Introduction

Classes matter; they are a means by which you can interact with the course material, and their worth has been proven over the years for helping you do better. They provide opportunities for you to develop skills you can embellish your CV with, and hence for shaping your future with. Please take them seriously both for your own sake, and the sake of your classmates.

This Class: A Debate

For your class in week 9, you will take part in a debate based around the course material. The slides for Friday’s lecture are online at http://rpubs.com/jjreade/corelec7 (missing pictures will be added before Friday).

You will be assigned on Thursday to a group of students who will prepare one of the following three propositions ahead of the class:

  1. We’re still in the trough of the business cycle.
  2. We’re in the boom phase of the business cycle.
  3. We can’t possibly know what phase of the business cycle we are in.

When you are assigned, arrange to meet with your fellow group members, and devise a plan to prepare your case for Tuesday (read articles, get hold of data, crunch numbers). This is groupwork; this is the kind of thing you get asked about in interviews, that you can put as experience on your CV. Take it seriously.

Do the work, and prepare ahead of Tuesday, and attend your class. If you put in the effort, you will be rewarded.

In the Class

In the class, you will be expected to debate your case against other members of the class who have prepared arguments related to the other two cases. Your class tutor will moderate the debate. Have respect for your classmates and your tutor: put forward your points in a manner which treats everyone with dignity.