ECON3202 Mathematical Economics

Subject Code

ECON3202

Study Level

Undergraduate

Commencing Term

Term 2

Total Units of Credit (UOC)

Delivery Mode

On Campus and Online

School

Economics

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1. Course Details

Summary of Course

Mathematical tools are an important part of economic analysis. The main purpose of this course is to introduce students to advanced mathematical techniques used in theoretical and applied economic analysis. In addition, the course will provide a stepping stone to Honours programs in economics and related disciplines and to other advanced undergraduate courses.

This course gives students a working knowledge of basic analysis, topology, and static and dynamic optimisation techniques applied in economics. Topics include logic and set theory, topological principles in Euclidean spaces, properties of real-valued functions (continuity, concavity, quasi-concavity), differentiation in multi-dimensional Euclidean spaces, classical optimisation with and without constraints, comparative statics, and envelope theorems. Mathematical techniques are illustrated with mainstream theoretical applications such as consumer theory and game theory.

Teaching Times and Locations

Please note that teaching times and locations are subject to change. Students are strongly advised to refer to the Class Timetable website for the most up-to-date teaching times and locations.

View course timetable

Course Policies & Support

The Business School expects that you are familiar with the contents of this course outline and the UNSW and Business School learning expectations, rules, policies and support services as listed below:

Program Learning Outcomes
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
Student Responsibilities and Conduct
Special Consideration
Protocol for Viewing Final Exam Scripts
Student Learning Support Services

Further information is provided in the Assessment and Policies and Support sections.

Students may not circulate or post online any course materials such as handouts, exams, syllabi or similar resources from their courses without the written permission of their instructor.

Course Aims and Relationship to Other Courses

This course is offered as part of the economics streams in the BCom and BEc degrees. A prerequisite for this course is ECON2101.

This course is an introduction to advanced mathematics used in economic analysis. This course aims to:

introduce students to the mathematical concepts and methods used by professional economists;
provide a rich and rigorous foundation to complex problem solving;
equip students with the necessary knowledge to express economic ideas with formal mathematical concepts;
develop students’ ability to derive logical implications of formal economic models.

This course aims to develop the skills and knowledge that students will need if they advance to graduate studies in Economics. The course provides a strong foundation for Honours and further postgraduate study in economics.

Student Learning Outcomes

The Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) are what you should be able to demonstrate by the end of this course, if you participate fully in learning activities and successfully complete the assessment items.

CLOs also contribute to your achievement of the Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs), which are developed across the duration of a program for all students. More information on coursework PLOs is available under Policies and Support. PLOs are, in turn, directly linked to UNSW graduate capabilities and the aspiration to develop “globally focussed graduates who are rigorous scholars, capable of leadership and professional practice in an international community”.

For PG research PLOs please refer to the UNSW HDR Graduate Attributes and LearningOutcomes.

The following table shows how the CLOs for this course relate to the overall PLOs and indicates where each CLO and PLO is assessed:

Course Learning Outcomes	Program Learning Outcomes	Course Assessment Item
On successful completion of the course, you should be able to:	This course helps you to develop the following Program Learning Outcomes:	This learning outcome will be assessed in the following items:
1. Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the mathematical concepts and methods used by professional economists.	PLO 1: Business knowledge	Homework Assignments Lecture and tutorial participation Final Exam
2. Demonstrate the facility to express economic ideas in the language of mathematics. Critically analyse and evaluate economic models by using formal mathematical methods.	PLO 2: Problem solving	Homework Assignments Lecture and tutorial participation Final Exam
3. Construct written work which is logically and professionally presented.	PLO 3: Business communication	Homework Assignments Final Exam
4. Communicate successfully with group members in solving analytical problems.	PLO 2: Problem solving PLO 3: Business communication PLO 6: Global and cultural competence PLO 7: Leadership development	Homework Assignments Lecture and tutorial participation Final Exam
5. Work collaboratively to complete a task.	PLO 3: Business communication PLO 4: Teamwork PLO 6: Global and cultural competence PLO 7: Leadership development	Homework Assignments Lecture and tutorial participation Final Exam

2. Staff Contact Details

Position	Title	Name	Email	Location	Phone	Consultation Times
Lecturer-in-charge	AProf	Juan Carlos Carbajal		–	–	Fridays 14:00 - 15:00 (online) during weeks 1-5 and by appointment
Lecturer	Mr	DJ Thornton		–	–	Mondays 15:00 - 16:00 (online) during weeks 7-10 and by appointment

Communication with staff

You should feel free to contact your lecturers about any academic matter. However, it is strongly encouraged, for efficiency reasons, that all enquiries about the subject material be made at lectures or during consultation time. Discussion of course subject material will not be entered into via lengthy emails.

