UNISA Economics Course Module

UNISA Economics Course Module

South African Financial System – ECS2605
Under Graduate Degree	Semester module	NQF level: 6	Credits: 12
Module presented in English,Afrikaans
Pre-requisite: ECS1601 or ECS1028
Purpose: To gain insight into the operation of the South African financial system with reference to financial institutions, instruments and markets, and to demonstrate an understanding of the way that the monetary policy is implemented in South Africa.

Money, Banking and Financial Markets – MONECHG
Honours	Year module	NQF level: 7	Credits: 24
Module presented in English
Purpose: Students credited with this module will have an advanced understanding of theoretical and practical issues in money, banking and financial markets. They will be able to interpret events and trends in the world of finance and banking, explain how banks influence the real economy, evaluate the merits and demerits of the SARB’s monetary policies and interpret the contents of financial publications.

Environmental Economics – ECS2606
Under Graduate Degree	Semester module	NQF level: 6	Credits: 12
Module presented in English
Purpose: This module will enable students to determine the relationship between the macro- and micro-economy, and the natural environment, evaluate frameworks for environmental decision-making and assess the formulation of different policy measures.

Public Economics – PECH00G
Post Graduate Diploma,Honours	Year module	NQF level: 7	Credits: 24
Module presented in English
Purpose: To enable students to critically discuss the role of government in a market economy and analyse and reflect on public expenditures and sources of government revenue. Students will be able to debate and critically analyse intergovernmental fiscal relations in the context of a decentralised form of government.

Economics of Tourism – ECS2607
	Semester module	NQF level: 6	Credits: 12
Module presented in English
Pre-requisite: ECS1601 or ECS1028
Purpose: To gain insight into the application of microeconomic and macroeconomic theory to the tourism environment in areas such as resource use, equilibrium in the tourism market, employment and income creation, tourism’s external account and the role of multinational enterprises.

Advanced Macroeconomics – ECS4861
Honours	Year module	NQF level: 8	Credits: 24
Module presented in English		Module presented online
Pre-requisite: ECS3701 (Only applicable for 98256 qualification)
Purpose: The main focus of this module is to critically compare and contrast the different schools of thought in macroeconomics. The module studies different theories of the economy as a whole, focusing on economic aggregates such as the level of and changes in national output, income and employment, inflation and interest rates and the relationships between them. The way in which the authorities can use economic policy to influence the economy is studied, especially the role of monetary and fiscal policy.

Economic History of the World – ECS2608
Under Graduate Degree	Semester module	NQF level: 6	Credits: 12
Module presented in English
Pre-requisite: ECS1601 or ECS1028
Purpose: To enable students to critically assess the development of the modern international economy since 1820 by looking at topics such as the causes of economic growth, long-term capital movements, international migration, commercial policy, foreign trade, the growth of the multilateral payments network, the rise and fall of the gold standard, the spread of industrialisation, the impact of the First World War, the Great Depression and the disintegration of the international economy during the 1930s.

Advanced Microeconomics – ECS4862
Honours	Year module	NQF level: 8	Credits: 24
Module presented in English		Module presented online
Purpose: This module will equip students with insight into the economic behaviour of households, firms and markets as presented in microeconomic theories, such as neoclassical microeconomics and new institutional economics. Along with Advanced Macroeconomics, this module provides the basic knowledge and tools to be used in the other advanced modules in Economics.

Economic History of South Africa – ECS2609
Under Graduate Degree	Semester module	NQF level: 6	Credits: 12
Module presented in English
Pre-requisite: ECS1601 or ECS1028
Purpose: To enable students to critically assess the development of the Western market economy in South Africa by looking at topics such as the origins of the indigenous precapitalist economy, the development of the Cape Colony from a refreshment station to a far-flung colony of settlement under the Dutch East India Company (1652-1795), South Africa during the agricultural era (1795-1870), the impact of the mining revolution (1870-1910), and the gradual industrialisation of South Africa after 1910.

Advanced Econometrics – ECS4863
Honours	Year module	NQF level: 8	Credits: 12
Module presented in English		Module presented online
Recommendation: ECS3706 or ECS307K
Purpose: This module is an advanced course in econometrics and its purpose is to equip students with the relevant toolset to practically solve real live economic related problems they may encounter in their work environment. Qualifying students will have both a solid grounding in the theoretical backbone of econometrics as well as the practical application of the relevant econometric techniques. The aim is to introduce students to non-stationary time series analysis which is vital to overcome the problem of spurious regression relationships. The student will develop an ability to identify the time series characteristics of data while estimation in a non-stationary environment will be dealt with, using amongst others the concept of co-integration. The aim is also to introduce students to different modelling techniques using different types of data, including qualitative data as well as situations where there is a two-way flow of influence among economic variables.

Development Economics – DEVH00L
Honours	Year module	NQF level: 7	Credits: 24
Module presented in English		Module presented online
Purpose: To enable students to analyse key development issues affecting developing and less developed countries. Students will be able to describe and critically analyse development priorities and policy formulation in country-specific locations.

