Skagit Valley College

Catalog Course Search Details

 Course Title:   Consumer Economics

 Title Abbreviation:   CONSUMER ECONOMICS

 Department:    ECON

 Course #:    150

 Credits:    5

 Variable:     No

 IUs:    5

 CIP:    450601

 EPC:    n/a

 REV:    2018


 Course Description  

Designed for students who desire a general overview of economic principles as they relate to personal finance. Supply and demand, inflation, money and banking, interest, savings, investments, credit, estate planning and other consumer-related topics are presented. Not recommended for business majors.

 Prerequisite  

None

Additional Course Details

Contact Hours (based on 11 week quarter)

Lecture: 55

Lab: 0

Other: 0

Systems: 0

Clinical: 0


Intent: Distribution Requirement(s) Status:  

Academic Social Sciences  

Equivalencies At Other Institutions

Other Institution Equivalencies Table
Institution Course # Remarks
N/A

Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, the student will be able to:

  1. Understand the use consumer information to enhance management of personal finances including budgeting - credit - insurance - investments - taxes - retirement

General Education Learning Values & Outcomes

Revised August 2008 and affects outlines for 2008 year 1 and later.

0. Application and Integration

Definition: Applying information from one or more disciplines and/or field experiences in new contexts (Outcome 0.1); developing integrated approaches or responses to personal, academic, professional, and social issues (Outcomes 0.2-0.5).

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
0.2 Identify the strengths and limitations of different fields of study.

2. Critical Thinking

Definition: The ability to think critically about the nature of knowledge within a discipline and about the ways in which that knowledge is constructed and validated and to be sensitive to the ways these processes often vary among disciplines.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
2.1 Identify and express concepts, terms, and facts related to a specific discipline.
2.2 Analyze issues and develop questions within a discipline.
2.3 Identify, interpret, and evaluate pertinent data and previous experience to reach conclusions.
2.4 Evaluate decisions by analyzing outcomes and the impact of actions.
2.9 Apply and/or create problem-solving strategies to successfully adapt to unpredictable and/or changing environments.

8. Mathematical Reasoning

Definition: Understanding and applying concepts of mathematics and logical reasoning in a variety of contexts, both academic and non-academic.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
8.1 Analyze problems to determine what mathematical principles apply.
8.2 Correctly apply logical reasoning and mathematical principles to solve problems.
8.3 Interpret information and reasoning expressed mathematically (for example in spreadsheets, diagrams, charts, formulas, etc.).
8.4 Communicate mathematical information effectively.

Course Contents

  1. Financial statements and plans (budgeting - net worth - etc.)
  2. Credit and cash management (housing - automobile - major consumer purchases)
  3. Banks and banking system (Federal Reserve - money supply - etc.)
  4. Taxation and social security
  5. Insurance needs
  6. Investment planning (stocks - bonds - money market - etc.)
  7. Retirement planning
  8. Protecting assets