ECONOMICS 2105 – 25H (TTH 2:00-3:20 pm)

FALL 2012

COURSE TITLE AND WEBSITE:

Principles of Macroeconomics (Honors Section).  Updates to the syllabus will be posted on the course website (http://www.westga.edu/~dboldt/ECON2105/F12210525H.htm). The class will meet in RCOB 1308.

INSTRUCTOR:

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

OFFICE HOURS:

M-F 10:00-11:45am, TTH from 1:30-2:00 pm, and other times by arrangement.

REQUIRED BOOKS and TEXTBOOK WEBSITE:

1) McEachern, William A., ECON Macro 3nd edition, Southwestern/Cengage, 2012-2013. 

 

2) Miller, Roger L. and Benjamin, Daniel K., The Economics of Macro Issues, 5th ed., Prentice-Hall, 2011.

 
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, the expectation is that students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate a basic knowledge of macroeconomic concepts such as gross domestic product, inflation, and unemployment (LG7)
  • Demonstrate a basic knowledge of international economics including concepts such as exchange rates and net exports (LG9)
  • Demonstrate a basic knowledge of the banking system, the impact of the Federal Reserve on the economy, and government taxation and spending policy (LG7)
  • Be able to analyze at a basic level the effectiveness of fiscal and monetary policy in combating inflation or unemployment (LG7)

·         Make an effective oral presentation on an economics topic (LG1)

 

Note: A complete list of expected learning goals (LG) for the Economics Department can be found at the department web site (http://www.westga.edu/econ/index_12904.php).

 

 

 

 

EVALUATION:

Grading in the course will be based on your performance on the four tests, on an oral presentation of a chapter in the Economics of Macro Issues, and on class participation. The examinations will be composed of short answer and multiple choice questions based on our class discussions and on assigned reading material (text and other readings handed out in class). Each of the tests will be worth 20 percent of your grade.

 

Oral Presentation- Each student will lead a class discussion on one chapter in the book, Economics of Macro Issues.   Chapters will be assigned on a “first-come, first-served” basis.  Each student will make a power point presentation summarizing the key points covered in the chapter.   You will also be expected to incorporate at least one other reference (on a current issue related to the topic in the chapter).  Your presentations should contain about 8 slides. You will be allotted about 10 minutes for your presentation.  The power point presentation must be emailed to me by 11:00 am on the day of the presentation so I can load the file on the classroom computer. Fellow classmates are expected to have read the assigned material prior to the presentation, to be prepared to contribute to a classroom discussion, and to assess each presentation.  Factors impacting the presentation grade include organization/content, knowledge/preparedness, quality of slides, presentation flow, and engagement with the class.  This presentation counts for 10 percent of the course grade.

 

Class Participation and Discussion--- This portion of your grade (10 percent) will be based on contributions to class discussion, class attendance, and short classroom assignments.

ASSIGNMENTS:  Readings and other assignments will be updated at: (www.westga.edu/~dboldt/ECON2105/F12210525H.htm).

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.  Students not familiar with what constitutes academic dishonesty should refer to the Student Handbook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ECON 2105-25H Course Outline, Examination and Assignment Schedule

Class 

TOPICS

Assignments

1 (8/21)

Ch. 1 Intro to Course and Economic Analysis

2 (8/23)

Ch. 2. Economics Tools and Economic Systems

3 (8/28)

Ch. 3 Economic Decision Makers

4 (8/30)

Ch. 4 Demand, Supply and Markets

5 (9/4)

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

 

6 (9/6)

Ch. 5 Introduction to Macroeconomics

7 (9/11)

Ch. 5 Introduction to Macroeconomics (cont.)

 

8 (9/13)

Test I (Chapters 1-5)

 

9 (9/18)

Ch. 6 Tracking the U.S. Economy

 

10 (9/20)

Ch. 7 Unemployment and Inflation

 

11 (9/25)

Ch. 7 Unemployment and Inflation

 

12 (9/27)

 Ch. 9 Aggregate Expenditure

 

13 (10/2)

Ch. 10 Aggregate Expenditure and Demand (pp. 152-154)

 

14 (10/4)

Ch. 12 Fiscal Policy. Note the last day to withdraw with a grade of W is Oct 6.

15 (10/9)

Ch. 12 Fiscal Policy (cont.)

 

16 (10/11)

Test II (Chapters 6-12)

17 (10/16)

Ch. 13 Fiscal Budgets and Public Policy

 

18 (10/18)

Ch. 13 Fiscal Budgets and Public Policy

 

19 (10/23)

Ch. 14 Money and Financial System

 

20 (10/25)

Ch. 14 Money and Financial System (cont.)

 

21 (10/30)

Ch. 15 Banking and Money Supply

 

22 (11/1)

Ch. 15 Banking and Money Supply (cont.)

 

23 (11/6)

Ch. 15 Banking and Money Supply (cont.)

 

24 (11/8)

Test III (Chapters 11-15)

 

25 (11/13)

Ch. 19 International Finance

 

26 (11/15)

Ch. 19 International Finance (cont.)

 

27 (11/27)

Student Presentations (Economics of Macro Issues)

28 (11/29)

Student Presentations (Economics of Macro Issues)

29 (12/4)

Test IV (2-4:30 pm).  This test will cover Ch. 19 in the text and selected Economics of Macro Issues chapters.  Depending on the number of students enrolled in the class, additional student presentations may need to be made during this class period also.