Money, Banking and Financial Markets – ECS4864
Honours	Year module	NQF level: 8	Credits: 12
Module presented in English		Module presented online
Purpose: The overall purpose is that students acquire an advanced understanding of the world of banking and finance. For that purpose, they are taught how that world historically developed, the way it impacts prices and output in the real economy, how central bank policies influence the real economy by manipulating bank behavior, and how the authorities regulate and supervise banks and financial markets to reduce the frequency and severity of banking and financial crises.

Monetary Economics – ECS3701
Under Graduate Degree,Diploma	Semester module	NQF level: 7	Credits: 12
Module presented in English,Afrikaans
Pre-requisite: ECS2602 or ECS202B
Purpose: Students will have a fundamental understanding of core issues in monetary economics. They will be able to view, reflect on and solve current issues in the light of various theories that have been put forward concerning the roles of money, interest rates and inflation in the economy.

Advanced International Economics – ECS4865
Honours	Year module	NQF level: 8	Credits: 12
Module presented in English		Module presented online
Purpose: The aim of this module is to provide students with a thorough grasp and understanding of the main theoretical aspects of international trade and international monetary systems to explain the theory and principles of international economics. The module will enable the students to critically analyse the current policy debates on international trade and finance, as well as the economic implications of different monetary systems, in order to evaluate different problems and offer possible solutions to important international economic problems. Through this module students will be equipped to analyse a comprehensive, up-to-date, and clear exposition of the theory and principles of international economics that are essential for understanding, evaluating, and suggesting solutions to the important international economic problems and issues facing the global economy today and the near future.

International Trade – ECS3702
Under Graduate Degree,Diploma	Semester module	NQF level: 7	Credits: 12
Module presented in English,Afrikaans
Pre-requisite: ECS2601 or ECS201A
Purpose: This module will equip students with the ability to understand and analyse different trade theories and trade policy issues, as well as to analyse the motives and effects of international capital flows.

Advanced Public Economics – ECS4866
Honours	Year module	NQF level: 8	Credits: 12
Module presented in English		Module presented online
Purpose: The module will enable students to critically discuss and analyse the complexities regarding the role of government in a market economy. Students will be able to analyse and reflect on public expenditure and sources of government revenue and its implications for efficiency and equity and will also be able to engage with additional sources on these topics.

Economics 1500 – ECS1500
Under Graduate Degree,Higher Certificate	Semester module	NQF level: 5	Credits: 12
Module presented in English
Purpose: The purpose of this module is to prepare students for studies in the world of economics. They will be able to reflect on the skills they already have and what resources they need to manage their own learning development. They will furthermore be able to have a broader vision of the South African economy and understand how these markets function and will be able to identify their own position and role, and that of the workplace within this broader economic environment.

International Finance – ECS3703
Under Graduate Degree,Diploma	Semester module	NQF level: 7	Credits: 12
Module presented in English,Afrikaans
Pre-requisite: ECS2602 or ECS202B
Purpose: This module will enable learners to view, reflect on and solve current issues of the balance of payments, the foreign exchange rates, and the different theories thereof.

Advanced Development Economics – ECS4867
Honours	Year module	NQF level: 8	Credits: 12
Module presented in English		Module presented online
Purpose: The module will enable students to critically assess the fundamental differences between developed and developing countries so as to identify underlying problems and challenges that confront developing countries with the aim of formulating appropriate policies for mitigation.

Economics IA – ECS1501
Under Graduate Degree,Diploma	Semester module	NQF level: 5	Credits: 12
Module presented in English
Purpose: To gain insight into how the basic economic problem is solved in different economic systems, how economic activity is measured and how prices are determined through decisions made by individual households and firms under conditions of perfect and imperfect competition.

Public Economics – ECS3704
Under Graduate Degree,Diploma	Semester module	NQF level: 7	Credits: 12
Module presented in English
Pre-requisite: ECS2601 or ECS201A
Purpose: This module will enable students to analyse public finance issues and policy within the context of the South African economy and other developing countries. Students will be able to describe, evaluate and advise on the role of government, its expenditures and tax revenue sources as well as intergovernmental fiscal relations.

Research Report in Economics – HRECS83
Honours	Year module	NQF level: 8	Credits: 36
Module presented in English		Module presented online
		Co-requisite: One of the following: ECS4864, ECS4865, ECS4866 or ECS4867
Purpose: The purpose of the module is to equip students with the competencies required to plan, execute and write an acceptable academic research paper in Economics. Students will be able to reason and debate in written format a specific economic topic, recognising existing international and national research on the topic and integrate appropriate research methodologies in Economics.

