Economics and Society will introduce you to the analysis of policy and social issues from an economics perspective. We will explore the use of economic concepts and models to explain real-world phenomena, especially applying economics to issues in everyday life. Along the way we will also cover a broad range of policy-relevant topics including education, health, social security, labour markets, sustainable environmental policy, trade and globalisation, property rights (including intellectual property rights), and the roles of government.

This paper will prepare you to make thoughtful comments on economic and policy issues, and to be active and informed participants in policy debates.

ECONS102 Economics and Society complements ECONS101 for economics majors, as well as providing a solid grounding in microeconomic principles for other students. No previous background in economics prior to the paper is necessary or assumed.

IMPORTANT: Although ECONS102(HAM) is offered as a FLEXI paper, we strongly believe that your learning will be greatly enhanced and your experience of the paper will be more positive if you complete the paper on-campus. Extra credit for the some assessments is only available for attendance at lectures.

The paper involves a series of lectures and tutorials. Students will also be expected to engage in a significant amount of reading outside of class time.

We have contingencies in place should any assessment, lecture or tutorial be affected by a nationwide or localised lockdown, or in the case of staff or students being unwell and/or isolating at home. You should regularly check the announcements on Moodle or the class Facebook group, in case any changes have been made.

Lectures

Lectures set up much of the theory, and develop the economic models, that will be applied during the paper. Attendance at lectures is a key factor in the success of students in this paper. In addition, there are opportunities for extra assessment credit that will only occur during lectures. Lectures are recorded and available via Panopto for you to refer to later.

Tutorials

Students are expected to attend one tutorial each week. Tutorials will cover practical aspects of the topics, and provide an opportunity for students to receive feedback on assessments, and to ask questions about lecture material. Attendance at tutorials is not compulsory - however, tutorial attendance forms part of the assessment for this paper. Tutorials will commence in the first week of teaching.

Online support

The paper is supported online through Moodle, and the class has its own Facebook group, which you are encouraged to join and make use of.

Assessment rationale:

The purpose of assessment in ECONS102 is for you to demonstrate that you have met the learning outcomes. As this paper is a FLEXI paper, we offer multiple opportunities for you to demonstrate your learning.

Two chances at assessment:

The two major assessment items (Midterm Assessment; and Final Assessment) all offer a second chance to earn credit. In each case, the first chance to earn marks is to complete and submit weekly short video reflections. The second chance is to complete an on-campus test of your learning. You may choose to complete one or both of these options (video reflections and/or test). If you complete both options, you will receive the higher of the two marks. You can choose differently for each major assessment. For more details, see the assessment descriptions.