VHS Course Catalog

AP® Economics Section MA

Micro and Macro

Prerequisites
Good reading ability is a must. We will be reading a minimum of one chapter per week in an AP textbook. If you are unfamiliar with AP materials, these are college textbooks. Basic mathematics and graphing skills required. Active participation is a big part of this course; your active participation, especially. Being self motivated and able to work in small groups is also a plus.

Description
Economics is a social science which addresses how society allocates (distributes) limited resources (e.g. - goods and services). It is a “science” because it is governed by quantifiable laws designed to predict likely outcomes. It is a “social” science, as opposed to a natural science, because its laws are based upon social, as opposed to natural occurrences. This course will prepare the student for both the AP Micro and Macroeconomics exams. Each exam consists of 60 multiple choice questions and three free-response essay questions. More than 2800 colleges and universities give credit for passing the AP exam, enabling the student to move on to more advanced level courses. Students taking AP courses in VHS are required to take their respective AP exams in May.

Students enrolled in Advanced Placement VHS courses are expected to take the AP exam, and are required to report their AP examination scores to VHS (note: students who are failing their AP class are not required to take the exam). Upon receipt of the student's exam score, each score will be recorded by VHS and assigned an anonymous tracking number to ensure student anonymity and confidentiality. By enrolling in an AP VHS class, the student authorizes their school site coordinator and school administration to report AP examination scores to VHS. Exam results will not affect the student's VHS grade or future enrollment in VHS courses.

*** Note: Before enrolling in this course please read the [VHS AP Course Policy]

Course Objectives
1. To develop economic thinking skills to gain an understanding of our role in the economy.
2. An understanding of scarcity, the need to make a choice and the opportunity cost of such choices.
3. An understanding of the graphs and interpretation of those graphs. Applying graphs to real world scenarios.
4. Learning the basics of economic concepts examining how business has an effect on how the economy operates.
5. Recognize the far-reaching effects of those business decisions on the economy as a whole.
6. All the fundamental knowledge and skills necessary to be successful on the Advanced Placement exams at the end of the spring semester.