Syllabus
Principles of Economics II (Economics 121 – Micro)
ONLINE - Spring 2010
Page 5
Welcome to Econ 121! I am looking forward to having you in virtual class! You are about to embark on one of the most exciting learning journeys you will experience in life – economics is one of the most important and interesting classes you will ever have the opportunity of taking!
Does that surprise you? Consider the following:
· Economics is a behavioral science – the study of human behavior. What can be more interesting than figuring out more about how your species behaves?
· The behavioral science of economics assumes people are rational in every decision! Do you believe a drug addict is behaving rationally? You’re about to find out…
In this class you can expect to work hard, have lots of fun, engage in lively discussions, and practice a new and useful way of evaluating the behaviors of people all over the world!
Instructor: Becca Arnold
Contact Info: With Questions about Coursework: Please post questions about class work to the discussion board so that other students can assist with the answer in case they see it before I do, and/or can benefit from my answer to the question. Note that all posts must have proper spelling, punctuation and capitalization or they will be removed and points may be deducted.
With Questions of a Personal Nature (about your grade, for example): It’s best to call, visit, or IM (go to Who’s Online on the left hand side of Blackboard Vista) during office hours. If you are not available during office hours, then email. I teach 7 classes, so please put your name, class and CRN number in the subject heading of the email or I will not know how to find your information. Note: emails must hve propar speling, puncation, & cApitaliZing 4 me too re spond. i wont respnd if urs loolks like this. or if i do ill just say u need to send it again. Don’t forget that “I” is always capitalized!
Phone: 619/388-2251
Email:
Email is checked weekdays, most often in the morning.
Course Title: Principles of Economics I (Macroeconomics)
Course Number: ECON 121
Office Number: F207B
Office Hours: MW: 9:30 – 11:00 and W: 2:15 – 4:15
Textbook:
We are using MicroECON by McEachern, along with the quiz program called APLIA. Posted on the Blackboard Vista Homepage (and on the Welcome page under Textbooks) are the instructions on how to purchase both the book and APLIA. DON’T buy the book without reading the instructions.
Blackboard Vista: (online.sdccd.edu)
Discussions assignments and all of my communication with you is on Blackboard Vista. Be sure to check it at least 3 times each week. Students are automatically registered in my class, with a user name that is your student ID and a password that is your birthdate in MMDDYYYY.
THE COURSE IN A NUTSHELL:
How you will be graded:
APLIA Graded Problems(there are 15 problem sets worth 10 pts each, and two are dropped) / 130 points
Assigned Discussions or Assignments
(there are 6 discussion/assignments worth 15 pts each , and one is dropped) / 75 points
Other contributions to the discussion board / 15 points (one post per week is required)
Final / 70 pts
TOTAL / 290 points
What you need to do before the SATURDAY, 11:00 pm DEADLINE each week:
Check the learning module AND course calendar to see what is dueRead the chapter/s
Complete the APLIA quiz
Complete the Discussion or Assignment (if there is one).
Make an additional contribution to the discussion board
THE COURSE NOT IN A NUTSHELL:
First, some info about technical and other problems:
Because I have no way of knowing which students have legitimate tech or other course problems and which students just didn’t submit on time, I have elected to drop two quizzes and one discussion/assignment instead of allowing make ups. So no make ups are allowed FOR ANY REASON, and please do not bother me by emailing and asking for an exception (in fact I won’t even respond to those requests).
Please plan to do your work a week in advance so that if there is a problem tech support can help clear it up for you (although APLIA quizzes cannot be reset). All assignments and quizzes literally disappear at 11:00 PM so if you are even one second late you will not be able to submit.
Please note that the last two quizzes and last assignment ARE NOT eligible for being dropped (as in the past students who got good grades elected to skip those).
APLIA PROBLEM SETS – 130 points
Each chapter has a set of graded problems worth 10 points. You have 30 minutes to complete the problems. The deadline will be at 11:00 Saturday evening. We have 15 graded-problem sets in this course; and your two lowest sets of graded problems will be dropped. NOTE: There are also some practice problems in some of the chapters. Feel free to do those as well for your own knowledge – they are not required.
Please note that there are only a few of the chapter topics in each problem set. This is due to time and point limitations (these quizzes are only worth 10 pts each), NOT because the other topics are not important. Do not think you have studied in vain – all of the material is part of what is required to be learned in this class. I simply could not test on all of it.
DISCUSSIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS – 75 points
Six times during the semester a discussion or assignment is due. Please read the section below about proper discussion posts. Each discussion or assignment is worth 15 points, and one is dropped.
OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE DISCUSSION BOARD – 15 points
Students are expected to contribute to the discussion board weekly, whether there is a discussion board assignment due or not. This contribution can take the form of answering another student’s post, posting a question of your own, participating in the extra credit that will show up many weeks, commenting on information I have posted, or posting economic information of your own.
Appropriate Use of the Discussion Board
The discussion boards have a very specific purpose – to facilitate the learning of economics. Students who have frequently posted to blogs, engaged in chats, etc., sometimes expect that the board is used to express opinions. It is not. Opinions are not allowed regarding me, this class, other students, elected officials, or anyone else. Opinions on economic issues are welcomed but must have factual back up. You’ll learn more about this as the semester goes on. When posts like this occur students are often asked to resubmit according to class guidelines.
