"Introductory Economics" introduces the basic concepts, theories, and methods of economics, and provides a simple and comprehensive economic theoretical basis for economics students or economics enthusiasts who are starters.

This course uses Mankiw ’s Fundamentals of Economics (Sixth Edition, Peking University Press) as the teaching material, including the basic theories of both microeconomics and macroeconomics, such as the theory that equilibrium price is determined by supply and demand, elasticity theory, market efficiency analysis, the analysis of government policies’ intervention and impact on the market, production and cost analysis, corporate decision-making in competitive markets and monopolistic markets and also the measurement of national income, the determinants of national income growth, the market balance of loanable funds, the money supply and price levels, the determinants of economic fluctuations and the impact of macroeconomic policies on aggregate demand. Main categories of economics are covered in this course.

Through the study of this course, students should achieve the following goals by mastering the basic concepts, theories and methods of economics:

1. Students can gain basic knowledge of the market's mechanism for allocating social resources through the interaction of demand, supply, and price; students can get preliminary understanding of the principles that economic subjects' consumption and production decisions are made to achieve maximum interests; Students can give brief analysis of limitations of the market mechanism in allocating resources and the impact of micro measures taken by the government on market mechanisms.

2. Students can gain basic knowledge of the meaning and measurement methods of macroeconomic indicators that show the overall economic situation of a country; students can get preliminary understanding of the factors that have influence on a country's macroeconomic long-term growth, and the effects of it; Students can give brief analysis of the impact of changes in aggregate demand and aggregate supply on macroeconomic fluctuations and the role of fiscal and monetary policies in stabilizing the economy.

Mankiw ’s Fundamentals of Economics (Sixth Edition, Peking University Press)