Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Economy

Economy
6
9285
2
Second semester
FB
Main language of instruction: Spanish

Teaching staff


Ms. LOOSSENS, Rudi Irma Karel - rloossens@uic.es

Introduction

Economics is a subject of 6 ECTS credits, basic training, which is taught during the second semester of the second year of Journalism.

This course is key in training the student as it addresses the most important economic concepts of the economic world. In addition to other professional skills acquired by students in Journalism Degree (drafting, documentation, etc.), the knowledge of key concepts of the economy becomes a strategic factor as it focuses on results, and the primacy of financial profitability determines the functioning of many companies, including advertising agencies and the media.

Hence the importance attached by the agencies and the media, as it is granted by the citizens themselves, and economy has become a strategic factor in the communication sector. Factors such as the configuration of the market, the law of supply and demand, price, public debt and economic and fiscal policies can influence decisively in this sector. In addition, agencies and media direct their activities towards achieving overall organizational objectives, which often are evaluated in economic terms, such as the so-called Return On Investment. Hence the importance of learning some of the most important economic concepts so as to enable the student to work in the field of communication effectively.

Pre-course requirements

There are no prerequisites to take this course, although it is advisable to have previously taken Business Information, as both subjects are closely related.

Objectives

The primary objective of this course is to understand the theoretical concepts key to economic reality. Analyze the relationship between the different theoretical concepts discussed, and the importance of all of them in shaping the economic reality of a market. Reflecting on the direct relationship between many of the theoretical concepts explained and commercial communication strategies and the functioning of the media.

Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme

  • 02 CG - The ability to learn and act an autonomously and responsibly
  • 04 CG - The ability to organise time and workspace
  • 06 CG - The ability to read, analyze and synthesize
  • 08 CG - The ability to reflect and memorize.
  • 10 CG - Knowledge and mastery of bibliographic repertoires
  • 11 CG - Knowledge and mastery of different research resources
  • 16 CE - The ability to make judgments and well-argued critical assessments
  • 18 CE - Ability to detect newsworthy events
  • 19 CE - The ability to elaborate a budget for a journalistic project.
  • 25 CE - Ability to contextualize and critically analyze macroeconomic aspects
  • 38 CE - Knowledge and mastery of concepts, data, statistics and economic graphs

Learning outcomes of the subject

  1. They will learn basic knowledge of economics, law geography and history in order to be able to understand some of the major problems of modern society.
  2. They will internalize a complex vision of contemporary societies.
  3. They will understand how to spot trends.
  4. They will be able to analyze society and forge a critical and independent spirit.

Syllabus

•There are 3 reasons why you should study Economics : 
  1. It will help you understand the world in which you live. 
  2. It will make you a more astute participant in the economy and help you make better decisions.
  3. It will give you a better understanding of both the potential and the limits of economic policy.
So it will give you a basic insight in the workings of society and allow you to disentangle political ideology from pure economic thinking.
•The "Principles of Economics" course is thus much more focused. Its not just “getting acquainted” but “gaining command”.
•To know about economics it is indeed sufficient to read about the various economic concepts. Then, whenever you encounter them you will understand what is meant by these concepts.

•To know what the concepts are one must not only acquaint one’s self with the meaning of these concepts but also able to use them. This means that after learning about the concept, ONE MUST DO AS MANY EXERCICES AS POSSIBLE.

The syllabus  is divided into two parts: 
  • The first part is dedicated to Microeconomics (1 ->5): this is the study of how households and firms make decisions and how they interact in specific markets. 
  • The second part is dedicated to Macroeconomics (6 -> 8): this is the study of economywide phenomena such as inflation, unemployment rate etc ...  

SYLLABUS:
  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. HOW MARKETS WORK
  3. MARKETS AND WELFARE
  4. THE ECONOMICS OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR
  5. FIRM BEHAVIOR AND THE ORGANIZATION OF INDUSTRY
  6. THE DATA OF MACROECONOMICS
  7. THE REAL ECONOMY IN THE LONG RUN
  8. MONEY AND PRICES IN THE LONG RUN

Teaching and learning activities

In person



The contents will be worked on through various activities that require continuous evaluation, and that combine reflection and analysis of the subject with practical exercises. The activities are divided as follows:  Master classes to work on the key theoretical concepts of the course.  Research articles by topic.  Study cases.
TRAINING ACTIVITYECTS CREDITS
Coaching. Monitoring how students learn the content of the subject, either individually or in groups. In the coaching sessions, mistakes will be corrected, queries answered, and exercises and activities to achieve the established objectives will be suggested.
0.4
Focused Praxis. Handing in occasional exercises to learn theory through practice.
0.6
Seminar. This activity will consist of taking an in-depth look at specific up-to-date topics in a monographic manner-in some cases these topics will have been debated socially-, via active work in small groups.
0.8
Lectures. In lectures, lecturers/professors not only transmit content or knowledge, but also, and above all else, attitudes, motivation, skills and values, etc. They also ensure that participants can express their opinions and arguments to the other students.
4
Practical workshop. A highly practical working activity, where students can acquire skills that are practical or also theoretical (intellectual skills, logical skills, critical skills, intellectual learning skills, study skills, quoting skills, etc).
0.2

Evaluation systems and criteria

In person



Evaluation will be based on exams and continuous assessment (tests) on individual work, attitude, teamwork, prompt submission of works, content etc.

 

FIRST CALL:

  • Exams: midterm + final                                                                                       40%
  • Weekly tests for every topic                                                                                 10%
  • Practical exercises / assignments submitted during the course                                15%
  • Project:                                                                                                             10%
  • Presence and Participation in class [10% + 15%]:                                                 25%
    •     Presence (10%) has to be ≧ 80% of the classes to earn a grade for “presence”
    •     Participation (15%) refers to active participation in class

 

SECOND CALL:

  • Final exam: multiple choice + off-line exercises                                                  100%

 

THIRD AND FOURTH CALLS:

  • Final exam: multiple choice + off-line exercises                                                  100%

Bibliography and resources

 

Bibliography: 

Principles of Economics, Ninth Edition (2021), Nicholas Gregory Mankiw 

Recommended bibliography:

VARA, Alfonso (2009). Economía básica para comunicadores. Pamplona: EUNSA.

Krugman, Paul (2010). The era of limited expectations. Barcelona: Ariel.

MAYORAL MARTIN, Fernando (2009). Manual Spanish economy: theory and structure. Madrid: Prentice Hall.

ICEX (2005). Keys to the world economy. Madrid: ICEX.

HEYNE, Paul (1998). Economic concepts: the world according to economists. Madrid: Prentice Hall.

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