Economics course for college credit | ASU Universal Learner Courses

Macroeconomics

ECN 211 - Macroeconomic Principles

Introductory course in macroeconomics. Topics include the measurement and modeling of output, national income, inflation and unemployment; the determinants of cross-country differences in income; the functions of money and the banking system; the causes of and policy responses to recessions; the effect of monetary and fiscal policy on interest rates and national income.

Overview

Macroeconomics is the study of the sum of all spending, income, and productive efforts. The economic outcomes that we experience are the result of our intricate dealings with other governments, businesses, and people, both locally and globally. This course will give you insight into how economists approach and measure these big issues and questions.

The first part of this course takes a look at the common household with a specific focus on how the members of a household choose their workloads and spending habits. You will also study how businesses, both large and small, make important economic decisions. The second part of this course dives into policymaking and how these policies can either distort or enhance market outcomes. You will focus on five specific areas of economic policy: free trade, research & development & innovation, fiscal & tax, inflation & monetary and unemployment & labor market policies.

Requirements

This course contains proctored exams which requires a photo ID for verification.

To be successful in this course, we recommend English language fluency and computer literacy. We also encourage you to make sure your laptop or desktop computer meets the technical requirements.

Knowledge of basic Excel functionality and MAT 114 College Mathematics or MAT 117 College Algebra are strongly suggested as prerequisites for success in this course.

What you’ll learn

Apply marginal analysis to common economic decision problems
Describe economic decisions households and businesses make
Understand economic efficiency and sources of deviations from it
Interpret main macroeconomic indicators commonly analyzed to follow economy in real time
Understand the main policy discussions related to fiscal and monetary policy
Describe the advantages of trade

Transcript

This course appears on your transcript identically to how it appears on the transcript of an enrolled ASU student who has taken the course on one of ASU’s campuses. Course attendance dates will be listed on your transcript. An on-demand course will appear on your transcript in the session you complete the course.

This course satisfies 3 credit hours toward the SOBE: Social and Behavioral Sciences General Studies requirement at Arizona State University. It is strongly encouraged that you consult with your institution of choice to determine how these credits will be applied to their degree requirements prior to transferring your credit.

Faculty and course staff

Susan (Xu) Tang

Clinical Assistant Professor,

Department of Economics

Arizona State University

Read bio

Gorkem Akcan

Online Course Manager,

Learning Enterprise