<p>so what are the differences between the two courses? which one will let you learn more about the materials and which one is more fun?</p>
<p>Econ 101A, listed as Microeconomic Theory, is much more mathematically based than Econ 100A. Both classes are intermediate microeconomic courses, but Econ 101A is more geared towards those who are interested in earning a PhD in Economics. I took the following from last semester's Econ 101A syllabus:</p>
<p>The answer depends on two things: your mathematical background and your interest in
economics. As for the first, this course requires a more thorough knowledge of
mathematical tools than 100A does. You are supposed to be very comfortable with
multivariate calculus, since we are using it throughout the course. 100A, instead, uses
calculus sparingly, and is therefore more appropriate for students that are less
comfortable with mathematics. In the first class, I give some examples of the level of
math you will need for 101A.
A second difference is your interest in the material. While you should expect to work
hard in any class, including 100A, the workload for 101A is going to be heavier than in
100A, and is therefore justified for students that are particularly interested in
economics. In addition to the basic topics (consumer and production theory), we also
cover modern material, such as game theory. We are going to devote 2-3 classes to
state-of-the-art findings in economics, such as the economics of self-control problems,
which normally do not make it into the basic classes. The problem sets test the
knowledge of these topics, and are demanding. I expect anyone who takes the class to
be seriously interested in microeconomics, in writing simple models to understand
economic behavior.</p>