Email correspondence on administrative matters will be responded to within 48 hours, but not over weekends. Please note that the lecturers have no advance notice of the date and time of the final exam.

Student Enrolment Requests

Students can vary their own enrolment (including switching lecture streams or tutorials) via myUNSW until the end of Week 1. In general, most other student enrolment requests should be directed to The Nucleus: Student Hub (formerly Student Central). These include enrolment in full courses or tutorials, course timetable clashes, waiving prerequisites for any course, transfer-of-credit (international exchange, transfer to UNSW, cross-institutional study, etc.), or any other request which requires a decision about equivalence of courses and late enrolment for any course. Where appropriate, the request will be passed to the School Office for approval before processing. Note that enrolment changes are rarely considered after Week 2 classes have taken place.

3. Learning and Teaching Activities

Use of your Webcam and Digital Devices: If you enrol in an online class, or the online stream of a hybrid class, teaching and associated activities will be conducted using Teams, Zoom, or similar a technology. Using a webcam is optional, but highly encouraged, as this will facilitate interaction with your peers and instructors. If you are worried about your personal space being observed during a class, we encourage you to blur your background or make use of a virtual background. Please contact the Lecturer-in-Charge if you have any questions or concerns.

Some courses may involve undertaking online exams for which your own computer or digital devices will be required. Monitoring of online examinations will be conducted directly by University staff and is bound by the University's privacy and security requirements. Any data collected will be handled accordance with UNSW policies and standards for data governance. For more information on how the University manages personal information please refer to the UNSW Student Privacy Statement and the UNSW Privacy Policy.

Approach to Learning and Teaching in the Course

The philosophy underpinning this course and its teaching and learning strategies is based on “Guidelines on Learning" that Inform Teaching at UNSW".

Specifically, the lectures, tutorials and assessment have been designed to appropriately challenge students and support the achievement of the desired learning outcomes. A climate of inquiry and dialogue is encouraged between students and teachers and among students (in and out of class). The lecturers and tutors aim to provide meaningful and timely feedback to students to improve learning outcomes.

Learning Activities and Teaching Strategies

The examinable content of the course is defined by the references given in the lecture and tutorial schedules, the content of lectures, and the content of the tutorial program.

Lectures

Lectures will be live via Zoom. The purpose of the lectures is to provide a logical structure for the topics that make up the course; to emphasise the important concepts and methods of each topic, and to provide relevant examples to which the concepts and methods are applied. Lecture attendance is essential. This course has been designed to highlight in-class discussions of complex material. In particular, the lecturers will make extensive use of a virtual white-board in Zoom to discuss, derive and explain mathematical concepts pertinent to theoretical economics. Thus, synchronous attendance to the lectures is encouraged.

Tutorials

Tutorials are an integral part of the subject. Tutorial presentations/discussions and questions/problems will build on the material discussed in class with the lecturers. There will be online and in-person tutorials, but students must attend the tutorial session they are enrolled in.

Out-of-Class Study

While students may have preferred individual learning strategies, it is important to note that outside-of-class learning time is essential to reinforce the concepts developed in lectures and tutorials.

An “ideal” strategy (on which the provision of the course materials is based) might include:

Reading of the recommended material before the lecture. This will give you a general idea of the topic area.
Attending the lecture. Here the context of the topic in the course and the important elements of the topic are identified and explained. Examples are given, and formal results stated, discussed, and proven.
Attempting the weekly homework assignments.
Attending and participating in the tutorial sessions to reinforce learning.

The lectures will focus on aspects that are more difficult to understand or apply with the aim of providing greater comprehension and facility. The readings and the lectures give you an opportunity to learn the concepts and methods, see some simple applications, and begin the process of learning to use these models on your own.

You will be given homework assignments which are an essential part of the course. The homework assignments present the mathematical methods with statements and proofs of the main theorems and many examples and problems. The assignments will be marked, so you will be asked to submit your work. We will discuss the answers in the tutorial sessions and you will be expected to participate in the discussion. Since the problems on the exam will be similar in character to the assigned problems, your serious effort on the homework assignments is a necessary condition for good performance on the exam.

