Economics

  • Course Description

    This course is designed to provide the learner with a greater understanding of the economic system employed in the United States. Major themes to be studied include (but are not limited to) the following:

    Essential Concepts/Skills

    Name & define the principles of economics and summarize the market structure of economics.
    Appropriately label and analyze various graphs including but not limited to supply and demand.
    Classify & contrast the public vs. private sector in our economy.
    Distinguish the difference between monetary & fiscal policy and how the economy makes use of both policies in our economy.
    Understand & dissect the United States’ international trade policies.
    Create & defend a financial plan for the students’ immediate future living on their own.

    Major Units:

    Principles of Economics: vocabulary, laws and the circular flow model
    Markets: supply, demand and equilibrium
    Public Sector v. Private Sector: gross domestic product, real v. nominal
    Fiscal and Monetary Policy: employment, inflation, Congressional policy and the Fed International Trade

    Pre-Assessment: Abridged version of the National Council of Economics
    Common Assessment: On Your Own Final

    Grading: based on a cumulative points system and a Standard Grading Scale
    100-90% - A
    89-80% - B
    79-70% - C
    69-60% - D
    59% or below - F

    AP Macro Economics

    Course Description:

    AP Macroeconomics gives students a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to an economic system as a whole. The course places particular emphasis on the study of national income and price-level determination, and also develops students' familiarity with economic performance measures, the financial sector, stabilization policies, economic growth, and international ecomonics.

    Essential Concepts/Skills

    Students will determine cause and effect relationships between actions and outcomes in the economic sector.
    Students will be able to graph and calculate a variety of economic outcomes.
    Students will identify the variables affecting different economic actions and describe how those variables change typical economic interactions.
    Students will write organized, analytical essays that interrelate several content areas.
    Students will interpret charts, graphs and diagrams accurately.

    Major Units

    FALL SEMESTER
    Basic Economic Concepts
    Measurement of Economic Performance
    National Income and Price Determination
    Financial Sector

    SPRING SEMESTER
    Stabilization Policies
    Economic Growth
    Open Economy: Trade and Finance
    Test Prep