3 credits
Spring 2026 Lecture Distance Learning Credit By ExaminationCore Transfer LibraryLower DivisionBehavioral/Social Sciences
This course examines how the US economy functions and develops a theoretical framework permitting an analysis of the forces affecting national income, employment, unemployment, interest rates, the rate of inflation, and exchange rates. Emphasis is placed upon the role of government’s fiscal and monetary policy in promoting economic growth and stable prices. Topics covered include economic methods and questions; optimization; aggregate supply and demand; macroeconomic measures; aggregate income; economic growth; employment and unemployment; money and banking; macroeconomic stabilization techniques; international trade; and open economy macroeconomics. CTL: ISH 1041 Macroeconomics.
Learning Outcomes1Incorporate the essential principles of economic analysis into your own decision-making process.
2Identify the fundamentals of supply and demand in a competitive market and explain how the equilibrium price and quantity are determined.
3Describe the macroeconomy using aggregate measures.
4Identify and describe the proximate and fundamental causes of economic prosperity.
5Distinguish the different measures, causes and effects of unemployment.
6Recognize the causes and effects of inflation.
7Categorize and describe the causes and properties of business cycles.
8Analyze and evaluate monetary and fiscal policy tools as they relate to economic stabilization.
9Explain how comparative advantage provides the basis for gains through trade.
10Describe how exchange rates are determined.
11Assess economic information contained in news reports, policymakers’ statements, and specialized publications critically.
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