Course Description
Personal Introduction
Hello there, my name is Tim Miller, I am a teacher at The Hemel Hempstead School, I hold a BA in Economics from the University of Liverpool and I am currently studying part-time for an MSc in Agricultural Economics with SOAS, University of London. Yet it was cycling to school, past rice fields and factories, houses and shopping malls that the true majesty of Adam Smith’s invisible hand dawned upon me. I saw before me thousands of people whom I had never met making thousands of tiny self-interested decisions about how to spend their time, their money and the various other resources at their disposal. I find it amazing that perhaps more than any one big idea, it is these millions of tiny judgements that bit by bit shape the world around us. Whether or not these decisions are leading us towards a better world is a matter for debate; is our self-interest depleting the Earth’s natural resources to apocalyptic levels or is it giving billions of people around the world the opportunity to fulfil their dreams and shape their own destiny? It is this question and the thousands of others that fall under the realm of Economics that make it such a fascinating subject.
No previous study is required so please come along.
Fee £100

 Course Outline
Course Introduction
In this short 8 week introductory course we will concentrate mainly on the general underlying principles of Economics. We will start from the bottom up, what is termed “Microeconomics” and look at how the individual agents within the economy such as consumers and firms make decisions and what the impact of these decisions are. As well as considering the more theoretical aspects such as supply and demand we will also look at examples of how Economics is shaping our day to day lives, issues such as the price discrimination used by budget airlines, as they seek to segregate markets and maximise profits. The course text will by “Economics” by Mulern and Vane, available online and from the larger book retailers. I’m sure the course will be valuable experience for all involved and that everyone will come out of it with a greater understanding of the world around.

If the course goes well then there will be a further 8 week course focusing on the larger economic picture, or “Macroeconomics”.