I will be able to accommodate a higher level of responsibility without reducing my effectiveness as a researcher or teacher.
_____________________________ XXXX, Assistant Professor
_____________________________ XXXX, Department Chair