This course is the first of a two-semester sequence in graduate level macroeconomics. The goal of this course is to introduce students to modern macroeconomic theory. It will focus on modern theories of economic growth and business cycles. We will develop a completely-specified dynamic models where technology, preferences and market structure are explicit. This will allow individual behavior to be derived from microeconomic foundations and macroeconomic aggregates to be determined as the sum of individual decisions. Equilibrium analysis of such environments will involve the joint determination of quantities and relative
prices. Applications of this method will require an investment in mathematical analysis toward the use of recursive methods. The class will balance the teaching of such tools with their application to macroeconomic topics.