Applied Studies (Business and Administrative Studies), Arts, or Social Science. ECON 357 can be used to fulfill the Applied Studies (Business and Administrative Studies) area of study by credential students only.
Prerequisites:
ECON 247: Microeconomics and ECON 248: Macroeconomics (or equivalents)
Course start date:
If you are a:
Self-funded student: register by the 10th of the month, start on the 1st of the next.
Students registering in grouped study mode are advised that there may be some differences in the evaluation and course materials information indicated below. To obtain the most up-to-date information, contact the Faculty of Business Student Support Centre at 1-800-468-6531.
Overview
ECON 357 builds upon the foundation developed in an introductory course. Through the use of graphical analysis and mathematical problem solving, we extend the discussion and application of important microeconomic concepts. This course focuses on the decisions of individual consumers, firms, market structures, and the economic rationale of government intervention. Particular attention is paid to the theories of supply/demand, consumer behavior, production and cost, competitive and non-competitive markets, and input markets.
Outline
Lesson 1: Preliminaries
Lesson 2: The Basics of Supply and Demand
Lesson 3: Consumer Behaviour
Lesson 4: Individual and Market Demand
Lesson 5: Production
Lesson 6: The Cost of Production
Lesson 7: Profit Maximization and Competitive Supply
Lesson 8: The Analysis of Competitive Markets
Lesson 9: Market Power: Monopoly and Monopsony
Lesson 10: Pricing with Market Power
Evaluation
Your final grade in this course will be based on four quizzes, two written assignments, and a final examination. You must achieve an overall course grade of at least D (50 percent) and a grade of at least 50 percent on the final examination. If your grade on the final examination is below 50 percent, you will not receive credit for the course, even in your overall course grade exceeds “D” (50 percent). The weighting of the composite mark is as follows:
Activity
Weight
Quizzes (4 @5% each)
20%
Assignment 1
15%
Assignment 2
15%
Final Online Exam
50%
Total
100%
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Pindyck, R. S., & Rubinfeld, D. L. (2017). Microeconomics (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN 978-0-13-418424-1 (eText)
Pindyck, R. S., Rubinfeld, D. L., Suslow, V. Y., & Hamilton, J. H. (2017) Study Guide for Microeconomics (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN 978-0-13-474112-3 (eText)
All other learning resources will be available online.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the ECON 357 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D 50 percent on the examination.
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized study counterparts.