Course Overview

• Bachelor #1: Contemporary Economic Issues (CEI) Session #1 (2024-2025)

Professors

• French Track:

  • Group 1 & 2: Youenn LOHEAC (coordinator)

  • Group 3: François Le Grand (coordinator English track)

  • Group 4: Sinda JEBLI

• English Track:

  • Group 1 & 2: Stéphane AURAY

  • Group Paris: Alessandra PIZZO

Contact Information

• Youenn LOHEAC: youenn.loheac@rennes-sb.com

• François Le Grand: francois.le-grand@rennes-sb.com

• Sinda JEBLI: sinda.jebli@adjunct.rennes-sb.com

• Stéphane AURAY: stephane.auray@rennes-sb.com

• Alessandra PIZZO: alessandra.pizzo@adjunct.rennes-sb.com

Course Organization

• Session Structure:

  • 8 sessions of 3 hours each

  • Each session includes:

    • Lecture by professor

    • Exercises (paper and/or Excel)

    • Student presentations (starting from lecture 3 or 4)

• At Home:

  • Readings + exercises

• MOODLE Platform:

  • Access course documents, slides, exercises, corrections, additional links

  • Link: Moodle

Assessment Criteria

• Breakdown:

  • 60% final exam covering all lectures

  • 10% in-class multiple-choice quiz (mid-course)

  • 30% continuous control (presentation of press review)

• Important Notes:

  • Professors available to guide and support learning

  • Encouragement to ask questions related to economics or finance, even if not directly linked to the course

Course Objectives

• Provide an overview of modern macroeconomics in relation to news

• Focus areas include:

  • Economic facts and main aggregates

  • Employment and growth

  • Fiscal and monetary policies

  • Themes of crises and globalization

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

• Gain awareness of main economic questions

• Understand key economic mechanisms

• Develop critical thinking about economics and its strengths and limits

• Recognize main schools of economic thought

• Comprehend major macroeconomic events and policies

• Cultivate critical understanding of economic news

Pedagogical Methods

• Use of an online free economic textbook: Core-Econ

  • Website: Core-Econ

• Session Structure:

  • Prepare reading before each session

  • Engage in Q&A regarding readings, followed by lectures, exercises, and group presentations of press reviews

Course Roadmap

1. Introduction:

   • (u.1) The capitalist revolution

2. Economic Fluctuations:

   • (u.13) Economic fluctuations and unemployment

3. Labour Market Issues:

   • (u.9) Wages, profits, and unemployment

4. Fiscal Policies:

   • (u.14) Unemployment and fiscal policy

5. Monetary Policies:

   • (u.15) Inflation, unemployment, and monetary policy

Themes and Topics

• Defining Economics:

  • Study of allocation of scarce resources with human behaviors in focus

  • Economics as a social science examining human decision-making

• Capitalist Revolution Overview:

  • Increases in average living standards due to capitalism since 1700s

  • Impacts: New economic organization, technological advances, but also environmental threats and global inequalities

Historical Context

• Past wealth disparities vs. current conditions

• GDP Per Capita Definition:

  • Total value of everything produced annually divided by population; reflects average income

Income Inequality

• Historical Perspective:

  • Contrast between rich and poor individuals within society vs. differences between countries

• Measuring Inequality:

  • Skyscraper graph representation of GDP per capita across countries

  • Observations of within-country and between-country inequality

Measuring Standards of Living

• GDP Per Capita as a Proxy:

  • Key challenges and considerations in GDP measurement

• Disposable Income:

  • Definition and implications for measuring wellbeing

  • Comparison to GDP in reflecting true standard of living

Upcoming Content

• Preparations for next session include readings and quizzes on topics such as technological revolutions, capitalism definitions, and economic theories

  • Reference Link: Core-Econ