ECONOMICS 2105 – 06

FALL 2009

COURSE TITLE AND WEBSITE:

Principles of Macroeconomics.  Updates to the syllabus and any course handouts will be posted on the CourseDen site.

INSTRUCTOR:

David Boldt dboldt@westga.edu
Office Phone: 678-839-6477

OFFICE HOURS:

M-F 9:00-11:00 noon and on TTH from 5:00-5:30 pm.  I am available at other times by arrangement.

REQUIRED TEXT, ONLINE TEXT SITE, AND I>CLICKER:

McEachern, William A., ECON MACRO (1st ed.), Southwestern Cengage Learning, 2008-09.  Be sure to purchase the book costing approximately $56.  We will not be using APLIA in this class.  The textbook website is located at http://4ltrpress.cengage.com/econ.  With the book purchase from the bookstore, you will get an access code for this website.  I will be assigning material from the website during the semester.  I do not recommend buying a used book for this class.

 

You will also need to purchase an i>clicker for the class costing $30.  Once you get the i>clicker, please register your clicker at www.iclicker.com. 

 
PREREQUISITES: No course prerequisites but must have a 2.0 overall GPA.

COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

The overall objective of this course is for you to learn basic economic concepts, specifically macroeconomics, and more about the economic system in which we live.  To this end, upon completion of the course you should be able to:

  • Be able to describe basic economic concepts such as scarcity and opportunity costs (LG4, LG7)
  • Be able to summarize in writing the key macroeconomic concepts contained in an article from a business periodical such as the Wall Street Journal or Business Week (LG1, LG4, LG7, LG8)
  • Demonstrate a basic knowledge of macroeconomic concepts such as gross domestic product, inflation, and unemployment (LG4, LG8)
  • Demonstrate a basic knowledge of international economics including concepts such as exchange rates and net exports (LG4, LG5, LG7, LG10)
  • Demonstrate a basic knowledge of the banking system, the impact of the Federal Reserve on the economy, and government taxation and spending policy (LG8)
  • Be able to analyze at a basic level the effectiveness of fiscal and monetary policy in combating inflation or unemployment (LG4, LG8, LG11)
  • BE able to apply macroeconomic models such as aggregate supply and demand to the analysis of current economic issues (LG4, LG8, LG10, LG11)

Note: A complete list of expected learning goals (LG) for the Economics Department can be found at the department web site (www.westga.edu/~econ/lg_assessments.html).

EVALUATION:

Grading in the course will be based on your performance on four tests and on in-class participation. The examinations will be composed of multiple-choice and short answer questions based on class discussions, reading material (text and other readings), and textbook website material. Each of the tests will be worth 29 percent of your grade. I will count the three highest grades in determining your score.  Note: you must take the first exam on September 15 or you will be dropped from the class.  If you do not take either exam 2 or exam 3, you must take the comprehensive final.  The remaining 13 percent of your grade will be based on your overall participation in the class. The participation grade in the class will be based on clicker quizzes and other in-class activities.

ASSIGNMENTS:  These will be updated on the syllabus on the CourseDen site for the course.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:

Cheating on any exam will result in a zero on the exam, an F in the course and, will be reported to Student Services for appropriate disciplinary action by the University.  Using someone else’s clicker in class is also considered to be academic dishonesty for the student owning the clicker as well as for the student using the clicker.  Each student is subject to a 10% reduction in their overall course grade for such inappropriate behavior and the action will be reported to Student Services for appropriate disciplinary action by the University.  Students not familiar with what constitutes academic dishonesty should refer to the Student Handbook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Economics 2105 Course Outline, Examination and Assignment Schedule

 

Class 

TOPICS

Assignments

1 (8/13)

Ch. 1 Intro to Course  and Economic Analysis

 

2 (8/18)

Ch. 2. Economics Tools and Economic Systems

 

3 (8/20)

Ch. 3 Economic Decision Makers

 

4 (8/25)

Ch. 4 Demand, Supply and Markets

 

5 (8/27)

Ch. 4 Demand, Supply and Markets (cont.)

 

6 (9/1)

Ch. 4 Demand, Supply and Markets (cont.)

 

7 (9/3)

Ch. 5 Introduction to Macroeconomics

 

8 (9/8)

Ch. 5 Introduction to Macroeconomics (cont.)

 

9 (9/10)

Ch. 5 Introduction to Macroeconomics (cont.)

 

10 (9/15)

Test 1 (Chs 1-5)

 

11 (9/17)

Ch. 6 Productivity and Growth

 

12 (9/22)

Ch. 6 Productivity and Growth (cont.)

 

13 (9/24)

Ch. 7 Tracking the U.S. Economy

 

14 (9/29)

Ch. 7 Tracking the U.S. Economy (cont.)

 

15 (10/1)

Ch. 8 Unemployment and Inflation

 

16 (10/6)

Ch. 8 Unemployment and Inflation (cont.).  Note this is also the last day to withdraw with a grade of W.

 

17 (10/8)

Ch. 9 Aggregate Expenditure

 

18 (10/13)

Ch. 10 Aggregate Expenditure and Demand

 

19 (10/20)

Ch. 11 Aggregate Supply

 

20 (10/22)

Test II (Chs. 6-11)

 

21 (10/27)

Ch. 12 Fiscal Policy

 

22 (10/29)

Ch. 12 Fiscal Policy (cont.)

 

23 (11/3)

Ch. 13 Fiscal Budgets and Public Policy

 

24 (11/5)

Ch. 14 Money and Financial System

 

25 (11/10)

Ch. 14 Money and Financial System (cont.)

 

26 (11/12)

Ch. 15 Banking and Money Supply

 

27 (11/17)

Ch. 15 Banking and Money Supply (cont.)

 

28 (11/19)

Ch. 19 International Finance

 

29 (11/24)

Ch. 19 International Finance (cont.)

 

30 (12/1)

Test III (Chs. 12, 13, 14, 15 and 19)

 

12/8 5:30 pm

Final Examination (comprehensive)