Cathleen Zick
  • Adjunct Professor, Economics Department
  • Adjunct Professor, Family And Preventive Medicine
  • Professor Emeritus, Family And Consumer Studies

Professional Organizations

  • Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. 01/2004 - present. Position : Member.
  • Population Association of America. 01/1982 - present. Position : Member.
  • American Council on Consumer Interests. 01/1980 - present. Position : Member.

Teaching Philosophy

My courses are designed to spark interest and challenge students.  My goal is to help students hone their analytical thinking skills and apply them in real world settings.  I encourage students to apply economic principles to a wide range of consumer and family questions with the goal of gaining new insights about consumer, family, and government behavior.  I believe it is important to draw applications from current controversial issues (e.g., should Americans be required to have health insurance?  In what situations should the government be able to oversee a child's health care rather than her/his parents?).  By using current examples, I hope to make the concepts we discuss in class more real and relevant. 

Courses I Teach

  • FCS 5430 - Families, Consumers, and Health
    Covers two broad areas: the interplay among health care delivery, government policy, and consumers, and the role families play in affecting the health of family members. Content emphasis will vary according to the instructor.
  • PUBPL/PADMN/FCS 6563 - Porgram and Policy Evaluation
    Systematic introduction to program and policy evaluation as a basis for accountability. Introduces alternative approaches to evaluation. Emphasis is placed on strategies for impact assessment (including randomized designs and non-randomized designs), measuring efficiency, examining short-term and long-term consequences, identifying both intended and unintended impacts, and the social, political, and ethical context of evaluation.

Teaching Projects

  • FCS 5430 Online Course Development. Project Lead: Cathleen D. Zick. TACC Grant 07/01/2009 - 06/30/2010. Total Budget: $5,000.00.