ECON203-14S2 (C) Semester Two 2014

Intermediate Microeconomics with Calculus II

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 14 July 2014
End Date: Sunday, 16 November 2014
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 27 July 2014
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 12 October 2014

Description

ECON203 is the second of two courses of a coordinated sequence of courses that introduces students to the three pillars of economic analysis (choice, scarcity, and coordination) and the mathematical techniques that economists use to represent these ideas (optimisation, equilibrium, and adding-up constraints). The sequence is largely devoted to "price theory", which is the analysis of the role that prices play in facilitating coordination in a market economy. ECON203 looks at the coordination of consumer and firm choices through prices, including situations where such coordination may not result in desirable outcomes. It examines the role that imperfect information and strategic behaviour can play in determining economic outcomes.

Learning Outcomes

  • At the end of the two-semester sequence of ECON 202 and 203, students should be able to
  • model consumer and firm choice, using both graphical and mathematical language;
  • understand the role that prices play in communicating information and coordinating    
                behaviour in a market economy;
  • use a general equilibrium framework as a starting point for economic analysis; and
  • begin to think like an economist.

Prerequisites

Restrictions

ECON230

Recommended Preparation

Course Coordinator

Seamus Hogan

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Problem Sets 10%
Essay 10%
Final Exam 65%
Mid term test 15%


The weighting for the various pieces of assessment will be according to one of the following two schedules, whichever gives the highest grade (except, for the note on "dishonest practice" included in the Course Outline):

Schedule 1:
Problem Sets      10%
Mid-Term Test    30%
Essay                10%
Final Exam          50%

Schedule 2:
Problem Sets       10%
Mid-Term Test     15%
Essay                 10%
Final Exam           65%

Textbooks / Resources

Required Texts

Bergstrom, Theodore C. , Varian, Hal R; Workouts in intermediate microeconomics ; 7th ed; W.W. Norton, 2006.

Varian, Hal R; Intermediate microeconomics : a modern approach ; 7th ed; W.W. Norton & Co, 2006.

Recommended Reading

Harford, Tim; The undercover economist : exposing why the rich are rich, the poor are poor--and why you can never buy a decent used car! ; Oxford University Press, 2006.

ECON203 uses the same books as ECON202.

Course links

Course Outline

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $709.00

International fee $3,063.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Department of Economics and Finance .

All ECON203 Occurrences

  • ECON203-14S2 (C) Semester Two 2014
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