4. Assessment

Formal Requirements

In order to pass this course, you must:

achieve a composite mark of at least 50 out of 100;
meet any additional requirements described in the Assessment Summary section.

You are expected to attempt all assessment requirements in the course.

Assessment Structure

Assessment Task	Weighting	Length	Due Date
Homework Assignments	30%	8 weekly assignments (2 or 3 problems per assignment)	Tuesday 13:00 in Weeks 2-5 and 7-10
Final Exam	60%	2 hours	University Exam Period
Lecture and tutorial participation	10%	–	On-going
Total	100%	–	–

Assessment Summary

As a student at UNSW you are expected to display academic integrity in your work and interactions. Where a student breaches the UNSW Student Code with respect to academic integrity, the University may take disciplinary action under the Student Misconduct Procedure. To assure academic integrity, you may be required to demonstrate reasoning, research and the process of constructing work submitted for assessment.

To assist you in understanding what academic integrity means, and how to ensure that you do comply with the UNSW Student Code, it is strongly recommended that you complete the Working with Academic Integrity module before submitting your first assessment task. It is a free, online self-paced Moodle module that should take about one hour to complete.

Homework Assignments (30%)

There will be eight weekly assignments to be posted in Moodle at the beginning of each of Weeks 1-5 and 7-9. The assignments will test your knowledge of the material discussed during the lecture, and will consist of two or three problems to be solved at home. The due date for the assignments is Tuesday 1pm in Weeks 2-5 and 7-10, so students will have approximately a week to complete each assignment. Students will submit their solutions online via Moodle.

Each Homework Assignment is potentially worth 5% of the course grade. To compute each student's total Homework Assignment mark, only the six assignments with the top scores will be taken into consideration. So, the two assignments on which you earn the lowest marks will not count (this includes any assignments not submitted, which will receive a mark of zero). The answers to the problems in each Homework Assignment will be discussed in the next tutorial sessions. Thus, late submissions will not be accepted.

Final Exam (60%)

The final exam will be held in the University examination period. All material covered in the lectures and tutorial program is examinable. Further information on the content of the final exam will be provided towards the end of term. The final exam will consist of problem-solving questions that ask you to think creatively about how you could apply the mathematical concepts and methods you have learned during the entire course to particular problems.

Lecture and Tutorial Participation (10%)

No marks are awarded for lecture and tutorial attendance; rather, what is marked is your lecture and tutorial participation. This includes answering questions posed by the lecturers or tutors, and asking relevant questions of a more exploratory nature. Thus, students are highly encouraged to attend the lectures and tutorials. Lecture and tutorial participation marks will be recorded on a weekly basis and announced at the end of the term.

Assignment Submission Procedure

Students must submit their Homework Assignments online via Moodle. Your name and ID should be on the cover page. Detailed instructions for homework submission will be given in the first lecture.

Late Submission of Assignments

If you fail to submit an assignment before the deadline you will be given a mark of zero. A student can fail to submit two assignments without any grade penalty, as only the top 6 out of 8 assignments are taken into account when calculating final marks.

Assessment Feedback

Feedback on student performance from formative and summative assessment tasks will be provided to students in a timely manner. Assessment tasks completed within the teaching period of a course, other than a final assessment, will be assessed and students provided with feedback, with or without a provisional result, within 10 working days of submission, under normal circumstances. Feedback on continuous assessment tasks (e.g. laboratory and studio-based, workplace-based, weekly quizzes) will be provided prior to the midpoint of the course.

Special Consideration

You can apply for special consideration when illness or other circumstances beyond your control interfere with your performance in a specific assessment task or tasks, including online exams. Students studying remotely who have exams scheduled between 10pm and 7am local time, are also able to apply for special consideration to sit a supplementary exam at a time outside of these hours.

Special consideration is primarily intended to provide you with an extra opportunity to demonstrate the level of performance of which you are capable. To apply, and for further information, see Special Consideration on the UNSW Current Students page.

Special consideration applications will be assessed centrally by the Case Review Team, who will update the online application with the outcome and add any relevant comments. The change to the status of the application immediately sends an email to the student and to the assessor with the outcome of the application.

