Download Economics 110

Economics
Principles of
Fall
Pierce
Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Phone:
E-mail:
Course Webpage:
110 Online
Macroeconomics
2011
College
Blake Sorem
Olympic 207 (Fort Steilacoom campus)
Daily 12-1
964-6648
Email me directly through Angel or
[email protected]
http://angel.pcd.edu
Text: Essentials of Economics, Krugman, Wells, and Graddy, Worth, 2nd
Edition, 2011, ISBN 9781429218290.
This book is required for the class.
obtaining the book:
Here are some ways of
1. Buy the book at the Pierce College Bookstore. (Distance
Learning Books are in a separate section, although there should
also be copies of the book at Fort Steilacoom under my Econ 110
in-person class.)
2. Buy the book elsewhere, such as Amazon.
3. Rent the book (through the Pierce College Bookstore or
elsewhere, such as chegg.com).
4. I believe that you can also access the book online through the
publisher by buying an access card (I believe it is $50). To
check into this, go to
www.worthpublishers.com/krugmanwellsgraddy_essentials2 (there is
an underline between graddy and essentials2). Click on the
Purchase Access Online button on the right. You will need to
register and enter some information. If you choose this option
you will need to remember your password for accessing the book
online.
5. I have the first edition of the book on reserve at both of
our libraries. I will try to get copies of the second edition to
leave on reserve, but that may take some time.
Course Description and Objectives:
Economics 110 is a general course in both macro and
microeconomics. We cover many of the topics covered in the Econ 201
and Econ 202 classes, but in a less mathematical/theoretical way.
Topics include the budget deficit, unemployment, inflation, interest
rates, supply and demand, competition, monopoly, and the role of
government within a market economy.
Students should become familiar with the basic tools used in
economics. More importantly, students should be able to apply these
tools to real and hypothetical situations. Students should be aware of
the major areas of agreement and disagreement within the economics
profession. Students should keep up with current events related to the
economy. It is hoped that students will be better able to critically
analyze news reports and politicians' statements about the economy.
Grades:
Homework
Exams
60 points (six 10 point assignments)
300 points (best 3 out of 4 100 point exams
There will be six homework assignments that will be worth 10
points each. The homework will be due at the end of the assigned
week. Some of the assignments will be turned in while others will
consist of posting on the discussion board or completing a stock market
assignment. Homework is due Wednesday nights at midnight.
The exams will be given during weeks 3, 6, 9, and 10. They will
consist mainly of multiple choice and short answer questions. A few
will involve graphs or basic calculations. You must complete each exam
by 11:59 pm Wednesday of that week. This is a strict deadline and
means that you better have started the exam by 11 p.m. Wednesday.
Please pay close attention to the exam deadlines.
You will be graded based on your total points in the class. Most
of these points come from your best three of four exams. Therefore,
your overall grade will be close to the grade that you get on the
exams. You will be allowed to throw out your lowest exam score. This
means that you might have a grade that you are happy with after Exam 3
and you do not have to take Exam 4. Exam 4, which covers the entire
course, will consist mainly of questions similar to questions on the
first 3 exams.
Make-up Exams:
In general, I do not give make-up exams. If you miss an exam
deadline, that would be your exam that you would throw out as your
lowest grade. I do not recommend missing exam deadlines.
Dropping the Course:
You, the student, are completely responsible for dropping this
class. If this is the last time that you come to class and you do not
drop it yourself, you will receive a 0.0. This also applies if you are
not doing well in the class--I will not drop you late in the quarter,
nor give you an incomplete or NC to avoid getting a 0.0.
Attendance:
It is very easy to fall behind in an online class. You have a
lot of flexibility regarding when to do the work in an online class,
but this increases the chance that you will keep putting off the work
in favor of other activities. Do not fall behind in this class. It is
very important to keep up with the schedule.
Extra Credit:
1. You can earn a few extra credit points (up to 8 points or so)
by participating (and doing well) in a stock market contest. In
addition, you will earn 10 points on homework 1 for signing up for our
stock contest. Thus, the stock contest is required and you will get
regular and extra credit points. I will post separate instructions for
the stock contest.
2. If you read an interesting article related to the class during
the semester, you can write two paragraphs of your opinion for a
maximum of 5 points extra credit. You can do two articles for a
maximum of 10 points extra credit. Try to include the article (or a
copy of it) with your work. I am mainly looking for your opinion of
the article as opposed to simply a summary. Instead of an article, you
can also write up your experience attending an event related to
economics. Also, if something big is going on in the news, such as the
Obama American Jobs Act, and you would like to write up your opinion,
feel free to do so. Deadline: Wednesday, November 23.
Cheating:
Cheating is not allowed. The exams will be closed books, closed
notes, closed computer windows other than your exam window. You are
not allowed to look at your book or notes when taking an exam. You are
not allowed to look up information on the internet. You are certainly
not allowed to cut and paste information from homework assignments,
homework answers, resources on the web, etc. You are not allowed to
discuss the exam with others. This includes taking the exam with
someone or telling someone who has not taken the exam what is on the
exam.
Let me also add that I think that this is not a very difficult course.
If you are doing the assignments and taking the exams, you should be
able to get a good grade. However, I frequently catch students
cheating and the penalty is usually an F for the course. It is
unfortunate because this often occurs with students who could have
received a decent grade without cheating. This is your only warning.
I do not give second chances.
Students with Disabilities:
Students with disabilities who believe they may need academic
adjustments, auxiliary aids or services to fully participate in course
activities or meet course requirements are encouraged to register with
the Access and Disability Services (ADS) Office. You may also call the
ADS Office at (253) 964-6468 to make an appointment.
Students requesting accommodations must obtain the “Approved Quarterly
Academic Adjustments, Auxiliary Aids or Services” (green) form provided
by ADS.
Course Schedule
Economics 110 Online
Week
Week 0
Sep 15 – Sep 21
Week 1
Sep 22 – Sep 28
Week 2
Sep 29 – Oct 5
Week 3
Oct 6 – Oct 12
Chapter
1
11
10
12
Week 4
Oct 13 – Oct 19
15
Week 5
Oct 20 – Oct 26
Week 6
Oct 27 – Nov 2
Week 7
Nov 3 – Nov 9
Week 8
Nov 10 – Nov 16
16
3
4
7
8
Week 9
Nov 17 – Nov 23
9
Week 10
Nov 24 – Nov 30
Topic
Homework 1 due Wednesday, September 28
First Principles
Homework 2 due Wednesday, October 5
Tracking the Macroeconomy
Exam 1: Take by Wednesday, October 12
Macroeconomics: The Big Picture
Unemployment and Inflation
Homework 3 due Wednesday, October 19
Buy at least $50,000 in stocks by Wednesday, October 19
Fiscal Policy
Homework 4 due Wednesday, October 26
Money, Banking, the Federal Reserve, and Monetary Policy
Exam 2: Take by Wednesday, November 2
Supply and Demand
Homework 5 due Wednesday, November 9
The Market Strikes Back
Homework 6 due Wednesday, November 16
Perfect Competition and the Supply Curve
Monopoly, Oligopoly, and Monopolistic Competition
Exam 3: Take by Wednesday, November 23
Stock Contest ends Friday, November 25
Market Failures
Exam 4: Take by Wednesday, November 30