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Economic Principles

Classes

There are no classes currently available for registration.

Overview

Our Economic Principles short course introduces you to basic economic principles to give you a solid foundation for understanding national and international economic policies and issues. You will develop analytical skills that you can apply to the discussion of contemporary problems of both principle and policy.

We begin the Economic Principles course with an introduction to the main schools of thought in economics along with a brief survey of the types of evidence economists use to support their arguments. Following this, we introduce you to the basic ideas of microeconomics (the study of parts of the economy such as markets and firms) and macroeconomics (the study of the whole economy, including causes of growth, recession, inflation and unemployment). Finally, our scope widens to include the international economy and topics such as development and environmental issues.

By the end of the course, you will be familiar with key terminology and themes in public policy debate and be able to apply basic principles to real-world economic behaviour.

Teaching is through a combination of lectures, seminars and class presentations, either individually or in groups, and topics include:

  • Economic methodologies and the analysis of the market, buyers and sellers and price
  • The economics of the firm
  • The labour market and income distribution
  • Allocative efficiency and market failure
  • Macroeconomics - basic models and measurement
  • Fiscal and monetary analysis and policy, inflation and unemployment
  • International trade and development

The course is assessed by two 1500-word assignments (30% each) and an in-class assessment (40%).

This can be taken as a standalone short course or as a part of:

30 credits at level 4

  • Entry requirements

    Entry requirements

    Most of our short courses have no formal entry requirements and are open to all students.

    This short course has no prerequisites.

    As part of the enrolment process, you may be required to submit a copy of a suitable form of ID.

    International students who wish to come to the UK to study a short course can apply for a Visitor visa. Please note that it is not possible to obtain a Student visa to study a short course.

  • How to apply

    How to apply

    You register directly onto the classes you would like to take. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis - so apply early. If you wish to take more than one short course, you can select each one separately and then register onto them together via our online application portal. There is usually no formal selection process, although some modules may have prerequisites and/or other requirements, which will be specified where relevant.