ECON 4010

Definitely one of the best classes I've taken at UVA. Material is very interesting and actually models real life scenarios frequently. Prof. Johnson is honestly funny as hell, and always goes on interesting tangents related to the material which keeps the class interesting, but also grounds it in reality. He's also always posing interesting philosophical questions related to the material, which I really enjoyed. I mean, legitimately I would feel bad if I missed a lecture even though all the material is online, I just enjoyed it that much haha.

The workload is very fair, and with exams you know pretty much exactly what you're going to get. The material is not super difficult, but I wouldn't call it easy either. However, if you made it through Intermediate Micro or a Calculus class, you can 100% do this. I would highly, highly recommend this class to anyone even remotely interested in the subject!

This is the best professor in the department. Took this class and had him for Market Design. You could not make a better decision as an econ major (or otherwise) than taking this class or Market Design. He's hilarious, highly available and understanding, and the class is so informative yet not overwhelming. Highly highly recommend this class.

This is a fascinating class taught by an amazing professor. The class is centered around the mathematical explanation for rational decision making and its theory applies to a multitude of disciplines. Professor Terry goes into everything from classic games, signaling in higher education, median voter theorem, and government-sponsored social credit systems. Fun tidbit, Terry literally did the holy trifecta of course material: standard synchronous lectures, recordings of said lectures, and recorded asynchronous lectures (all in addition to his notes for his power points). Beyond the godly content, the workload is very fair. As per the previous course review, there are 1 to 2 problem sets every week, coordinating with the previous week’s lectures. Some questions are went over in discussion section and students tend to ask how to do the rest in class. The three exams were all similar to the problem sets and released practice exams. Love this class. Love Professor Johnson.

tldr: take this class.
#tCFspring22

Arguably the best course in the department, particularly if you enjoy strategy and competition. Heavy emphasis on logical thinking (only basic calculus -- derivatives -- needed) and the "why" of how competitors behave. There are tons of cool applications for the content and it's not unusual for a lecture to transition from an example about taking penalty kicks in a soccer match to how firms compete in pricing products. Johnson does a fantastic job of explaining the reasoning behind material while keeping it engaging, and lectures are not at all difficult to follow.

Problem sets are due the week after relevant lectures and at a rate of roughly once a week. There are usually half a dozen problem of varying lengths and topics to choose from, and the freedom to choose 1/2/3/etc to do depending on the week makes them much more enjoyable and tailored to your interests. The rest of the grade is made up of 3 exams, which have a similar structure to the problem sets and don't throw anything too surprising out.

If you want the Industrial Organization concentration, this is a must-take course. It might still be even if you don't.