Please note the following:

Applications can only be made through Online Services in myUNSW. Applications will not be accepted by teaching staff. The lecturer-in-charge/course coordinator will be automatically notified when your application is processed.
Applying for special consideration does not automatically mean that you will be granted a supplementary exam or other concession.
If you experience illness or misadventure in the lead up to an exam or assessment, you must submit an application for special consideration, either prior to the examination taking place, or prior to the assessment submission deadline, except where illness or misadventure prevent you from doing so.
If your circumstances stop you from applying before your exam or assessment due date, you must apply within 3 working days of the assessment or the period covered by your supporting documentation.
Under the UNSW Fit To Sit/Submit rule, if you sit the exam/submit an assignment, you are declaring yourself well enough to do so and are cannot subsequently apply for special consideration.
If you become unwell on the day of – or during – an exam, you must stop working on your exam, advise your course coordinator or tutor and provide a medical certificate dated within 24 hours of the exam, with your special consideration application. For online exams, you must contact your course coordinator or tutor immediately via email, Moodle or chat and advise them you are unwell and submit screenshots of your conversation along with your medical certificate and application.
Special consideration requests do not allow the awarding of additional marks to students.

Further information on Business School policy and procedure can be found under “Special Consideration” on the Policies and Support page.

Late Submission Penalties

Late submission will incur a penalty of 5% per day or part thereof (including weekends) from the due date and time. An assessment will not be accepted after 5 days (120 hours) of the original deadline unless special consideration has been approved. An assignment is considered late if the requested format, such as hard copy or electronic copy, has not been submitted on time or where the ‘wrong’ assignment has been submitted.

For assessments which account for 10% or less of the overall course grade, and where answers are immediately discussed or debriefed, the LIC may stipulate a different penalty. Details of such late penalties will be available on the course Moodle page.

Protocol for Viewing Final Exam Scripts

UNSW students have the right to view their final exam scripts, subject to a small number of very specific exemptions. The UNSW Business School has set a protocol under which students may view their final exam script. Individual schools within the Faculty may also set up a local process for viewing final exam scripts, so it is important that you check with your School. Further school-specific information may be included below.

Quality Assurance

The Business School is actively monitoring student learning and quality of the student experience in all its programs. A random selection of completed assessment tasks may be used for quality assurance, such as to determine the extent to which program learning goals are being achieved. The information is required for accreditation purposes, and aggregated findings will be used to inform changes aimed at improving the quality of Business School programs. All material used for such processes will be treated as confidential.

5. Course Resources

The website for this course is on UNSW Moodle.

Since the emphasis in ECON3202 is on developing formal mathematics as applied to economic analysis, we shall use the mathematical appendix of the following textbook, which will be considered required reading:

Geoffrey Jehle and Philip Reny, Advanced Microeconomic Theory, Pearson Education, 3rd edition 2011. (JR)

A more advanced textbook that covers the same material in a more rigorous way, and that will be treated as a recommended textbook, is:

Rangarajan Sundaram, A First Course in Optimization Theory, Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Additional references for mathematics for economics and analysis include:

Alpha C. Chiang, Kevin Wainwright, Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics, McGraw-Hill Education, 4th ed. 2005, and
Simon, Carl P., Lawrence Blume, Mathematics for Economists, W. W. Norton, 1994.
Charles C. Pugh, Real Mathematical Analysis, Springer International, 2015.

6. Course Evaluation & Development

Feedback is regularly sought from students and continual improvements are made based on this feedback. At the end of this course, you will be asked to complete the myExperience survey, which provides a key source of student evaluative feedback. Your input into this quality enhancement process is extremely valuable in assisting us to meet the needs of our students and provide an effective and enriching learning experience. The results of all surveys are carefully considered and do lead to action towards enhancing educational quality.

The School of Economics strives to be responsive to student feedback. If you would like more information on how the design of this course and changes made to it over time have taken students’ needs and preferences into account, please contact the Director of Education at the School of Economics.

Consent for De-Identified Data to be Used for Secondary Research into Improving Student Experience

To enhance your student experience, researchers at UNSW conduct academic research that involves the use of de-identified student data, such as assessment outcomes, course grades, course engagement and participation, etc. Students of this course are being invited to provide their consent for their de-identified data to be shared with UNSW researchers for research purposes after the course is completed.

Providing consent for your de-identified data to be used in academic research is voluntary and not doing so will not have an impact on your course grades.

Researchers who want to access your de-identified data for future research projects will need to submit individual UNSW Ethics Applications for approval before they can access your data.

