Introductory Macroeconomics  An introduction to macroeconomics: a consideration of macroeconomic problems such as unemployment and inflation. Theories and policy proposals of Keynesian and classical economists are contrasted. Topics considered include: banking, financial institutions, monetary policy, taxation, government spending, fiscal policy, tradeoffs between inflation and unemployment in both the short run and the long run, and wage-price spirals.

Poverty, Inequality and Distributive Justice This seminar will explore recent theoretical and empirical research on socioeconomic inequality. The definitions, causes and consequences of inequality at both the individual (micro) and national and international (macro) levels will be considered.

Macroeconomic Theory Macroeconomic theory analyzes whether the market effectively coordinates individuals' decisions so that they lead to acceptable results. It considers the effectiveness of monetary, fiscal, and other policies in achieving desirable levels of unemployment, inflation, and growth. The theories held by various schools of economic thought such as Keynesians, monetarists, and new classicals are considered along with their proposed policies.

Happiness Economists now devote considerable effort to rigorous identification of the sources of happiness or well-being. To do so, they draw on a range of methods and disciplines, from philosophy and psychology to statistics and, of course, economics. In this seminar, we will sample this fascinating literature and discuss the “science of happiness” and its implications for our own lives. Students will also build a portfolio of work designed to answer a happiness-related question of specific interest to them, using the qualitative and quantitative methods learned during the semester, and then share their findings with one another.

Microeconomic Theory Microeconomic theory concentrates on the study of the determination of relative prices and their importance in shaping the allocation of resources and the distribution of income in an economy. We will study the optimizing behavior of households in a variety of settings: buying goods and services, saving, and labor supply decisions. We will also examine the behavior of firms in different market structures. Together, the theories of household and firm behavior help illumine contemporary economic issues (discrimination in labor markets, mergers in the corporate world, positive and negative externalities, for example).

Senior Research Workshop II In this second semester of the senior research workshop sequence, the focus is on the execution of the research plan developed in ECON 0701.  Most instruction is now one-on-one but the workshop will still meet as a group to discuss and practice the presentation of results in various formats (seminars, poster sessions, et cetera) to the rest of the workshop and others in the college and broader communities. Feedback and critiques from such presentations will be incorporated into the project, which will culminate in a research paper in the style of an economics journal article.

Senior Research Workshop I In this first semester, students will design and begin their projects. Emphasis will be on designing a novel research question (while making the case for its importance) and an appropriate strategy for answering it. This requires immersion in the academic literature on the topic. General research principles and tools will be taught in class, as a group, while those specific to individual projects will be covered in one-on-one meetings. By the end of the term, students will outline their plan for completing the project, including demonstrating that it is a feasible research question for which the necessary information (e.g., data or source materials) is available or can be generated by the student (e.g., lab or other experiment).

Peter Matthews

Reviews and ratings for Peter Matthews at Middlebury College.Peter Matthews teaches Intro Macroeconomics, Inequality and Justice, Macro Theory and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Peter Matthews good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

Macro Theory was fast-paced and difficult conceptually, but the professor was accommodating to students and engaging during the class time by actively cold calling. There were problem sets every week which were often long.

well spoken guy, enthusiastic for what he teaches. Exams aren't too bad. Sit in the front class if you can't hear well.  You have problem sets that are helpful. Do the readings. Chill grader and a nice man.

Professor Matthews definitely takes a non-traditional approach to teaching macroeconomics by focusing on the stories the graphs and concepts can tell you which is interesting. However, he has horrible time management and will take all class to get through half of his planned slides that day which means you have to rely on the textbook later for problem sets. I would not take a class with him again just because of his teaching style but he is very knowledgeable.