The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the basic concepts in macroeconomics with the emphasis on how to interpret and use data and economic theory to analyze everyday economic policy discourse at the local and national levels. Our focus will be on the aggregate behavior of markets, national economies, international markets, and how that behavior can affect you or those you care about. We will analyze the key economic issues like unemployment and inflation through the prism of economic theory. You learn how to interpret economic indicators most widely used in the news media, if changes in these indicators warrant policy interventions, what kind of policies have been at the disposal of policymakers in the past vs. the present, what theories support such policy actions, and if these theories are backed by relevant empirical evidence.
Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. All work submitted must be original and properly cited. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in immediate consequences as outlined in the university's academic integrity policy.
Core IMPACTS refers to the core curriculum, which provides students with essential knowledge in foundational academic areas. This course will help master course content, and support students’ broad academic and career goals.
This course should direct students toward a broad Orienting Question:
- How do I understand human experiences and connections?
Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcomes:
- Students will effectively analyze the complexity of human behavior, and how historical, economic, political, social or geographic relationships develop, persist or change.
Course content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the following Career-Ready Competencies:
- Intercultural Competence
- Perspective-Taking
- Persuasion