Hawaii Pacific University
ECON 1000 Naked Economics Section ____
Semester and year, meeting times
Instructor: name, contact information and other relevant information about the instructor.
Course description: This course introduces the core tenets of economic thought through a variety of
popular writings and media including the books: Naked Economics and Freakonomics. Primary economic
topics include: incentives and choice, the functioning of markets, public policy, poverty, fairness,
information, and social choice theory.
Course prerequisites: None
General Education Requirement: This course is classified under the Values and Choices theme and
meets the requirement for a course in Values and Choices B: Social Choice.
General Education Student Learning Outcomes and the Five Themes: HPU’s general education
curriculum is focused around five themes. This course emphasizes the Values and Choices theme and
provides students with opportunities to achieve the following related general education student
learning outcomes:
Students will analyze the interrelationships among beliefs, choices, and cultural and social
institutions and practices;
The class addresses the classic economic tradeoff between efficiency and equity and the arguments used to
promote either side of this choice which differ according to the values and beliefs of specific societies
Students will understand and analyze the range of consequences that follow from a choice, policy
or course of action;
Students will analyze the consequences of various government interventions and policies including how
incentives work and what their consequences are.
Students will understand the processes (such as elections and markets) by which the choices of
individuals combine to produce a shared outcome; and
The functioning of markets, including financial markets, is central to this class.
The course also addresses the research and epistemology theme and provides students with
opportunities to achieve the following related general education student learning outcome:
Students will utilize methods and technologies appropriate to the discipline to investigate
research questions, solve problems and/or test hypotheses.
The course introduces students to several techniques used in economic analysis. The students will discuss
current events/topics using the analytical tools and methodologies learned in the course to better
understand the economic elements of these issues.
Note: Purple text shows places where specific course information must be filled in. Red text provides
explanatory notes to the instructor which should be deleted before using the syllabus. Blue explanations
above may be rephrased by the individual instructor to reflect the specific approach in that section.
Optional: list any other general education outcomes that you will specifically address in the course under
the appropriate themes and/or describe how your course relates to any of the themes in ways other
than by addressing one of the general education student learning outcomes. Please delete this note and
all red text.
Student Learning Outcomes for ECON 1000 Naked Economics
Students will
A. Understand that economic theory presents us with a clear tradeoff between efficiency
and equity and that different societies choose to favor equity over efficiency or efficiency
over equity based on their own values and beliefs.
B. Understand the role and impact of incentives including their unintended consequences.
C. Understand and apply techniques of economic analysis including
a. marginal analysis, which allows students to make optimal decisions and critique
the decisions of others
b. equilibrium analysis, which allows students to anticipate market outcomes as well
as strategic outcomes
c. welfare analysis, which allows students to analyze the impact of policy changes on
various groups such as consumers, producers, and governments.
D. Learn to appreciate the applications and interpretations of statistical tools which form the
basis of the economic analyses described in the readings & discussions.
For the rest of these required syllabus items see the details in the faculty handbook. Delete this note
once the syllabus is complete. For online courses there are some additional requirements given at this
link.
Texts List textbooks with ISBN’s and include this language as well
All textbook information (pricing, ISBN #, and e-books) for this course can be found on the HPU
Bookstore website: hpu.edu/bookstore.
If you have any questions regarding textbooks, please contact the HPU Bookstore at:
Phone:
808-544-9347
Or e-mail:
[email protected]
[email protected]
Assignments and mode of evaluation
Summary of important dates and deadlines (if the schedule is a separate document and due dates are
not given with the description of the assignments).
Class rules and policies (including regarding attendance, late work and academic dishonesty)
Schedule of events (may be attached separately)