Students are required to complete either a five-page essay based on the assigned readings or a five-slide presentation (annotated or unannotated). The purpose of this assignment is to assess students’ ability to synthesize course materials throughout the semester and communicate their understanding effectively.
This assignment is intended to:
- Develop and demonstrate critical thinking skills through analysis and reflection.
- Encourage clarity, structure, and professionalism in presentation.
- Foster creativity in expressing ideas.
- Reinforce the application of knowledge acquired to date in the course.
Completion of this assignment will contribute to students’ ability to engage thoughtfully with course concepts and to present arguments or insights in both written and visual formats.
Integrated Economic Mini-Project Case Study Requirements
This presentation is a case study, not an economics consultation. You will examine one real-world economic issue in depth and use it to demonstrate how ideas from several chapters work together. The goal is not simply to recommend what a client should do; it is to explain the case through careful economic analysis.
Unlike the weekly Chapter Presentation, which focuses on the concepts and homework problems from one chapter, this assignment requires you to connect multiple concepts across the course to interpret a single case.
Presentation requirements
Prepare a 5-10 minute presentation, followed by approximately 3 minutes for class questions.
Your presentation should include:
- Introduce the case
- Select one specific, real-world economic issue, event, policy, market, firm, industry, or community problem.
- Clearly explain what happened, where and when it occurred, and why it is economically important.
- Identify the main people, groups, firms, or institutions affected.
- Present evidence
- Use credible data, news sources, reports, or other relevant evidence.
- Include at least one visual, such as a graph, table, figure, map, or timeline.
- Cite all sources clearly on slides and in a final reference slide.
- Apply economic concepts
- Use at least four economic concepts drawn from different chapters or course units.
- Define each concept briefly and accurately.
- Explain specifically how each concept helps explain the case.
- Connect concepts
Show how the concepts influence one another in the case.
- Explain at least one tradeoff, unintended consequence, equity concern, or limitation of the analysis.
- Avoid presenting concepts as isolated definitions; the presentation should tell one coherent economic story.
- Interpret the case
Explain what economic analysis reveals that a purely descriptive account might miss.
- Discuss possible responses, policies, or business strategies when relevant, but the main emphasis should remain on explanation and analysis rather than advising a client.
- End with a short summary identifying the most important economic insight from the case.
Grading Rubric
|
Evaluation Criteria and Point Allocation for |
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|
Criterion |
Excellent |
Proficient |
Developing |
Points |
|
Case selection and framing |
Selects a focused, meaningful case and clearly explains its economic |
Case is relevant and mostly clear |
Case is too broad, unclear, or weakly connected to economics |
15 |
|
Evidence and sources |
Uses credible, relevant evidence; interprets it accurately; includes |
Uses appropriate evidence with minor gaps |
Evidence is limited, poorly interpreted, or insufficiently cited |
15 |
|
Application of economic concepts |
Applies at least four concepts accurately and deeply to explain the |
Applies several concepts accurately but with uneven depth |
Uses too few concepts, relies on definitions, or includes important |
30 |
|
Integration across chapters |
Clearly demonstrates how concepts from different chapters interact and |
Makes some meaningful cross-chapter connections |
Treats concepts as separate or does not show their relationships |
15 |
|
Depth of analysis |
Identifies tradeoffs, distributional effects, limitations, or |
Includes some analysis beyond description |
Mostly describes events without sustained economic analysis |
15 |
|
Organization, delivery, and discussion |
Clear, engaging, well-paced presentation with effective visuals and |
Generally clear and organized |
Difficult to follow, poorly paced, or limited engagement |
10 |
|
Total |
100 |
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Key distinction
- Weekly Chapter Economist Consultation & Presentation: Demonstrates learning from one chapter through representative homework or quiz problems, reflection on difficulties, and a brief real-life application.
- Integrated Economic Mini-Case Study Presentation: Uses one real-world case to synthesize and apply multiple economic concepts from across the course.