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Unit of study_

ECON1005: The Australian Economy

Semester 2, 2022 [Normal day] - Remote

This unit explores the Australian economy and introduces students to the application of economic reasoning and techniques to real-world problems. A focus of the unit is how government policy is affected by the influences brought to bear by the both domestic issues and the international environment. Each issue is addressed within an economic framework. The methods of instruction, learning and assessment are designed to develop a range of graduate attributes, with an emphasis on developing communication skills and creative thinking.

Unit details and rules

Unit code ECON1005
Academic unit Economics
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Hugh Harley, hugh.harley@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Hugh Harley, hugh.harley@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s) Cynthia Wen, cynthia.wen@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Final exam (Open book) Type C final exam Final Exam
Open-book exam of 2 hours duration involving written answers
45% Formal exam period 2 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
In-semester test (Open book) Type C in-semester exam In-semester exam
50-minute exam involving written answers
20% Week 08
Due date: 23 Sep 2022 at 11:00
50 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2
Assignment group assignment Group assignment
Group assignment on economic issue, including a tutorial presentation.
25% Week 10
Due date: 14 Oct 2022 at 11:00
2000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Participation Participation
n/a
10% Weekly n/a
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
group assignment = group assignment ?
Type C final exam = Type C final exam ?
Type C in-semester exam = Type C in-semester exam ?

Assessment summary

  • Participation: equally weighted to tutorial attendance and to contribution to the tutorial discussion.  This will be assessed by the course tutor.
  • Group Assignment: You will be allocated into groups of 3 and 4 in your tutorials to work on a written assignment of no more than 2000 words (excluding references) on a topic allocated to the group.
  • Mid-semseter Exam: Multi-choice and/or short-answer questions (50 mins duration)

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

A detailed command of the material with a clear and insightful personal interpretation directed specifically to the question.

Distinction

75 - 84

A higher level of achievement than a Credit but not at HD level on all criteria

Credit

65 - 74

A solid understanding of the material well directed to the question with personal interpretation.

Pass

50 - 64

A basic understanding of the material only directed to the question in a general way and with limited personal interpretation.

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 People, growth and disease - Australia 2022 in a global context Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4 LO5
Studying economics Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO5
Week 02 Basic characterisation of the Australian economy - employment, GDP and inflation Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO4 LO5
Case study on Australian economy/policy Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO4 LO5
Week 03 Basic characterisation of the Australian economy - key policy tools Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO4 LO5
Case study on Australian economy/policy Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO4 LO5
Week 04 Australian Economic History Part 1 - Establishment Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Case study on Australian economy/policy Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO4 LO5
Week 05 Australian Economic History Part 2 - Transition to Nationhood Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Case study on Australian economy/policy Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO4 LO5
Week 06 Australian Economic History Part 3 - War, Depression and Prosperity Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Case study on Australian economy/policy Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4 LO5
Week 07 Australian Economic History Part 4 - Reform, growth and risk - Australia to 2022 and beyond Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Case study on Australian economy/policy Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 08 Mid-semester exam one hour followed by class discussion Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Case study on Australian economy/policy Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO4 LO5
Week 09 The reality of financial crises Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO3 LO5
Case study on Australian economy/policy Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO4 LO5
Week 10 The fault lines of the global financial crisis Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO3 LO5
Case study on Australian economy/policy Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO4 LO5
Week 11 Lessons and challenges from the global financial crisis Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO3 LO5
Case study on Australian economy/policy Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO4 LO5
Week 12 Common themes and future perspectives Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Case study on Australian economy/policy Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO4 LO5
Week 13 Common themes and future perspectives (continued) Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Case study on Australian economy/policy Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5

Attendance and class requirements

  • Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
  • Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles and theories of economics
  • LO2. understand Australian economic history and its relevance to Australia’s economic future
  • LO3. understand the causes of financial crises and policy responses to financial crises
  • LO4. identify critical economic issues facing Australia and analyse them using economic methods
  • LO5. critically evaluate potential government policy responses and to argue for the most appropriate policy response.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.