Understanding the Economy – FEC1501
Under Graduate Degree	Semester module	NQF level: 5	Credits: 12
Module presented in English		Module presented online
Purpose: The purpose of this module is to introduce students to basic economic concepts and issues and the linkages between them in a non-technical environment. The module aims to have students grasp basic concepts in order to move on and utilise these concepts in dynamic thinking at more advanced levels.

History of Economic Thought – ECS3705
Under Graduate Degree	Semester module	NQF level: 7	Credits: 12
Module presented in English
Pre-requisite: ECS2601 & ECS2602 or ECS201A & ECS202B
Purpose: Students credited with this module will have gained a better grasp of how economic thinking has developed over the centuries with particular references to famous economists like Smith, Ricardo, Malthus, Mill, Marx, Marshall, Walras, Veblen, Keynes, Friedman, and more recently Lucas. This “historical awareness” should help them to better evaluate current economic ideas and policy proposals.

Economics IB – ECS1601
Under Graduate Degree,Diploma	Semester module	NQF level: 6	Credits: 12
Module presented in English,Afrikaans
Pre-requisite: ECS1501 or ECS1016
Purpose: To gain insight into macroeconomic theory and variables such as total production and income of a country, economic growth, unemployment, inflation and the balance of payments.

Econometrics – ECS3706
Under Graduate Degree	Semester module	NQF level: 7	Credits: 12
Module presented in English
Pre-requisite: ECS2601, ECS2602 & (DSC1520 or QMI1500 or [STA1501 & STA1502])
Purpose: This module will enable students to use economic theory, mathematical and statistical tools to specify and estimate the coefficients of a regression equation in the most efficient way. The goal is to find the most accurate estimates of the coefficients of the regression equation, whatever the difficulties which arise. Students will understand the purpose and method of econometrics, be able to apply statistics with confidence, specify an equation with skill and consideration and deal purposefully with econometric problems.

Microeconomics Microeconomics – ECS2601
Under Graduate Degree	Semester module	NQF level: 6	Credits: 12
Module presented in English,Afrikaans
Pre-requisite: ECS1601 or ECS1028
Purpose: To gain insight into the behaviour of consumers and producers in the economy by studying demand and supply and its price sensitivity; consumer behaviour; production; and the operation of different markets such as perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition and oligopoly.

Development Economics – ECS3707
Under Graduate Degree	Semester module	NQF level: 7	Credits: 12
Module presented in English		Module presented online
Pre-requisite: ECS2601 & ECS2602 or ECS201A & ECS202B
Purpose: This module will enable students to analyse economic development issues and policy within the context of developing countries. Students will be able to describe, evaluate and advise on development challenges within a national and international context.

Macroeconomics – ECS2602
Diploma,Under Graduate Degree	Semester module	NQF level: 6	Credits: 12
Module presented in English,Afrikaans
Pre-requisite: ECS1601 or ECS1028
Purpose: To enable students to study various theoretical macroeconomic views on the determination of income in a closed and open economy and the role of economic policy in this regard, with special reference to South Africa.

International Economics – IERH004
Honours	Year module	NQF level: 7	Credits: 24
Module presented in English
Purpose: To provide students with a thorough grasp and understanding of the main theoretical aspects of international trade and international monetary systems. The module will enable the students to critically analyse the current policy debates on international trade and finance, as well as the economic implications of different monetary systems.

South African Economic Indicators – ECS2603
Under Graduate Degree,Diploma	Semester module	NQF level: 6	Credits: 12
Module presented in English,Afrikaans
Pre-requisite: ECS1601 or ECS1028
Purpose: To enable students to demonstrate an understanding of the meaning and interpretation of a wide range of economic indicators, including various national accounting concepts, price indices and balance of payments statistics, and to apply this understanding to recent South African economic data.

Macroeconomics – MACECHJ
Honours,Post Graduate Diploma	Year module	NQF level: 7	Credits: 24
Module presented in English
Purpose: To critically compare and contrast the different schools of thought in macroeconomics. The module studies different theories of the economy as a whole, focusing on economic aggregates such as the level and change of national output, income and employment, inflation and interest rates and the relationships between them. The way in which the authorities can use economic policy to influence the economy is studied, especially the role of monetary and fiscal policy.

Labour Economics – ECS2604
Under Graduate Degree,Diploma	Semester module	NQF level: 6	Credits: 12
Module presented in English,Afrikaans
Pre-requisite: ECS1601 or ECS1028
Purpose: To gain insight into the economic analysis of labour and the labour market with regard to the supply of and demand for labour, education and training of the labour force, unemployment, vacancies and the migration of labour, trade unionism and collective bargaining, discrimination in the labour market, and to apply this knowledge to the South African labour market.

Microeconomics – MICECHV
Honours	Year module	NQF level: 7	Credits: 24
Module presented in English
Purpose: To equip students with insight into the economic behaviour of households, firms and markets as presented in microeconomic theories, such as neoclassical microeconomics and new institutional economics. Along with Advanced Macroeconomics, this module provides the basic knowledge and tools to be used in the other advanced modules in Economics.