Course Description
A survey of contemporary theories of consumer and household decision making. Includes neoclassical economic analysis, theories of savings and consumption, financial behavior, theories of housing, and related material. Seminal theories are supplemented with notable examples from research-based and practitioner-oriented bodies of knowledge.
Athena Title
THR HH & CONS BEH I
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in FHCE 8100E
Prerequisite
Graduate student status or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students will: 1. Develop an understanding of the seminal theoretical perspectives that influence research and practice related to consumer economics, housing, and financial planning. 2. Gain an appreciation of each field's intellectual genealogy. 3. Develop an ability to integrate the literature relevant to one's research area and one's future professional practice, whether researcher or practitioner. 4. Develop an ability to critically evaluate theories and their applications. 5. Be able to conceptualize a research plan in a manner that includes a rigorous and relevant theory-based literature.
Topical Outline
1. Introduction to the critical evaluation of theories 2. Family and consumer science body of knowledge a. Ecological models 3. Theories of housing a. Diffusion of innovation b. Housing adjustment theory c. Housing life cycle theory 4. Theories of consumer behavior a. Theory of planned behavior b. Theory of reasoned action c. Rational choice d. Neoclassical decision making e. Intertemporal theories of behavior 5. Financial planning theory and practice a. Modern portfolio theory b. Prospect theory c. Transtheoretical model of change d. Theories of risk and uncertainty 6. Theory construction, critique, and application in research and practice
Syllabus
Public CV