Over the last eight years, I have been fortunate to have diverse teaching experiences that started with teaching microeconomics to undergraduates in the Economics Department at Purdue. Since then my experience has been primarily with Duke’s resource economics and policy master’s program which enrolls students with backgrounds similar to upper division undergraduates. In the coming Spring semester, I will be teaching forest economics, a course that I designed, at the Nicholas School in Duke University for its third successive offering. Previously, I have taught a course on cost-benefit analysis based on financial cash flows, generalized investment rules, and economic shadow pricing. I have also taught several modules in resource and environmental economics, calculus, microeconomics, and survey research methods. I also advise students writing masters' thesis at the Nicholas School.
Duke
University, Nicholas School of the Environment
Adjunct
Assitant Professor, 1998 - present.
Visiting
Assistant Professor, 1997 - 1998.
Graduate
Assistant Instructor, 1993 - 1997.
Forest Economics: (10 - 20 students): logic and science of allocating scarce resources for efficient production of forest goods and services demanded by society. Students will (i) apply the basic principles of microeconomics to production and consumption decisions in forestry, (ii) calculate investment returns and optimal rotations for timber production, (iii) interpret selected literature and analytical approaches for evaluating multiple use in the context of public and non-industrial private forest ownership, and (iv) identify appropriate techniques and critically evaluate the use of those techniques for non-market goods and services from the forest. For all of the topics listed in the syllabus, students should be able to explain and interpret the relevant economic concepts, models, and techniques. While focused exclusively on forest resources, the concepts and analytical tools are readily generalized to other physical and natural resources.
Cost-Benefit Analysis (25 students): theory and technique based on financial cash flow and economic shadow pricing methods for evaluation of public expenditures with seven case studies. Topics include cash flows, generalized investment rules, net present values, inflation, economic evaluation, distortions and shadow pricing, and income distributional analysis.
Short courses on calculus and micro-economics to students entering the Master of Environmental Management program.
Purdue
University, Department of Economics
Instructor,
1991 - 1993
Microeconomics (80-90 students): principles of microeconomics. Topics include supply,demand, choice (utility) and production theory, market structure, welfare measurement, equilibrium, externalities and public goods, information and uncertainty.
Currently, I am advising a masters thesis on 'ecosystem valuation'. In the past, I have worked with students writing on recycling, auto fuel efficiency, environmental costing, and ozone impacts in the US, community forestry in Thailand, irrigation cooperatives in India, and valuation of forest products from national parks in Indonesia. Examples of recent thesis topics include: