Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Economy
Teaching staff
Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 12:00 to 14:00 hours.
For convenience, email for scheduling meetings:
rmselvam@uic.es
Introduction
The main purpose of this subject in your academic programme is not to tell you what various things are. Instead, its aim is to help you develop academic skills, the most important of which is a creative and critical way of thinking about almost anything. Learning what things are will provide you with some knowledge but will not provide you with the skill of analytical thinking. Therefore, the academic programme has been carefully designed to provide students of the Audiovisual communication with the necessary exposure to the more fundamental methods of analysis that will, we hope, equip you for life with an ability to understand the broad dimensions of companies, corporates, and society, in order to contribute to it and benefit from it.
Pre-course requirements
Pre-course requirements would be basic mathematics, basic economic terms and knowledge about day to day economic decisions and transactions we make as individuals, firms, and how governments reacts to certain changes in the market.
It is indeed a complex subject. Still, it is our view (and experience) that with patience and work everyone can gain the necessary command over it.
•The purpose of this subject guide is to assist you in your endeavor and to guide you through the labyrinth of material, levels of knowledge and examination standards. There are numerous textbooks at the introductory level.
•I would therefore strongly advise against picking a single textbook and concentrating one’s effort on it. Instead, you should conduct your study along the lines and recommendations of this subject guide.
Objectives
• Introduce students to an understanding of the domain of economics as a social theory
• Introduce students to the main analytical tools which are used in economic analysis
• Introduce students to the main conclusions derived from economic analysis and to develop students’ understanding of their organizational and policy implications for companies especially in audiovisual communication
•Make students to understand the concepts of pricing, revenues, costs and negotiations of audiovisual products in the market.
• Enable students to participate in debates on economic matters.
Learning outcomes of the subject
At the end of this course and having completed the essential reading and activities, you should be able to:
• define the main concepts and describe the models and methods used in economic analysis
• formulate problems described in everyday language in the language of economic modelling
• apply and use the main economic models used in economic analysis to solve these problems in companies related to audiovisual communication sector
• assess the potential and limitations of the models and methods used in economic analysis.
Syllabus
Main contents of the course:
1.Fundamentals of economics (why we need the study of Economics)
2. Defining Audiovisual industry
3. Production Costs and Revenue of audiovisual products
4. Price and value of audiovisual products
-- The demand, supply and the consumer behavior
5. Macroeconomics on a basic perspective
- Growth of different economies (history and future)
- Economic policy
- Inflation
- Unemployment
- Poverty
6. Competition between U.S. and European audiovisual industries
Teaching and learning activities
In person
The students will have problem sets every week to practice the topic covered and in-class case discussions
and other exercises, economic games which will be focused to work in groups.
Working with others:
Group work is an important element of effective learning. Of course, you can study the material on your own, but discussing problems and insights with others is important for two reasons. First, it exposes you to different ways of thinking about the same problem. Second, it forces you to convince others about your own line of argument. The process of trying to convince others will enable you to gain a much deeper understanding of the material you are studying.
| Peer learning. The aim of this activity is to ensure that students gain the ability to analyse and be critical. One way of achieving this is by correcting their peers' exercises and results, etc. Each student will be evaluated twice: as both a recipient and a transmitter of critical knowledge. | 0.1 |
| 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. | 3 |
| 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. | 0.5 |
| Focused Praxis. Handing in occasional exercises to learn theory through practice. | 0.1 |
| 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. | 0.1 |
| 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
Bibliography and resources
Recommended reading: Lipsey, R.G. and K.A. Chrystal (2007). Principles of Economics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, eleventh edition