Introdução à Economia (P2-T)

Objectives

The main objective of the Introductory Economics course unit is to provide students with a first contact with economic concepts fundamental to their daily lives as citizens, engineering, science and technology professionals, and consumers. Students are expected to gain an understanding and familiarity with basic and structuring issues in societies such as unemployment, inflation, GDP and economic growth, globalization, inequality, innovation, the role of the economy in climate change, sustainability, and social responsibility. After completing this course students should be qualified with the necessary skills to understand the economic environment in which their professional activity will unfold, across established companies, start-ups, and government institutions.

Syllabus

1. Markets, efficiency and the role of the Government 2. GDP and economic growth, innovation and technological progress 3. Inflation, unemployment and inequality 4. Banks, money and the credit market; financial crises and globalization 5. Economic Policy 6. Economy, environment and climate change 7. Digital Economy, information, and social challenges

Cross Competence Component

The course allows the development of: transversal competences in Critical Thinking, namely strategic thinking and approaches to problem solving; Interpersonal and intrapersonal skills (communication and teamwork, enthusiasm and self-motivation); Global Citizenship (openness, understanding of global interconnections); Information and media literacy (ability to locate and access information as well as critically analyze and extract relevant content). The assessment percentage associated with these skills should be around 6%.

Ethical Principles

All members of a group are responsible for the group's work. In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used. In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.