Introduction to Contemporary Economics
Code: 104768 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2503868 Communication in Organisations | FB | 1 |
Contact
- Name:
- Fco. Javier Asensio Ruiz De Alda
- Email:
- javier.asensio@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
No prerequisite is required
Objectives and Contextualisation
This is a first cycle subject that provides basic training in the economic field. No previous economic training is presupposed
The contents of the subject include an introduction to the basic structures of the contemporary economy, including the mechanisms of functioning of the market and the role of the main social stakeholders in the local and global economic phenomena. Within this framework, students must be able to use the economic analysis to understand the main facts that characterize the global economy, the European Union and the nearest economic reality.
The content of the subject will be sensitive to aspects related to the gender perspective.
Competences
- Act within one's own area of knowledge, evaluating sex/gender-based inequalities.
- Display thorough knowledge of the contemporary world in its social, economic, political and cultural dimensions.
- Introduce changes in the methods and processes of the field of knowledge to provide innovative responses to the needs and demands of society.
- Manage time efficiently and plan for short-, medium- and long-term tasks.
- Search for, select and rank any type of source and document that is useful for creating messages.
- Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
- Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
- Take account of social, economic and environmental impacts when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyse a situation and identify its points for improvement.
- Analyse the indicators of sustainability of academic and professional activities in the areas of knowledge, integrating social, economic and environmental dimensions.
- Communicate using language that is not sexist or discriminatory.
- Cross-check information to establish its veracity, using evaluation criteria.
- Define the basic concepts of economics.
- Display a mastery of economic concepts in order to develop critical thinking and produce original ideas on the current context.
- Explain the functioning of a company in the context of the general economy.
- Explain the fundamental economic principles of the contemporary world.
- Find what is substantial and relevant in documents within the subject.
- Identify situations in which a change or improvement is needed.
- Identify the main inequalities and discriminations in terms of sex/gender present in society.
- Interpret documents on the main economic theories.
- Present a summary of the studies made, orally and in writing.
- Recognise the financial typology of organisations of all types.
- Submit course assignments on time, showing the individual or group planning involved.
- Weigh up the risks and opportunities of both one's own and other people's proposals for improvement.
Content
Topic 1) The economy. Fundamental concepts and problems. Objectives and participants
Topic 2) The market. Offer and demand. Elasticity. Competitive and non-competitive markets
Topic 3) Principles of macroeconomics: GDP. Inflation. Deficit and public debt. Balance of payments
Topic 4) The Public Sector. Functions. The budgets of the AA.PP. Fiscal Policy. Social Security
Topic 5) The labor market. Performance and characteristics. Demography and migrations. Labor policies and reforms. inequality
Topic 6) Monetary policy. Central banks: functions, objectives and mechanisms. Interest rates
Topic 7) The financial system: functions and participants. Money market and capital market.
Topic 8) Spanish economy 1st. part: Analysis of the main indicators since 1975. The opening of the economy. Access to the European Union. Entry into the Economic and Monetary Union. The growth years until 2007.
Topic 9) Spanish Economy 2nd. part: The 2008 crisis. Causes, characteristics and consequences. The recuperation. Covid19, the economic collapse and its recovery.
Topic 10) The EU economy. Basic features of the world economy. IMF, World Bank and OECD
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Theorical | 52.5 | 2.1 | 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Practical | 10 | 0.4 | 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Practical | 82.5 | 3.3 | 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15 |
The detailed calendar with the content of the different sessions will be exposed on the day of presentation of the subject. It will also be posted on the Virtual Campus.
The planned teaching methodology is face-to-face classes. In the event of a change in teaching modality for health reasons, the teachers will inform of the changes that will take place in the programming of the subject and in the teaching methodologies.
The development of the course is based on the following activities:
Lectures: in these sessions the teacher transmits to the students the essential knowledge of each of the subjects of the subject. Attendance at these sessions is recommended to consolidate knowledge and for the student to bridge the gap between theory and current economic news.
Practical classes: these sessions include a set of activities carried out jointly by the student body and the teacher, among which the carrying out of exercises, the preparation and presentation by the students of debates on current economic affairs based on press compilations or documents stand out. published by various organizations, and the presentation in class by the student of works or practices carried out.
Recommended activities: the teacher can recommend attendance at conferences, debates, seminars as a complement to the subject.
Autonomous activities: the student must complement the activities aimed at finding information on the selected topics, teamwork and carrying out practical exercises.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final Exam/ | 35% | 2 | 0.08 | 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15 |
| Mid Term Examen | 35% | 2 | 0.08 | 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15 |
| Other exercices | 30% | 1 | 0.04 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 |
The evaluation is carried out continuously throughout the course, according to the following criteria:
1. First midterm exam: 35.0%
2. Final exam (second midterm exam): 35.0%
3. Other exercises and activities: 30%.
In order to pass the course, it will be essential to obtain:
a. an average equal to or greater than 5 and
B. the average of the two exams equal to or greater than 4.
o If a student completes the first requirement but does not complete the second will have a qualification of 4.5 and will be able to go to the recovery exam.
o If a student completes the second requirement but does not complete the first, or does not complete both of them, if the average mark is 3,5 or greater, he/ she will be able to go to the recovery exam .
To participate in the process of recovery, the student has to have been evaluated in a minimum of 2/3 parts of the total of evaluable activities.
The grade confirmed in the recovery exam will be the final qualification. The recovery exam will be in the period that established the academic calendar of the faculty.
The student who performs any irregularity (copy, plagiarism, identity theft…) will be qualified with 0 in this assignment or exam. In case there are several irregularities, the final grade of the subject will be 0.
In case of second enrollment, students can do a single final exam.
The proposed evaluation activities may undergo some modifications depending based on the health authorities’ attendance restrictions.
The studentwho performs any irregularity (copy, plagiarism, identity theft, etc.) that may lead to a significant variation in the grade of an act of evaluation, will be graded with 0 this act of evaluation. In case of more than one irregularity, the final grade of the subject will be 0.
Single assessment (for those students whose request has been accepted)
- Theoretical exam (40%), Exercices (35%) and written summary of a book previously agreed with the professor (25%)
- All single assessment activities are subject to retake.
- The single assessment will take place at the date of the final exam of the students who follow the continous assessment.
Bibliography
References:
CORE Project, e-book The Economy: The Economy (core-econ.org)
Krugan P.; Wells R.; Graddy K. (2017) Fundamentos de Economía. Editorial Reverté.,
Mankiw, Gregory N. (2012): Principios de economia, 6ª ed., Ediciones Paraninfo
Cruz, JM; Ruesga S.M (coord.). (2014) Economia Española. Estructura y regulación.
Garcia Delgado, JL. (2018) Lecciones de economía española. Ed Thomson Reuters.
Web links:
http://introduccioeconomia-dea.uab.cat
Software
world, power point and excel
Language list
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (SEM) Seminars | 71 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |
| (SEM) Seminars | 72 | Catalan | second semester | afternoon |
| (TE) Theory | 7 | Catalan | second semester | afternoon |