01
Economic decision-making
Understand how scarcity, incentives and trade-offs affect individual and business choices.
Course Guide
ECN210 · MICROECONOMIC PRINCIPLES
ECN210 Microeconomic Principles Course Guide
A practical guide to the topics, learning outcomes, assignments, grading structure, textbook and core microeconomics concepts covered in ECN210 at CSU Global.
Course information is based on the syllabus details available for this ECN210 course and may change between terms.
Course overview
What is ECN210 Microeconomic Principles?
ECN210 introduces the economic decisions made by individuals and businesses when resources are limited. The course examines how consumers and firms respond to prices, costs, incentives and trade-offs, and how those decisions interact within markets.
Students encounter major microeconomic ideas including supply and demand, elasticity, production and cost, competition, monopoly, resource markets, externalities, public goods and the role of government in economic activity.
The available syllabus describes the course as a three-credit accelerated format covering approximately 16 weeks of material in 8 weeks, with an estimated workload of about 14–20 hours per week.
Learning outcomes
What you’ll learn in ECN210
These six areas translate the syllabus learning outcomes into student-friendly language.
02
Markets and prices
Understand how market forces influence relative prices and the allocation of scarce resources.
03
Elasticity and taxation
Analyze how consumers and markets respond to changing prices, taxes and economic conditions.
04
Market structures
Compare business behavior under perfect competition, monopoly and other market arrangements.
05
Resource markets
Explore wages, interest, profit and why businesses demand productive resources.
06
Production and cost
Understand production decisions, economic cost and the meaning of profit in microeconomics.
Topic map
The major ideas that connect ECN210
Use this as a study map rather than treating each concept as an isolated chapter.
01
Scarcity, choice & opportunity costFoundations of economic decision-making
03
Elasticity & taxationResponsiveness to price and policy changes
04
Consumer behaviorHow households make constrained choices
06
Perfect competitionPrice-taking firms and competitive markets
07
Monopoly & market powerHow firms behave when competition is limited
08
Resource marketsWages, interest, profit and factor demand
09
Externalities & public goodsWhy markets sometimes produce inefficient outcomes
Course roadmap
How the 8-week course is assessed
The gradebook shows which assessed components appear in each module.
| Module | Discussion | Mastery | Critical Thinking | Portfolio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ✓ 25 pts | ✓ 10 pts | — | — |
| 2 | ✓ 25 pts | ✓ 10 pts | 90 pts | — |
| 3 | ✓ 25 pts | ✓ 10 pts | 90 pts | — |
| 4 | ✓ 25 pts | ✓ 10 pts | 95 pts | — |
| 5 | ✓ 25 pts | ✓ 10 pts | 95 pts | — |
| 6 | ✓ 25 pts | ✓ 10 pts | — | 30-pt milestone |
| 7 | ✓ 25 pts | ✓ 10 pts | — | — |
| 8 | ✓ 25 pts | ✓ 10 pts | — | 320-pt final project |
Grading
Where your 1,000 course points come from
The largest share of points is concentrated in Critical Thinking assignments and the Portfolio Project.
Assessment types
What students may need to complete
The course combines regular participation with larger applied assignments and a final portfolio project.
200
Discussion Boards
Eight weekly discussion assignments worth 25 points each, with initial posts and peer responses.
80
Mastery Exercises
Eight 10-point exercises used to reinforce concepts and check understanding throughout the course.
370
Critical Thinking
Four larger assessed tasks in Modules 2–5 that require application of microeconomic principles.
350
Portfolio Project
A 30-point milestone in Module 6 and a 320-point final project due in Module 8.
Study guide
Core microeconomics concepts worth mastering
This section turns the syllabus into a practical revision resource.
Price Elasticity of Demand
Elasticity measures how strongly quantity demanded responds to a change in price.
PED = % change in quantity demanded / % change in price
|PED| > 1: elastic · |PED| < 1: inelastic · |PED| = 1: unit elastic
Common mistake: Elasticity is not the same thing as the slope of a demand curve.
Cost relationships
Production questions often require students to distinguish total, average and marginal cost.
TC = FC + VC
ATC = TC / Q
MC = ΔTC / ΔQ
Common mistake: Average cost and marginal cost answer different questions and should not be treated as interchangeable.
10 concepts to revise
Opportunity cost
Supply
Demand
Equilibrium
Elasticity
Marginal cost
Average total cost
Consumer surplus
Perfect competition
Monopoly
A useful study sequence
1. Learn the graph and axes.
2. Identify what causes movement versus a shift.
3. Connect the graph to the underlying economic story.
4. Practice the calculation separately.
5. Reconnect the calculation to the graph and conclusion.
Course material
Listed ECN210 textbook
9th Edition
Principles of Microeconomics
N. Gregory Mankiw
Cengage Learning · 2021
ISBN: 9780357133484
The syllabus also notes that non-textbook readings and materials needed for assignments, discussions and exercises may be supplied within individual course modules.
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FAQ
Common questions about ECN210
What is ECN210 Microeconomic Principles?
ECN210 is a microeconomics course covering individual and business decision-making, supply and demand, elasticity, production and cost, market structures, resource markets, externalities and the role of government.
How long is the ECN210 course?
The available syllabus describes ECN210 as a three-credit accelerated course that covers approximately 16 weeks of material in an 8-week format.
How much time should students expect to spend each week?
The syllabus estimate is approximately 14–20 hours per week, although actual time depends on reading load, assignments, research and individual study style.
How is ECN210 graded?
The available 1,000-point gradebook assigns 370 points to Critical Thinking assignments, 350 to the Portfolio Project, 200 to discussions and 80 to Mastery Exercises.
What textbook is listed for ECN210?
The listed textbook is Principles of Microeconomics by N. Gregory Mankiw, 9th edition, Cengage Learning, 2021, ISBN 9780357133484.
What are the biggest assessment components?
Critical Thinking assignments and the Portfolio Project together account for 720 of the 1,000 available course points.