General objectives

This subject is important for the students’ general scientific training. Any discipline in which formal models are used requires the application of the instrumental and scientific rigour of mathematical language. In this case, students must understand the basic aspects of mathematical language, as it is an integral part of the degree’s scientific content.

Consequently, the main general objective of this subject is to become familiar with basic mathematical operations so that students can understand mathematical formalism and produce correct expressions in mathematical language.

The second goal is to be able to identify and solve, by means of mathematics, problems of an economic nature appropriate to their level of training, with the idea that this level is subject to progressive improvement.

The subject also has an important instrumental component designed to prepare students for later course units. As such, students acquire a range of instrumental skills that are required throughout the rest of the degree.

Specific objectives

This subject seeks to fulfil two basic aims: to acquire a basic understanding of the mathematical concepts relevant to the degree, and to apply specific mathematical tools and procedures.

Consequently, the specific objectives must ensure that students consolidate their knowledge of each concept and its main features, as these are crucial to understanding the formal representation of economic theories and principles and the application of this knowledge to the specific content of the subject.

Thus, the aim is that students acquire the knowledge required for understanding two mathematical concepts applied to economics: optimization theory and dynamic equations.

Study of optimization theory familiarizes students with the mathematical tools and reasoning needed to solve optimization problems with equality and inequality constraints.

Study of dynamic equations introduces students to the concepts of mathematical integration and differential equations and presents the most common methods of resolution. This enables students to work confidently with most mathematical economics texts, in particular those which refer to models with time-dependent variables that take values in continuous domains.

• Acquire knowledge based on principles rather than on superficial characteristics. Each teaching block provides knowledge based on the definition of concepts and properties, as well as covering application to simple cases and the subsequent generalization to more complex problems.
• Develop the necessary analytical and summary skills, where analysis is understood as the process that allows objects to be separated into their elementary components and summarizing constitutes the reverse of this process. These skills include being able to set goals, acquire the basic requisite knowledge, detect associated properties, and compose parts in a way that differs from their original configuration.
• Develop a capacity for organization and planning. This entails the ability to define the initial situation and the desired objective. To help students develop this capacity, the main lecture programme is complemented by sessions in smaller groups.
• Develop a capacity to solve problems. When facing a problem, the student should be able to identify the most relevant aspects and the steps that need to be taken to reach a solution. This skill can be improved by posing and solving exercises of increasing difficulty. Students can then develop and integrate new sequences to solve these problems.
• Develop the capacity to learn. This is demonstrated in the ability to create knowledge in an active way, by selecting and organizing information in coherent structures and establishing connections with previous knowledge.
• Develop the capacity to interpret data and results. This includes the capacity to critically appraise both the initial information and the results of a specific situation or problem, allowing for self-criticism of the selected methodology and resolution process.