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Unit of study_
ECOP6101: Political Economy: A Primer
2025 unit information
The unit introduces the core concepts of political economy through the lens of the principal schools of economic thought - Classical Political Economy, Marxian Economics, Neoclassical Economics, Institutional Economics, Keynesian Economics and Contemporary Political Economy. You will consider each school’s historical origins, their methodological approaches, analytical tools, policy prescriptions and insights. You will learn about the foundations for the application of political economic reasoning to advance understanding of contemporary issues like the climate crisis, precarious employment, energy impoverishment, the contemporary university business model, and global pandemics.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Arts and Social Sciences
| Study level | Postgraduate |
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| Academic unit | Political Economy |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. show a general familiarity with the basic concepts in the language of economics
- LO2. demonstrate understanding of core concepts and basic analytical tools used in political economic analysis
- LO3. discuss the principal schools of thought in economics, their historical origins, their political orientation and their contemporary relevance
- LO4. explain the connections between different economic viewpoints (e.g. on policy issues) and the theoretical frameworks of competing schools of economic thought
- LO5. independently gather information from library and other sources
- LO6. apply information collected to particular economic questions
- LO7. demonstrate a capacity for thinking critically and constructively about contemporary economic issues
- LO8. prepare clearly written summaries of arguments about political economic issues
- LO9. contribute orally to discussions about political economic issues, adapting and developing arguments in the light of additional evidence and alternative viewpoints
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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