Topics may include: the United States government deficit-its causes, consequences, and proposed solutions; the problem of unemployment; poverty in the United States and in the developing world; the economics of the family (marriage, divorce, and births); crime; the U.S. educational system and environmental issues. Issues will be examined within the framework of microeconomic theory, while recognizing the constraints created by political realities. Format: lecture/discussion. Requirements: short paper, midterm, and final exam. Prerequisite: Economics 110. Enrollment limit: 40. Not open to students who have completed Economics 251 and 252.