ECON C110: Economic Issues and Policy
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Top Code | 220400 - Economics |
| Units | 3 Total Units |
| Hours | 54 Total Hours (Lecture Hours 54) |
| Total Outside of Class Hours | 0 |
| Course Credit Status | Credit: Degree Applicable (D) |
| Material Fee | No |
| Basic Skills | Not Basic Skills (N) |
| Repeatable | No |
| Grading Policy | Standard Letter (S),
|
| Local General Education (GE) |
|
| California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) |
|
| Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) |
|
| California State University General Education Breadth (CSU GE-Breadth) |
|
Course Description
Formerly: ECON C100. Provides an introduction to the basic tools and concepts of economic analysis with an emphasis of applying economic theory to current issues and policy. Course is designed for students who desire an economic perspective without an intensive or technical investigation. Topics include scarcity and decision making, supply and demand, and the effects of fiscal and monetary policy as applied to selected problems such as crime and drug control, pollution, taxation, Social Security, healthcare, poverty and income equality, and international trade. Transfer Credit: CSU; UC: Credit Limitation: no credit for ECON C110 if taken after ECON C170 or ECON C175.
Course Level Student Learning Outcome(s)
- Apply the basic framework of supply and demand to analyze markets for private and public goods and interpret the results with an emphasis on creating solutions to economic problems.
- Assess the effects of fiscal and monetary government policies on social issues including public welfare, unemployment, income inequality, and poverty.
- Describe the roll of the economy in allocating resources and the effect of globalization on economic activity.
- Compare and Contrast the Economic Left and Economic Right opinions of policy with the objective of formulating a personal viewpoint on current economic issues that can be expressed to others.
Course Objectives
- 1. Students will be able to apply foundations of economic analysis to the market-oriented economy, role of government, and relationships and comparisons with the world economy.
Lecture Content
Introduction to Economics Introduce the ideas of scarcity and opportunity cost; learn to use the production possibilities and supply and demand models; introduce some policy issues and begin to understand the economic left (liberal) and economic right (conservative) positions. Crime and Drugs Learn about public goods and cost-benefit analysis; present the economic argument for and against legalizing “victimless crimes” and drugs; discuss cultural and global dimensions of crime; compare and contrast conservative and liberal viewpoints on crime and its prevention. Pollution Introduce students to the economics of national and international environmental problems and protection; learn about externalities and the economic way of analyzing pollution and government policy in pollution control. Education and Health Care Discuss the benefits of education on society and learn about education funding through taxes and the effects of subsidies; explore policies to improve quality and access of education. Acquaint students with the issues of rising costs, increasing resource allocation, and limited access in U.S. health care; present health care programs and proposed policies to improve health care in the U.S. Poverty and Income Inequality Understand the concepts of poverty, income distribution, and income transfers; explore income distribution in the U.S. and other countries including government assistance programs to alleviate poverty and income inequality. Learn about less developed countries around the world, measuring standard of living, introduce challenges to development and growth. Unemployment Introduce unemployment and its measurement; discuss the different types of unemployment; compare differences in unemployment rates based on racial, ethnic, gender, and educational gro ups; learn about the effect of government policies including minimum wages. Taxes and the Government Budget Deficit Learn about various types of taxes including income, property, excise, and sales taxes; evaluate whether a tax is progressive, flat, or regressive; learn about the governments budget, spending, and the difference between the government deficit and government debt. Social Security, Medicare, and Social Welfare Learn about the history and features of Social Security, emphasize the long run problem with Social Security and Medicare; analyze proposals to help secure the financial future of these programs. International Trade, Outsourcing, and Global Markets Learn about absolute advantage, comparative advantage, and the mutual benefit of international trade; discuss policies that restrict trade and the arguments demonstrating the pros and cons of free trade and globalization.
Method(s) of Instruction
- Lecture (02)
- DE Live Online Lecture (02S)
- DE Online Lecture (02X)
Instructional Techniques
Instruction will combine a variety of elements to meet student needs. Course materials will be presented using multiple methods including instructor-created resources, PowerPoints, study tips, and practice quizzes. The instructor will interact with the students through Socratic discussions, assignment feedback, and the use of small-group activities. Wherever possible the instructor will utilize technology to enrich the learning experience with audio and visual aids. Contact with the instructor will take place in the classroom and/or online LMS, during scheduled office hours, and by the use of Canvas messages and e-mail.
Reading Assignments
Reading assignments may include but are not limited to reading the textbook, journal articles, news articles, or other reading sources as determined by the instructor.
Writing Assignments
Writing assignments may include but are not limited to short-answer exams/quizzes, essay exams/quizzes, a paper, written analysis of a reading assignment, and written analysis on a problem set. Writing assignments may be combined with a reading assignment.
Out-of-class Assignments
Outside of class assignments may include but are not limited to problem sets, take-home assessments, essays, and papers. Out-of-class assignments may be combined with a reading assignment or a writing assignment.
Demonstration of Critical Thinking
Application of economic theory and tools to analyze economic problems.
Required Writing, Problem Solving, Skills Demonstration
Use of economic equations as basic graphing as they apply and relate to public issues to explain the problem and explain proposed solutions. Apply basic economic theory of scarcity, markets, supply and demand, and policy to current social and public issues in the context of projects and written examinations
Eligible Disciplines
Economics: Masters degree in economics OR bachelors degree in economics AND masters degree in business, business administration, business management, business education, finance, or political science OR the equivalent. Masters degree required.
Textbooks Resources
1. Required Brux, Jacqueline. Economic Issues and Policy, 6th ed. South-Western, 2011 Rationale: - Legacy Textbook Transfer Data: Legacy text
Other Resources
1. Coastline Library 2. Additional readings drawn from current event sources, such as newspapers or journals