Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Economy
Teaching staff
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
- 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.
- They will internalize a complex vision of contemporary societies.
- They will understand how to spot trends.
- They will be able to analyze society and forge a critical and independent spirit.
Syllabus
The theoretical and practical program of the subject Economics is composed of the following contents by two parts.
Syllabus:
PART I
1. Introduction to economics
2. Supply and Demand
3. Market failures
4. The company
5. From microeconomics to macroeconomics.
6. Money, banking and the monetary system
7. The State and economic activity
8. Inflation
9. The labor market. Unemployment
Teaching guide (text for Part II that appears in the teaching guide
Students will do 16 hours of eminently practical sessions on economic journalism.
Objective: practical approach to economic news, its characteristics, formats, writing and understanding. Analysis of examples from different media (press, radio and TV) through the use of concepts learned in the theoretical sessions.
- Session 1. Presentation of practical classes. Introductory seminar on writing economic news. Characteristics and examples.
- Session 2. Workshop on supply, demand and markets [i] (focused praxis) from tables / graphs.
- Session 3. Previous FP review. Workshop / FP on GDP / GNP (from INE tables and published-issued news)
- Session 4. Previous FP review. Workshop / FP on sources of economic information
- Session 5. Previous FP review. Workshop / FP on the company as an economic agent
-Session 6. Previous FP review. Session on Sources of business financing
- Session 7. Previous FP review. Workshop / FP on employment, labor problems and ways of measurement,
-Session 8. Previous FP revision. Workshop / FP on inflation, one of the concerns of our days
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 ACTIVITY | ECTS 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
First call:
The evaluation consists of four elements:
- Final multiple choice exam (50%)
- Writing an economic piece of news in class by putting into practice the theoretical knowledge acquired during the course (15%).
- Presentation in groups of regional economic perspectives / analyses (25%)
- Participation (conditional to assistance of 80%) (10%)
Second call:
Final multiple choice exam and with short questions on economic concepts (100%)
Third and fourth calls:
Final multiple choice exam and with short questions on economic concepts (100%)
Bibliography and resources
Bibliography:
VARA, Alfonso (2009). Economía básica para comunicadores. Pamplona: EUNSA.
Recommended bibliography:
MANKIW, Gregory (2010). Principles of Economics. Mexico: Cengage Learning Editores.
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.
Teacher's bibliography:
MANKIW, Gregory (2010). Principles of Economics. Mexico: Cengage Learning Editores.