Course Syllabus

 

 

Course Description:

[INSTRUCTORS: We have included the C-ID descriptor here as a place holder. As with all sections, feel free to keep this information, replace it with your local course description, or remove this section entirely.]

An introductory course focusing on aggregate economic analysis. Topics include: market systems, aggregate measures of economic activity, macroeconomic equilibrium, money and financial institutions, monetary and fiscal policy, international economics, and economic growth. 

Student Learning Outcomes:

[INSTRUCTORS: We have included the C-ID outcomes here as a place holder. As with all sections, feel free to keep this information, replace it with your local Student Learning Outsomes, or remove this section entirely.]

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  1. Identify and interpret macroeconomic data.
  2. Apply macroeconomic models to understand the economy.
  3. Analyze the economic impacts of monetary and fiscal policy.
  4. Demonstrate an understanding of the function of the central bank and the banking system.

Course Content:

[INSTRUCTORS: Insert course content.]

  1. Fundamentals of economic thinking
  2. How markets operate
  3. Measuring the economy
    1. National output and productivity
    2. Price level
    3. Business cycle
    4. Unemployment
  4. Modeling the business cycle
  5. Monetary system
    1. Money creation and banking
    2. Role and function of central banks
    3. Money demand and velocity
    4. Inflation
  6. The financial system
    1. Saving
    2. Investment
    3. Role of interest rates
  7. The role of the government in the macro economy
    1. Stabilization policy
    2. Deficit and debt
    3. Fiscal and monetary policy
  8. Economic growth and development
  9. Balance of payments and trade

Textbook:

Great news: your textbook for this class is available for free online!
Principles of Macroeconomics from OpenStax, ISBN 1-947172-30-1 

You have several options to obtain this book:

  • View online (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)
  • Download a PDF (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)
  • Order a print copy (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) 
  • Download on iBooks (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) 

    You can use whichever formats you want. Web view is recommended -- the responsive design works seamlessly on any device.

    Important Notes:

    • All first week assignments need to be completed and submitted by the due date to avoid possibly being dropped from the class.
    • Any student needing accommodations should inform the instructor. Students with disabilities who may need accommodations for this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) [link to your college's DSPS website] early in the quarter so that reasonable accommodations may be implemented as soon as possible. Students may contact the DRC by visiting the Center (located in room A205) or by phone (541-4660 ext. 249 voice or 542-1870 TTY for deaf students). All information will remain confidential.
    • Academic dishonesty and plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the assignment. Using someone else's ideas or phrasing and representing those ideas or phrasing as our own, either on purpose or through carelessness, is a serious offense known as plagiarism. "Ideas or phrasing" includes written or spoken material, from whole papers and paragraphs to sentences, and, indeed, phrases but it also includes statistics, lab results, art work, etc.  Please see the YourCollegeName handbook for policies regarding plagiarism, harassment, etc. [link to your college's academic honesty policies]