EC1101E: Introduction to Economics
This is a compulsory module for anyone interested to major in Economics, and it is best to take it in semester 1. The module is quite easy, as long as consistent effort is made to answer the tutorial questions. Those who have taken H2 Econs in JC will definitely have an advantage, though not by much as >80% of the cohort have H2 Econs. Tutorial attendance is compulsory and counts towards the final grade, so DO NOT skip any. Class participation is also counted in the final grade, so do volunteer to answer questions at least 2x during the entire semester. Lectures are 3h long, so be prepared to make sure you fully focus. Webcasts are available, meaning that you CAN skip lectures, though they may change it from year to year.
I chose to attend all lectures, simply because I doubt I would have the will to study if I stayed home. That being said, I still found it difficult to concentrate at times, since 3 hours of econs can be very draining. The lecturers were not bad, and clearly very experienced in their respective fields. The lecture series are split into Micro and Macro, with significantly more new content for Macro, so do take note and make sure you don’t burn out near the end.
There is no group project for this module, which is a godsend since not everyone is on the same page. Personally, I felt that the pace of the tutorials was too slow since the tutors had to cater to everyone, including slackers and those who did not even bother to read up on the topic. I only attended the tutorials since they are compulsory; the answers for the tutorial questions will be uploaded so do not worry if you didn’t catch everything/were zoning out.
Assessment
Tutorial (attendance + class participation): 10%
Exam type: MCQ + open-ended qns
Mid terms (only micro): 30%
Finals (micro + macro): 60%
As stated above, consistent attendance for tutorials is important, and as long as you volunteer to answer at least 2x, you will easily get your 10%. The mid terms are purely micro, and extremely easy with no challenging questions at all. Most people score very well for this, so you should try to aim for full marks/close to full marks. As long as you practice your tutorial questions and revise the lecture notes, the mid terms should be a breeze. The lecturers and tutors have kept insisting that it is very important to read the textbook, and that is true to a certain extent. If you knowledge of H2 Econs is shaky after the long break since the end of JC, it is essential that you read the textbook. I actually did not read the textbook, but I definitely will for future economics modules.
For the finals, do try to revise in advance, since the content is considerably more. Although they said that greater emphasis will be on macro, do not forget about your micro, as it may come out for the open-ended questions. The time for both the mid terms and the finals is very limited, due to the sheer volume of MCQ questions. Hence, it is important to divide your time wisely. I chose to start on the open-ended qns first, before moving on to MCQ. This ensured that I would have sufficient time to finish all the questions.
Workload
The workload for this module is VERY LIGHT. No group work, nothing. Just tutorials and lectures, the latter which u can skip. However, consistent effort is important, so just take out 2h/week to do your tutorial qns + review the lecture notes.
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