Economics 

Meet the Faculty | Departmental Information Sheets

Academic Program
An education in economics at Emory & Henry enables you to better understand many issues and, ultimately, help resolve them. What promotes economic growth? What causes inflation and unemployment? Why does OPEC have such a hard time maintaining high oil prices? Is it sensible to worry about the national debt? Who is helped and who is hurt by a tariff? Why don’t more people vote? What are the best ways to clean up the environment? Does lowering prices help the poor? Why did the Soviet economy fail? What effects do product liability laws have on the frequency and cost of accidents?

Economics should be an attractive major to those who are curious about social phenomena and who are unwilling to accept the superficial answers that often dominate public discussions. At Emory & Henry, we teach the traditional curriculum taught by the large majority of undergraduate programs. The emphasis in all courses is on explaining why social phenomena occur and what the effects of private behavior and government policies are.

However, because economics is in part about economic policies, courses also include the appraisal of market behavior and government policies using the criteria of efficiency and, to a lesser extent, equity. We believe that both markets and government can be imperfect instruments for managing society’s scarce resources.

Degree Program
The E&H Economics Department offers a bachelor of arts degree in economics, which is aimed at giving a broad background in economic theory and policy, preparing you to better understand human behavior and the events that shape our lives. The degree also is designed to prepare you for graduate study in economics, law, and public policy, and for work in government and industry.

The strength of economics is that it offers an effective way of understanding a variety of behaviors and social problems. The study of economics covers topics ranging from explaining personal decisions to choosing policies for promoting the welfare of society.

Alumni
The successes of our alumni reflect the quality of the economics program at Emory & Henry. The following is a list of where some of those graduates are now:

Julie Taylor, ’04, business advisor for youth development, Peace Corps, Philippines.

Chad Pennington,’03, commercial lending officer, Highlands Union Bank, Abingdon, Va.; M.B.A. King College.

Jay Rosser, ’03, analyst, Anti Money Laundering Department, Fortis Bank NA, in New York, N.Y.; M.A., economics, New York University.

Lee Ann Heaton Fuller, ’01, mathematics teacher, volleyball coach, John Carroll Catholic High School, Birmingham, Ala.

John Deskins, ’00, assistant professor of economics, Creighton University, Omaha, Neb.; Ph.D., economics, University of Tennessee.

Tyler Garrett Kidd, ’98, attorney, Charlottesville, Va.

Faculty
Department Chair
Linda Harris Dobkins, lhdobkin@ehc.edu
Ph.D. and M.A., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; M.S., Pittsburg State University; B.A., Missouri Southern State College.
Dr. Dobkins, an associate professor of economics, is an expert in international trade, macroeconomics, and urban and regional economics. She has conducted research in the area of spatial economics, including urban economics, and regional growth and development policy; and in the economic history of woman suffrage. She was honored with the McConnell Scholarship for Teaching in 2000 from Emory & Henry College and the Award for Exemplary Teaching in 2008 from the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church.

Krista Clark, kclark@ehc.edu
M.S., Kansas State University;  M.A.Ed., Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University; B.A., Boston University.
Professor Clark, a visiting instructor of economics, focuses on environmental and natural resource economics, particularly in the area of agriculture.  She has investigated variables that would impact farmers’ attitudes regarding conservation.  As an undergraduate, she studied economic growth on an international level and the growing market for organic goods on the national level.  She has traveled to Thailand, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Australia, Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Major Checklist
Economics