A full description of the research activities aims, risks associated with these activities and how your privacy and confidentiality will be protected at all times can be found here.

If you consent to have your de-identified data used for academic research into improving student experience, you do not need to do anything. Your consent will be implied, and your data may be used for research in a format that will not individually identify you after the course is completed.

If you do not consent for this to happen, please email the opt-out form to seer@unsw.edu.au to opt-out from having your de-identified data used in this manner. If you complete the opt-out form, the information about you that was collected during this course will not be used in academic research.

7. Course Schedule

Note: for more information on the UNSW academic calendar and key dates including study period, exam, supplementary exam and result release, please visit: https://student.unsw.edu.au/new-calendar-dates

Week	Activity	Topic	Assessment/Other
Week 1: 30 May	Lecture	Elements of Logic Methods of proof Set theory	JR Mathematical Appendix sections A1.1 and A1.2
Week 1: 30 May	Tutorial	No tutorial session	–
Week 2: 6 June	Lecture	Euclidean spaces Vector operations Convex sets Operations with convex sets Homework Assignment 01 due Tuesday	JR Mathematical Appendix section A1.3
Week 2: 6 June	Tutorial	Review of Homework Assignment 01
Week 3: 13 June	Lecture	Elements of topology Euclidean distance Open and closed sets Compact sets Homework Assignment 02 due Tuesday	JR Mathematical Appendix section A1.3
Week 3: 13 June	Tutorial	Review of Homework Assignment 02
Week 4: 20 June	Lecture	Real-valued functions Continuity of functions Operations preserving continuity Sequences and limits Homework Assignment 03 due Tuesday	JR Mathematical Appendix section A1.4
Week 4: 20 June	Tutorial	Review of Homework Assignment 03	–
Week 5: 27 June	Lecture	Properties of limits Limits of functions Continuity revisited Existence theorems Homework Assignment 04 due Tuesday	JR Mathematical Appendix sections A1.4 and A2.1
Week 5: 27 June	Tutorial	Review of Homework Assignment 04	–
Week 6: 4 July	Lecture	No lecture	–
Week 6: 4 July	Tutorial	No tutorial session
Week 7: 11 July	Lecture	Linear independence Linear functions Derivatives in one-dimensional Euclidean spaces Rules of differentiation Homework Assignment 05 due Tuesday	JR Mathematical Appendix section A2.2
Week 7: 11 July	Tutorial	Review of Homework Assignment 05
Week 8: 18 July	Lecture	Differentiation in multidimensional Euclidean spaces Differentiation and continuity Partial derivatives Directional derivatives Homework Assignment 06 due Tuesday	JR Mathematical Appendix section A2.3
Week 8: 18 July	Tutorial	Review of Homework Assignment 06
Week 9: 25 July	Lecture	Concave and convex functions in one-dimensional Euclidean spaces Characterization and properties of concave functions Concave and convex functions in multi-dimensional Euclidean spaces Homework Assignment 07 due Tuesday	JR Mathematical Appendix section A2.4
Week 9: 25 July	Tutorial	Review of Homework Assignment 07
Week 10: 1 August	Lecture	Unconstrained optimisation in multidimensional spaces Constrained optimisation in multidimensional spaces Envelope theorems (optional) Homework Assignment 08 due Wednesday	JR Mathematical Appendix section A2.4
Week 10: 1 August	Tutorial	Review of Homework Assignment 08	–

8. Policies and Support

Information about UNSW Business School program learning outcomes, academic integrity, student responsibilities and student support services. For information regarding special consideration, supplementary exams and viewing final exam scripts, please go to the key policies and support page.

Program Learning Outcomes

The Business School places knowledge and capabilities at the core of its curriculum via seven Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs). These PLOs are systematically embedded and developed across the duration of all coursework programs in the Business School.

PLOs embody the knowledge, skills and capabilities that are taught, practised and assessed within each Business School program. They articulate what you should know and be able to do upon successful completion of your degree.

Upon graduation, you should have a high level of specialised business knowledge and capacity for responsible business thinking, underpinned by ethical professional practice. You should be able to harness, manage and communicate business information effectively and work collaboratively with others. You should be an experienced problem-solver and critical thinker, with a global perspective, cultural competence and the potential for innovative leadership.

