ECON 120 - Introductory Macroeconomics

Credit Hours: 3
Lecture Hours: 3
Laboratory (or Other) Hours: 0

General Education Code(s): 23SS

Prerequisite(s): ECON 110
This course introduces students to the factors that shape the overall performance of the U.S. and world economy. The basic concepts of supply and demand, national income and product accounting, unemployment and inflation, the money and banking systems, and government policies to promote economic growth and stable prices are all discussed. The politics and economics of these policies are assessed. Course objectives focus on familiarizing students with the collective impact of individual decisions and the key factors that influence the federal government as it attempts to improve economic performance. Previous course number: ECON 100

Student Learning Outcomes of the Course: The General Education requirement for Social Sciences is satisfied by ECON 120. To meet this General Education requirement, students will be able to:

describe major concepts and theories of at least one discipline in the social sciences; and
demonstrate an understanding of the methods social scientists use to explore social phenomena.

Course-specific SLOs for ECON 120 include:

Show proficiency in understanding and applying the basic axioms/principles of at least one social science to demonstrate the explanatory power of the respective discipline by demonstrating a critical knowledge of its major concepts, models and issues;(knowledge of major concepts, models and issues in at least one discipline)
Demonstrate a critical knowledge of two or major theories/models of human behavior in one or more of the social sciences. (critical thinking- analyze and evaluate arguments)
Display an appreciation of, and basic competence in, the use of mathematical tools and analyses as these apply to the social sciences.
Exhibit an understanding of the methods used by social scientists, demonstrate an ability to develop a hypothesis related to observable human behavior in at least one discipline, and use data appropriate to the discipline to test a hypothesis. (understanding of data collection, observation, and hypothesis development, interpretive analysis) (critical thinking- develop well-reasoned arguments)