Jessica Holmes

This course, The Economics of “Sin”: was one of the most thought-provoking and challenging academic experiences I’ve encountered. While the subject matter immediately captures attention due to its controversial and unconventional nature, the real difficulty lies in the intellectual rigor required. Applying traditional microeconomic theory to topics like adultery, drug use, prostitution, and gambling demands not only a firm grasp of economic principles but also the willingness to analyze behavior that is complex, emotional, and often morally contested. The readings were dense and theory-heavy, often requiring multiple passes to fully understand the models being applied to “sinful” behaviors. Assignments were far from straightforward; they pushed us to move beyond surface-level opinions and to quantify, evaluate trade-offs, and critically assess governmental interventions. For example, understanding the economic costs of drug prohibition or the efficiency of punishment policies meant dissecting real-world data and applying abstract models that often seemed counterintuitive. The exams were especially demanding, requiring both technical precision and original application of concepts to scenarios not discussed in class. While exhausting at times, the course forced me to sharpen both my analytical skills and my ability to think about economics outside of traditional, safe contexts. Ultimately, it was a very hard but deeply rewarding class.

This course, The Economics of “Sin”: was one of the most thought-provoking and challenging academic experiences I’ve encountered. While the subject matter immediately captures attention due to its controversial and unconventional nature, the real difficulty lies in the intellectual rigor required. Applying traditional microeconomic t …Read more

It was a great course! I learned so much about the healthcare system. The class was project based for the entire semeter and did not have exams. Had reading quizzes-they were easy to complete as along as you did the reading.

This has been my favorite economics class I have taken at midd, not necessarily because the topics were super interesting to me but because prof. holmes made the class so enjoyable and made you want to learn and be interested in the class. The daily readings accompanied by the reading quiz every few classes were the majority of the work throughout the semester outside of the big project.

This has been my favorite economics class I have taken at midd, not necessarily because the topics were super interesting to me but because prof. holmes made the class so enjoyable and made you want to learn and be interested in the class. The daily readings accompanied by the reading quiz every few classes were the majority of the w …Read more