All UNSW programs and courses are designed to assess the attainment of program and/or course level learning outcomes, as required by the UNSW Assessment Design Procedure. It is important that you become familiar with the Business School PLOs, as they constitute the framework which informs and shapes the components and assessments of the courses within your program of study.

PLO 1: Business knowledge

Students will make informed and effective selection and application of knowledge in a discipline or profession, in the contexts of local and global business.

PLO 2: Problem solving

Students will define and address business problems, and propose effective evidence-based solutions, through the application of rigorous analysis and critical thinking.

PLO 3: Business communication

Students will harness, manage and communicate business information effectively using multiple forms of communication across different channels.

PLO 4: Teamwork

Students will interact and collaborate effectively with others to achieve a common business purpose or fulfil a common business project, and reflect critically on the process and the outcomes.

PLO 5: Responsible business practice

Students will develop and be committed to responsible business thinking and approaches, which are underpinned by ethical professional practice and sustainability considerations.

PLO 6: Global and cultural competence

Students will be aware of business systems in the wider world and actively committed to recognise and respect the cultural norms, beliefs and values of others, and will apply this knowledge to interact, communicate and work effectively in diverse environments.

PLO 7: Leadership development

Students will develop the capacity to take initiative, encourage forward thinking and bring about innovation, while effectively influencing others to achieve desired results.

These PLOs relate to undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs. For PG Research PLOs, including Master of Pre-Doctoral Business Studies, please refer to the UNSW HDR Learning Outcomes

Business School course outlines provide detailed information for students on how the course learning outcomes, learning activities, and assessment/s contribute to the development of Program Learning Outcomes.

UNSW Graduate Capabilities

The Business School PLOs also incorporate UNSW graduate capabilities, a set of generic abilities and skills that all students are expected to achieve by graduation. These capabilities articulate the University’s institutional values, as well as future employer expectations.

UNSW Graduate Capabilities	Business School PLOs
Scholars capable of independent and collaborative enquiry, rigorous in their analysis, critique and reflection, and able to innovate by applying their knowledge and skills to the solution of novel as well as routine problems.	PLO 1: Business knowledge PLO 2: Problem solving PLO 3: Business communication PLO 4: Teamwork PLO 7: Leadership development
Entrepreneurial leaders capable of initiating and embracing innovation and change, as well as engaging and enabling others to contribute to change	PLO 1: Business knowledge PLO 2: Problem solving PLO 3: Business communication PLO 4: Teamwork PLO 6: Global and cultural competence PLO 7: Leadership development
Professionals capable of ethical, self-directed practice and independent lifelong learning	PLO 1: Business knowledge PLO 2: Problem solving PLO 3: Business communication PLO 5: Responsible business practice
Global citizens who are culturally adept and capable of respecting diversity and acting in a socially just and responsible way.	PLO 1: Business knowledge PLO 2: Problem solving PLO 3: Business communication PLO 4: Teamwork PLO 5: Responsible business practice PLO 6: Global and cultural competence

While our programs are designed to provide coverage of all PLOs and graduate capabilities, they also provide you with a great deal of choice and flexibility. The Business School strongly advises you to choose a range of courses that assist your development against the seven PLOs and four graduate capabilities, and to keep a record of your achievements as part of your portfolio. You can use a portfolio as evidence in employment applications as well as a reference for work or further study. For support with selecting your courses contact the UNSW Business School Student Services team.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

Academic Integrity is honest and responsible scholarship. This form of ethical scholarship is highly valued at UNSW. Terms like Academic Integrity, misconduct, referencing, conventions, plagiarism, academic practices, citations and evidence based learning are all considered basic concepts that successful university students understand. Learning how to communicate original ideas, refer sources, work independently, and report results accurately and honestly are skills that you will be able to carry beyond your studies.

The definition of academic misconduct is broad. It covers practices such as cheating, copying and using another person’s work without appropriate acknowledgement. Incidents of academic misconduct may have serious consequences for students.

Plagiarism

UNSW regards plagiarism as a form of academic misconduct. UNSW has very strict rules regarding plagiarism. Plagiarism at UNSW is using the words or ideas of others and passing them off as your own. All Schools in the Business School have a Student Ethics Officer who will investigate incidents of plagiarism and may result in a student’s name being placed on the Plagiarism and Student Misconduct Registers.

