ECON 191 03
Semester: Fall 2009 (September 1 – December 19)
Professor: Kathleen Odell Class Meetings: Thursday, 7pm – 10:00pm, Lewis 306
email: kodell@dom.edu Office Hours: Tues 9 - 10am, Thurs 5 - 6pm, and by appt.
Office: Fine Arts 207 Course web page: http://www.dom.edu/myDU
Description:
This is an introductory course in macroeconomics. We will study determinants of the level of economic activity, inflation, unemployment, interest rates, the roles of fiscal and monetary policies, exchange rates, and international trade.
By the end of the course, you will be able to answer questions such as:
Why does the US have a higher standard of living than most countries of Asia and Africa?
What does it mean to say that a country is growing very fast?
Why do we have recessions, and what can the government do to counteract them?
Why do prices of all goods and services generally rise over time?
What does the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board do and why does it matter?
Course Requirements:
There will be four quizzes and one final exam in this course. In addition, there will be four graded homework assignments. Reading and study guide problems will be assigned for each class period. The study guide problems will not be collected or graded, but we will work through challenging problems in class at the students’ request. Quizzes will be short answer and will draw from the homework assignments and study guide problems. The final exam will be a combination of multiple choice and short answer problems. Homework assignments, reading assignments, review material for quizzes and exams, grades, and other information will be posted on the class website, so please check this website regularly throughout the course.
Text Book and Study Guide:
[Text] Economics. McConnell, Brue, and Flynn. 18th edition. Mc-Graw Hill Irwin. (required)
[Study Guide] Study Guide for use with Economics. McConnell, Brue, Flynn, and Walstad.
(highly recommended)
Evaluation Criteria – 100 points possible:
Quizzes – 30% (10% each) – drop lowest grade
Homework – 40% (10% each)
Final Exam – 30%
(90-100%: A, 80-89%: B, 70-79%: C, 60-69%: D, <60%: F)
Plusses and minuses at instructor’s discretion.
Make-up policy:
Make up quizzes and exams will be given for reasons in accordance with University policy, after presentation of appropriate documents verifying the reason for missing the exam. There will be no make up for Homework; late Homework will not be accepted, nor will it be accepted via email. No exceptions.
Additional Notes:
· Read the book. To be successful in this class, I recommend that you read the day’s material BEFORE the class. You may not understand everything, but it will be familiar during the lecture. Then read the material again after class to reinforce what you learned in the lecture.
· The material in this course is cumulative, so regular review of the notes and readings is essential. If there are concepts that you don’t understand, please come to my office hours or make an appointment to meet with me at another time. It is important to resolve questions as they arise rather than waiting until just before quizzes or the final exam.
· Working with other students can be a very helpful way to learn economics. Study groups are highly recommended for working through the study guide as well as for preparing for quizzes and exams.
· As a general rule of thumb, students should plan to spend two hours outside of class for every one hour of class time in order to do well in college courses. You should plan on working hard, both in and out of class, in order to do well.
· Although attendance and participation do not enter your grade as a percentage, you are expected to come to class and contribute. Regular attendance and participation is important to properly prepare for quizzes and exams.
· Please no headphones, cell phones, text messaging, or disruptive talking during class.
· This syllabus is subject to change.
Homework:
There will be 4 Homework assignments in all, each worth 10% of your course Grade.
One of the aims of Homework is to develop your writing ability. Grammar, spelling and punctuation are important.
Everything that you turn in should be typed; graphs and tables can be hand-drawn if you wish. If your answer spans more than one page, staple the pages together, and have your name on top of each page along with the page number.
I
will NOT accept homework assignments by email. The assignments will be given
in class well in advance of the due dates, and posted on the course webpage.
If you are going to miss class on the day the homework is due, turn it in
early. Late homework will not be accepted.
Course Calendar:
|
Class |
Date |
Chapter(s) Covered |
Notes |
|
1 |
Thurs, Sept 3 |
Math Review, 1, 2, 3 |
|
|
2 |
Thurs, Sept 10 |
4, 5 |
|
|
3 |
Thurs, Sept 17 |
23,24 |
Homework 1 Due (Ch 1-5), Quiz 1 (Ch 1-5) |
|
4 |
Thurs, Sept 24 |
24 |
|
|
5 |
Thurs, Oct 1 |
25 |
|
|
6 |
Thurs, Oct 8 |
26 |
Homework 2 Due (Ch 23-25), Quiz 2 (Ch 23-25) |
|
7 |
Thurs, Oct 15 |
26, 27 |
|
|
8 |
Thurs, Oct 22 |
27, 28 |
|
|
9 |
Thurs, Oct 29 |
29 |
|
|
10 |
Thurs, Nov 5 |
30 |
Homework 3 Due (Ch 26-29), Quiz 3 (Ch 26-29) |
|
11 |
Thurs, Nov 12 |
31 |
|
|
12 |
Thurs, Nov 19 |
32 |
|
|
|
Thurs, Nov 26 |
|
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY |
|
13 |
Thurs, Dec 3 |
33 |
Homework 4 Due (Ch 30-32), Quiz 4 (Ch 30-32) |
|
14 |
Thurs, Dec 10 |
33, REVIEW |
Bring your questions! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dec 14 – Dec 19 |
|
FINAL EXAM WEEK |
|
|
|
|
Exam Date TBA |
The course syllabus provides a general plan for the course; deviations may be necessary. It is your responsibility to stay appraised of changes in assignments, due dates, material to be covered, etc