Modulhandbuch Wirtschaftswissenschaft - Universität Tübingen

E110 Einführung in die Wirtschaftswissenschaft – Introduction to Economics
siehe B110
E120 Principles of Economics – Grundzüge der Volkswirtschaftslehre
Lecturer:
Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Kohler
Relevant for:
B.Sc. in Economics and Business Administration
B.Sc. in International Economics
Bachelor-Nebenfach Volkswirtschaftslehre
ECTS-Credits/Stud. Recommended for:
Workload:
1
7,5 / 225
st year B.Sc.
Type of Exam:
90 minutes-exam plus
active participation in
tutorial
Prerequisites:
none
Comment for Diploma students: -
Course Language: English
Course type and number of hours:
3 h lecture + 1 h class/tutorial
Mode:
- major: obligatory, part of the
preliminary exam (Orientierungsprüfung)
and the intermediate
examination
(Zwischenprüfung) (for students
enrolled in the B.Sc.
EcoBA (emphasis on Economics)
and B.Sc. IntEco);
elective for students in the
B.Sc. in EcoBA (emphasis on
Business Administration)
- minor: obligatory and part of
the preliminary exam (Orientierungsprüfung)
and the intermediate
exam (Zwischen-
prüfung)
Maximum Student number:
No formal limit
Cycle:
summer-
term
Goals:
This course intends to improve students’ understanding of what economics is all about, and
why it is important. It is structured around specific topics that serve to exemplify the fundamental
nature and significance of economics. Each topic is introduced using real-worldexamples,
and discussed in such a way that students will recognize economics as a general
way of thinking about pressing problems of present day societies. They learn how economic
analysis may be used in order to evaluate proposed solutions to these problems and to avoid
fallacies when searching for solutions.
The course is selective, but topics are chosen in such a way such that students obtain a fairly
broad exposure to the issues and concepts of modern economics. It aims at clarifying important
economic terms and concepts, such as economic incentives, the role of prices and markets,
market failure, competition, market power, to name just a few. Among the problems
considered are environmental pollution, carbon emissions and climate change, unemployment,
inflation and deflation, price control, overfishing of world oceans, poverty and inequality,
and financial crises.
The main purpose of the course is to enhance intuition, and to learn about the principal usefulness
of economic models, rather than mastering formal details of economic models. Students
will also learn about the limits and problems of economics as a scientific approach to
solving real-world-problems. By the end of the course, students should have come to the
conclusion that economics is not a dry science, but a colorful and fascinating subject to
study, with clear practical policy relevance. The course should thus enhance students’ motivation
to invest in a more systematic way of learning economics by attending subsequent
courses in our Economics program.
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