Below are examples of plagiarism including self-plagiarism:

Copying: Using the same or very similar words to the original text or idea without acknowledging the source or using quotation marks. This includes copying materials, ideas or concepts from a book, article, report or other written document, presentation, composition, artwork, design, drawing, circuitry, computer program or software, website, internet, other electronic resource, or another person's assignment, without appropriate acknowledgement of authorship.

Inappropriate Paraphrasing: Changing a few words and phrases while mostly retaining the original structure and/or progression of ideas of the original, and information without acknowledgement. This also applies in presentations where someone paraphrases another’s ideas or words without credit and to piecing together quotes and paraphrases into a new whole, without appropriate referencing.

Collusion: Presenting work as independent work when it has been produced in whole or part in collusion with other people. Collusion includes:

Students providing their work to another student before the due date, or for the purpose of them plagiarising at any time
Paying another person to perform an academic task and passing it off as your own
Stealing or acquiring another person’s academic work and copying it
Offering to complete another person’s work or seeking payment for completing academic work

Collusion should not be confused with academic collaboration (i.e., shared contribution towards a group task).

Inappropriate Citation: Citing sources which have not been read, without acknowledging the 'secondary' source from which knowledge of them has been obtained.

Self-Plagiarism: ‘Self-plagiarism’ occurs where an author republishes their own previously written work and presents it as new findings without referencing the earlier work, either in its entirety or partially. Self-plagiarism is also referred to as 'recycling', 'duplication', or 'multiple submissions of research findings' without disclosure. In the student context, self-plagiarism includes re-using parts of, or all of, a body of work that has already been submitted for assessment without proper citation.

To see if you understand plagiarism, do this short quiz: https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism-quiz

Cheating

The University also regards cheating as a form of academic misconduct. Cheating is knowingly submitting the work of others as their own and includes contract cheating (work produced by an external agent or third party that is submitted under the pretences of being a student’s original piece of work). Cheating is not acceptable at UNSW.

If you need to revise or clarify any terms associated with academic integrity you should explore the 'Working with Academic Integrity' self-paced lessons available at: https://student.unsw.edu.au/aim.

For UNSW policies, penalties, and information to help you avoid plagiarism see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism as well as the guidelines in the online ELISE tutorials for all new UNSW students: http://subjectguides.library.unsw.edu.au/elise. For information on student conduct see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/conduct.

For information on how to acknowledge your sources and reference correctly, see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/referencing. If you are unsure what referencing style to use in this course, you should ask the lecturer in charge.

Student Responsibilities and Conduct

Students are expected to be familiar with and adhere to university policies in relation to class attendance and general conduct and behaviour, including maintaining a safe, respectful environment; and to understand their obligations in relation to workload, assessment and keeping informed.

Information and policies on these topics can be found on the 'Managing your Program' website.

Workload

It is expected that you will spend at least ten to twelve hours per week studying for a course except for Summer Term courses which have a minimum weekly workload of twenty to twenty four hours. This time should be made up of reading, research, working on exercises and problems, online activities and attending classes. In periods where you need to complete assignments or prepare for examinations, the workload may be greater. Over-commitment has been a cause of failure for many students. You should take the required workload into account when planning how to balance study with employment and other activities.

We strongly encourage you to connect with your Moodle course websites in the first week of semester. Local and international research indicates that students who engage early and often with their course website are more likely to pass their course.

View more information on expected workload

Attendance and Engagement

Your regular attendance and active engagement in all scheduled classes and online learning activities is expected in this course. Failure to attend / engage in assessment tasks that are integrated into learning activities (e.g. class discussion, presentations) will be reflected in the marks for these assessable activities. The Business School may refuse final assessment to those students who attend less than 80% of scheduled classes where attendance and participation is required as part of the learning process (e.g. tutorials, flipped classroom sessions, seminars, labs, etc.). If you are not able to regularly attend classes, you should consult the relevant Course Authority.

View more information on attendance

General Conduct and Behaviour

You are expected to conduct yourself with consideration and respect for the needs of your fellow students and teaching staff. Conduct which unduly disrupts or interferes with a class, such as ringing or talking on mobile phones, is not acceptable and students may be asked to leave the class.

View more information on student conduct

Health and Safety

UNSW Policy requires each person to work safely and responsibly, in order to avoid personal injury and to protect the safety of others.

View more information on Health and Safety

Keeping Informed

You should take note of all announcements made in lectures, tutorials or on the course web site. From time to time, the University will send important announcements to your university e-mail address without providing you with a paper copy. You will be deemed to have received this information. It is also your responsibility to keep the University informed of all changes to your contact details.