Students are also expected, in all discussion board postings, to be polite. Impolite postings will be removed, and disciplinary action may be taken.
Students are also expected to post legibly:
n Use correct grammar
n Use correct punctuation
n Use correct spelling
n Capitalize correctly. “I” is capitalized.
n Construct sentences thoughtfully, as you would if writing a paper, not as you would if text messaging.
Carelessly worded or punctuated postings will also be removed, and/or the student will be asked to re-submit. If careless postings become chronic, points will be deducted.
MAKE UP/EXTRA CREDIT:
There are 30 pts. Maximum extra credit available in this class.
We do not cover some chapters in class (see the Calendar for which ones). Students can do the APLIA quizzes for those chapters for extra credit.
In addition make/up extra credit opportunities periodically show up on the discussion board, including questions about the icons on the home page (they start showing up in mid-February. When identifying the icons, you’ll want to be sure to add information that wasn’t discussed by a previous poster (each icon: 3 pts for the first post, 2 pts for subsequent posts). You’ll want to check the extra credit section on the discussion board frequently.
A good way to get a lot of extra credit is to view one of Paddy’s Whiteboard discussions each week on Marketplace.org. See the extra credit section of the discussion board for more info.
GRADING:
A: 90% or higher
B: 80 – 89%
C: 70-79%
D: 60-69%
F: Less than 60%.
Keep reading. We’re almost done! And it’s all super-important info!
Attendance:
It is the student’s responsibility to drop all classes in which s/he is no longer participating.
It is the instructor’s discretion whether or not to drop a student after the add/drop deadline if s/he is no longer participating (missing an entire week is considered no longer participating). I normally do not drop students after the add/drop deadline, so to be sure you are dropped, please withdraw yourself.
Students who remain in class beyond the college-published withdrawal date will receive a letter grade.
Disabled Students:
If you have a disability that may cause you to need academic accommodations, please discuss this with me sometime during the first week of class.
Online Learning Expectations (Is this course for me?):
This course is best suited for students who have the motivation and ability to learn independently. The course is not recommended for students who have a tendency to procrastinate.
Students are expected to communicate in a courteous, formal, and professional manner. Informal written communications via email or the discussion board are not acceptable. Students must, in all cases, communicate in English with a formal sentence structure, correct spelling, grammar, capitalization and punctuation. When referring to yourself, “I” must be capitalized. The course is not recommended for students who are not reasonably proficient in the use of computer software. You have the responsibility to correct technical problems before submission deadlines. To find out if you have the technical and student skills necessary to succeed with online learning, take the Online Learning Readiness Assessment.
It is your responsibility to check the homepage and the calendar frequently to be well informed of lecture topics, announcements, and especially the test schedule, which might be rescheduled as class goes on. There is no partial credit for late assignments under any circumstances (having not read the announcements on the homepage or waiting for the textbook can not be used as excuses for late assignments).
If you’ve read all of this and believe you can succeed … read further!
Cheating/Plagiarism:
Neither cheating nor plagiarism are allowed (I bet you suspected they wouldn't be). Cheating or plagiarism on any assignment or problem set will result in an immediate F for the assignment and possible further disciplinary action by the College.
Plagiarism includes the following:
1. Verbatim copying without proper acknowledgment
2. Paraphrasing without proper acknowledgment
3. Putting together a "patchwork" paper from diverse sources without proper acknowledgment of the sources
4. Unacknowledged appropriation of information or of someone else's ideas
5. Turning in assignments that are the same as another student.
Course Description
Below is the official description of what you are going to learn. It’s long, but definitely worth reading:
Course Description: A continued study of principles and applications regarding specific economic sectors (micro analysis). Various competitive models in a market economy are studied in detail. Economics of labor unions, farming, international trade and finance provide a background for study and analysis of many current world and domestic problems.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:
1. Apply the concept of elasticity of demand and supply and discuss the determinants of each.
2. Explain the income and substitution effects and the law of diminishing marginal utility using real-world examples.
3. Analyze short-run and long-run cost curves, implicit and explicit costs, and economies and diseconomies of scale. Apply concepts to hypothetical or actual businesses.
4. Identify the characteristics of the four market models from the sellers and buyers side and provide at least one example of each type of market.
5. Illustrate each of the four market models using the marginal cost-marginal revenue or total cost-total revenue approach to profit maximization.
6. Discuss the factors that determine resource pricing for labor, land, capital and entrepreneurship.
7. Describe the price system and its operation. Describe factors that contribute to unequal distribution of income, inequality and poverty.
8. Recognize important aspects of antitrust legislation, and discuss natural monopolies and their regulation.
9. Discuss unionism and labor issues, immigration, and collective bargaining
10. Discuss international trade, including the Law of Comparative Advantage, terms of trade, exchange rate determination, and the balance of trade and payments.
11. Analyze the economic aspects of pollution, market shortcomings, and externalities.
Do you have questions on the syllabus? Post them to the discussion board if they are general questions, and email me if they are personal questions.
HAVE FUN, WORK HARD, AND LEARN A LOT!