Waikato Home
ECONS102-21A (HAM)
Economics and Society
15 Points
Staff
Convenor(s)
|
Michael Cameron
5082
MSB.2.23
michael.cameron@waikato.ac.nz
|
|
Administrator(s)
Librarian(s)
You can contact staff by:
- Calling +64 7 838 4466 select option 1, then enter the extension.
-
Extensions starting with 4, 5, 9 or 3 can also be direct dialled:
- For extensions starting with 4: dial +64 7 838 extension.
- For extensions starting with 5: dial +64 7 858 extension.
- For extensions starting with 9: dial +64 7 837 extension.
- For extensions starting with 3: dial +64 7 2620 + the last 3 digits of the extension e.g. 3123 = +64 7 262 0123.
Paper Description
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.
Paper Structure
IMPORTANT: ECONS101(HAM) is NOT a FLEXI paper. There are significant assessments that only occur on-campus. You will not be able to complete this paper remotely. However, there are contingencies in place should any assessment, lecture or tutorial be affected by a nationwide or localised lockdown.
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.
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.
Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the paper should be able to:
Assessment
Assessment Components
The internal assessment/exam ratio (as stated in the University Calendar) is 100:0. There is no final exam.
Required and Recommended Readings
Required Readings
Miller, R.L., Benjamin, D.K., and North, D.C. (2018). The Economics of Public Issues (20th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. (also available on course reserve at the library). This book is also available as an e-text. Second-hand copies of earlier editions include different material and will not be suitable.
Gans, J., King, S., Byford, M., and Mankiw, G. (2015). Principles of Microeconomics (6th ed.). Melbourne: Cengage Learning. (also available on course reserve at the library). Second-hand copies of the 4th or 5th editions will also be suitable. This book is available as an e-book from the University of Waikato Library, so you should not need to purchase it unless you want to have immediate access to a hard copy.
Recommended Readings
Harford, T. (2008). The Logic of Life. London: Random House. (selected chapters are also available online from the ECONS102 Reading List).
Hansen, P., and King, A. (2004). Keeping Economics Real: New Zealand Economic Issues. Auckland: Pearson. (selected chapters are also available online from the ECONS102 Reading List).
Other Resources
In addition to the required textbooks, significant additional readings may be made available on Moodle. Readings for tutorials (including article readings) must be read before class. Also, you are expected to read widely (particularly local and international newspapers and The Economist magazine).
Discussions and posts on Michael Cameron's Sex, Drugs and Economics blog (tagged ECON110 or ECONS102) may also be helpful and provide additional real-world context to the concepts and theory discussed in class.
Finally, if you are looking for additional reading material your lecturer can direct you to a wide variety of books that have been used in updating and improving this paper over the past several years.
Online Support
Workload
Linkages to Other Papers
Restriction(s)
Restricted papers: ECON110