Student Support and Resources

The University and the Business School provide a wide range of support services and resources for students, including:

Business School Learning Support Tools
Business School provides support a wide range of free resources and services to help students in-class and out-of-class, as well as online. These include:

Academic Communication Essentials – A range of academic communication workshops, modules and resources to assist you in developing your academic communication skills.
Learning consultations – Meet learning consultants who have expertise in business studies, literacy, numeracy and statistics, writing, referencing, and researching at university level.
PASS classes – Study sessions facilitated by students who have previously and successfully completed the course.
Educational Resource Access Scheme – To support the inclusion and success of students from equity groups enrolled at UNSW Sydney in first year undergraduate Business programs.

The Nucleus - Business School Student Services team
The Nucleus Student Services team provides advice and direction on all aspects of enrolment and graduation. Level 2, Main Library, Kensington 02 8936 7005 / https://nucleus.unsw.edu.au/en/contact-us

Business School Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
The Business School Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee strives to ensure that every student is empowered to have equal access to education. The Business School provides a vibrant, safe, and equitable environment for education, research, and engagement that embraces diversity and treats all people with dignity and respect. BUSEDI@unsw.edu.au

UNSW Academic Skills
Resources and support – including workshops, individual consultations and a range of online resources – to help you develop and refine your academic skills. See their website for details.
academicskills@unsw.edu.au

Student Support Advisors
Student Support Advisors work with all students to promote the development of skills needed to succeed at university, whilst also providing personal support throughout the process.
John Goodsell Building, Ground Floor.
advisors@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

International Student Support
The International Student Experience Unit (ISEU) is the first point of contact for international students. ISEU staff are always here to help with personalised advice and information about all aspects of university life and life in Australia.
Advisors can support you with your student visa, health and wellbeing, making friends, accommodation and academic performance.
International.student@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

Equitable Learning Services
Equitable Learning Services (formerly Disability Support Services) is a free and confidential service that provides practical support to ensure that your health condition doesn't adversely affect your studies. Register with the service to receive educational adjustments.
Ground Floor, John Goodsell Building.
els@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

UNSW Counselling and Psychological Services
Provides support and services if you need help with your personal life, getting your academic life back on track or just want to know how to stay safe, including free, confidential counselling.
Level 2, East Wing, Quadrangle Building.
counselling@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 5418

Library services and facilities for students
The UNSW Library offers a range of collections, services and facilities both on-campus and online.
Main Library, F21.
02 9065 9444

Moodle eLearning Support
Moodle is the University’s learning management system. You should ensure that you log into Moodle regularly.
externalteltsupport@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 3331

UNSW IT
UNSW IT provides support and services for students such as password access, email services, wireless services and technical support.
UNSW Library Annexe (Ground floor).
02 9385 1333

Support for Studying Online

The Business School and UNSW provide a wide range of tools, support and advice to help students achieve their online learning goals.

The UNSW Guide to Online Study page provides guidance for students on how to make the most of online study.

We recognise that completing quizzes and exams online can be challenging for a number of reasons, including the possibility of technical glitches or lack of reliable internet. We recommend you review the Online Exam Preparation Checklist of things to prepare when sitting an online exam.

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Accreditation

ECON3202 Mathematical Economics - 2022

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1. Course Details

Summary of Course

Teaching Times and Locations

Course Policies & Support

Course Aims and Relationship to Other Courses

Student Learning Outcomes

2. Staff Contact Details

Communication with staff

Student Enrolment Requests

3. Learning and Teaching Activities

Approach to Learning and Teaching in the Course

Learning Activities and Teaching Strategies

Lectures

Tutorials

Out-of-Class Study

4. Assessment

Formal Requirements

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Homework Assignments (30%)

Final Exam (60%)

​Lecture and Tutorial Participation (10%)

Assignment Submission Procedure

Assessment Feedback

Special Consideration

Protocol for Viewing Final Exam Scripts

Quality Assurance

5. Course Resources

6. Course Evaluation & Development

Consent for De-Identified Data to be Used for Secondary Research into Improving Student Experience

7. Course Schedule

8. Policies and Support

UNSW Graduate Capabilities

Plagiarism

Cheating

Workload

Attendance and Engagement

General Conduct and Behaviour

Health and Safety

Keeping Informed

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Lecture and Tutorial Participation (10%)