Economics Summer School
A five-day course for students aged 15-18 covering finance, trade, growth, monetary policy and modern economic thought.
- Who is to blame for the credit crunch?
- What are swaps, straddles, derivatives, puts, calls, commercial paper, and all those other things in the Financial Times?
- What can game theory teach us about international trade?
- Can you have growth without growing inequality?
- How should we pay for health and education?
- Can thinkers like Ricardo, Smith and Marx teach us anything about the economy today?
It is difficult to think of a more important time to understand economics, or a more interesting time to study the subject. As the stability of the Euro begins to wobble, the coalition government embarks on the biggest spending cuts since the time of Margaret Thatcher and the world struggles to climb out of recession, one cannot ignore the impact of economics on all our lives.
The Economics Summer School will give students aged 15-18 the opportunity to study a range of economics which is considerably wider than that available at school level and in a style which encourages critical engagement with economic theories. The 5 days combine advanced economic theory, including undergraduate-level ideas and theories, micro-, macro- and international economics. It will also include debates about the economic, political and moral implications of economic policies and behaviour, as well as incorporating the study of current affairs in economics, such as the Greek and Irish bailouts and the changing role of China in the international financial system.
The Summer School will begin with an introduction to economic thought – the foundations of the theories which economists attempt to study and apply. The day will range from Marx on the left to Friedman on the right, incorporating thinkers such as Hayek, Keynes, Ricardo and Galbraith along the way, and, of course, the father of modern economics – Adam Smith.
Equally central to the modern study of economics, is understanding economists’ view of human behaviour, incentives and interactions. The session on game theory will give practical and theoretical demonstrations of how economic analysts perceive individuals’ and their behaviour in strategic situations. Students will be invited to assess how accurate that view is and to critique particular strengths and weaknesses of this approach. Once these fundamentals have been covered, students will have the opportunity to engage directly with a number of particularly interesting problems within contemporary economics, including the regulation of the stock, bond and foreign exchange markets, competing models of economic growth, the economic rationale for free trade and the workings of the labour market.
Throughout, the economic theories studied will be related to current economic events and controversies. For example, the study of the labour market will be followed by discussions and debates on the appropriate roles of trade unions on in a capitalist economy, and the effectiveness and fairness of a minimum wage.
The course will finish by using the last day to bring the material covered thus far together to take a comprehensive look at the turbulent past few years of economic activity. What caused the credit crunch? Who is to blame for it? Were governments right to boost aggregate demand using massive fiscal stimulus? What has meant that Greece and Ireland have required massive bailouts and austerity programmes? Was the EU right to bail them out? This concluding day will bring economics right up to the current day and enable students to apply their knowledge to the world right now.
Students at the Economics Summer School will be taught in different groups depending on whether they have studied economics before or not, to allow all students to work at a level and pace appropriate to them.
Debate Chamber Economics Summer School, a five day course led by a team of economics graduates from leading universities, will help you unpack these and many more dilemmas besides. You will take part in discussions and debates, listen to exciting and informative lectures, and work together with classmates to find the answers for yourselves. The course is ideal for any students considering a degree in economics, or a career in business or finance.
See a full schedule here.
Download a poster to display in your school here.
Dates
To deal with very high levels of demand for this course, we have several sets of dates for the Economics Summer School in 2012:
30th July – 3rd August 2012
- places available for those with previous experience of studying Economics ONLY
13th August – 17th August 2012
- places available for those with previous experience of studying Economics AND
- places available for those without previous experience of studying Economics
29th August – 2nd September 2012
- places available for those with previous experience of studying Economics ONLY
Held at the University of London Union • open to students aged 15-18
Feedback from previous economics events:
“Excellent. Interesting insight into economics which is not related to the monotonous A-level syllabus.”
“Wonderful. Really felt that I learnt a lot about Microeconomics and explored areas of economics that I wasn’t previously aware of.”
“I enjoyed it because it was very interactive.”
“Excellent exploration of different sides of the economic policy debates.”
“Really good! Informative discussions and good teaching. Got everyone involved and looked at lots of different areas.”
“Fantastic! Very fun tutor explained things incredibly well with many analogies and examples to liven up the atmosphere.”
“Extremely useful to me. Although I have never studied economics at all I found the course was understandable and interesting. The tutors were engaging and clear.”
Book a place:
The price of the Economics Summer School is £360 per student for five days. Please note that accommodation is not included, and must be arranged independently if required. Bookings for any event may be made by individual students or parents or through the school. To book a place or places at the Economics Summer School, or if you have any further questions, simply call on 0845 519 4827, email info@debatechamber.com, or use the form below.
Debate Chamber offers a limited number of full and partial bursaries to students who could not otherwise afford to attend. If you are applying for a bursary please do not complete this form, but instead complete the ‘Bursary Application Form’ here.