Heartland Community College
Master Course Syllabus
Division name: SBS
Course Prefix and number: ECON 220
Course Title: Comparative Economic Systems
DATE PREPARED: July 15, 1992
DATE REVISED: October 2007, November 2012
PCS/CIP/ID NO.: 11-450601
IAI NO. (if available)
EFFECTIVE DATE OF FIRST CLASS: January 14, 2013
CREDIT HOURS: 3
CONTACT HOURS: 3
LECTURE HOURS: 3
LABORATORY HOURS: 0
CATALOG DESCRIPTION (Include specific prerequisites):
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and completion of, or concurrent enrollment in, ECON 102 or
equivalent. Comparative analysis of several types of economic systems. Discussion of
alternative models of economic decision-making. Case studies of such economies as China,
Japan, South Africa, Sweden, and Russia.
TEXTBOOK:
Gregory and Stuart. Comparative Economics. 7th Ed. St. Charles, IL: Houghton Mifflin
Company. (or similar)
RELATIONSHIP TO ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND
TRANSFERABILITY:
ECON 220 fulfills 3.0 semester hours of elective credit for the A.A. and A.S. degrees. It should
transfer to most colleges and universities as an elective course. However, since this course is not
part of either the General Education Core Curriculum or a baccalaureate major program
described in the Illinois Articulation Initiative, students should check with an academic advisor
for information about its transferability to other institutions.
COURSE OBJECTIVES (Learning Outcomes):
Course Outcomes
Evaluate the strengths and
weaknesses of various economic
systems, including the role of
government, resource allocation,
and price determination of inputs
and outputs
Identify the problems various
economic systems encounter and
ways those systems address
those problems.
Communicate how different
economic theories affect the
development of social and
political systems of nations.
Understand the definition and
classification of different
economic systems.
Understand the
characteristics of capitalism,
socialism, and mixed
economies in theory and
practice.
Evaluate the effects of
culture on the development
of economic systems.
Discuss the importance of
diversity and multicultural
issues on the performance of
economic systems.
Create a theoretically perfect
economic system.
Compare institutions within
differing economic systems
and analyze their impact on
effective economic
performance.
General
Education
Outcomes
Range of Assessment Methods
CT2
Writing assignments, quizzes,
exams, projects, presentations,
discussions.
PS2
Writing assignments, quizzes,
exams, projects, presentations,
discussions.
CO2
Writing assignments, quizzes,
exams, projects, presentations,
discussions.
CT1
CO2
DI5
CT3
PS4
Writing assignments, quizzes,
exams, projects, presentations,
discussions.
Writing assignments, quizzes,
exams, projects, presentations,
discussions.
Writing assignments, quizzes,
exams, projects, presentations,
discussions.
Writing assignments, quizzes,
exams, projects, presentations,
discussions.
Writing assignments, projects,
presentations, discussions.
Writing assignments, quizzes,
exams, projects, presentations,
discussions.
COURSE/LAB OUTLINE:
I.
II.
Describe an Economic System
A. Assessing freedom of choice
B. Assessing the population physical welfare
C. Assessing the systems economic stability
Comparison of Economic Systems
A. Categorization – primatial, tribal, capitalistic, socialistic, and mixed systems
B. Determining and accessing strengths and weaknesses
III.
IV.
Describing Existing and Evolving Systems: Case Studies
A. Survey of capitalist nations
B. Survey of socialist nations/planned economy
C. Survey of historical/recent evolution of economic systems
Debates of Issues in Economic Systems
A. Resource allocation: Planned or market
B. Organizing production: Centralization or decentralization
C. Individualism and social classes
METHOD OF EVALUATION (Grading System):
The final grade in this course will be determined by the total points earned through completion of
selected activities from the following:
Writing Assignments*
Quizzes
Presentations
Exams
Projects
Discussion
Min. – Max.
20% - 100%
0% - 80%
0% - 80%
0% - 80%
0% - 80%
0% - 80%
* Students will be assigned a minimum of 15 pages of single-spaced writing which will account
for at least 20% of the final course grade.
Letter grades will be based on the percentage of points earned in the course in accordance with
the following scale:
ABCDF-
90 – 100%
80 - 89%
70 - 79%
60 - 69%
59 - 0%
REQUIRED WRITING AND READING:
This course requires approximately 30-40 pages of reading per week or 500 per semester.
A minimum of 15 pages of college level writing is required in this course. Writing assignments
include papers of various lengths, essay exams and various projects as deemed appropriate by the
instructor.