ECONOMICS 4400 (Fall 2003)

COURSE TITLE:

Survey of Micro- and Macro- Economics (T, 7-9:30 pm)

INSTRUCTORS:

David Boldt dboldt@westga.edu and Swarna (Bashu) Dutt bdutt@westga.edu
Office Phone: (770) 836-6477

OFFICE HOURS:

Boldt's Hours: M-F 9:00-10:00 am, 1:00-2:00pm, and other times by arrangement.  Please contact me by email if you would like to meet at a more convenient time.
Dutt's Hours:  TTH 9:00-11:00 am, TTH 12:15-2:00 pm, and T 4:45-7:00 pm

REQUIRED TEXT:

McEachern, Macroeconomics, Sixth Edition, Thomson, Dryden Press, 2002.

Economics Debates Online, Southwestern.  Each student will pick (on November 18) one debate issue to present to the class. These can be found at the following link:  (http://www.swcollege.com/bef/econ_debate_main.html).

Other readings will be handed out on November 18.

PREREQUISITES:

None

EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES:

1) Students will gain a basic understanding of economic concepts such as scarcity, opportunity cost,  and the choices individuals and societies must make. (LO 7)
2) Students will gain a basic understanding of macroeconomic issues such as inflation, unemployment, deficit spending, and economic growth. (LO 8)
3) Students will gain a basic understanding of the approaches to economic policy including monetary and fiscal policy (LO 10)
4) Students will gain a basic understanding of international economics issues such as trade and exchange rates. (LO 13)
5) Students will become familiar with the basics of the supply and demand model and the applications of this model to real world issues. (LO 7,10)
6) Students will gain a basic understanding of microeconomic issues/concepts such as competition, incentives, market structure, elasticity, public vs. private goods and the impact of government intervention on the economy. (LO 9, 10)
7) Students will develop oral and written communication skills. (LO 1)

LO refers to the Economics Department's Learning Outcomes (www.westga.edu/~econ/outcomes.html)

COURSE STRUCTURE/EVALUATION:

Attend B. Dutt's ECON 2105 (macroeconomics course) from August 19 to November 11.  This class meets in Room 40 from 7-9:30 pm.  His syllabus will be distributed to you.  Tests will be based on class lectures and chapters in the McEachern text.

For the last four class sessions (Nov 18, Nov 25, Dec. 2 and Dec 9 (final), attend the microeconomics portion of the class with D. Boldt (Conference Room).  As noted above, separate readings will be assigned for this portion of the course. The topics (dates) are listed below:

Date                    Topics
November 18       Market Structure, Government Intervention in the Economy, International Trade
November 25       Applied Microeconomics Topics (Economics Debate Online)
December 2          Company Presentations (powerpoint) and discussion
December 9          Conclude Presentations (if needed), Final Exam

Grading:
1) Exams in Dutt's ECON 2105 course.  These exams will be on Sept 9, Sept 30, Oct. 21 and Nov 11 (60 % total or 15% each)
2) Final Examination (Dec 9, 8-10 pm).  Test questions for this exam will be based on material covered on Nov 18, Nov 25, and Dec 2.  In addition, the final will also include questions based on any assigned microeconomics-related readings.  The final is worth 20% of the course grade.
3) Presentations/Discussion (20%).  Approximately 15 points will be based on your powerpoint presentation on the company you have selected.  This presentation should include:

The presentations will be made on December 2 (will will only use the  December 9 date if necessary).  Be sure to list all references used.  Find at least two articles on the company from business sources such as Business Week, Fortune or the Wall Street Journal. The other 5 points will be based on class participation including your Economics Debate topic presentation.  The Economics Debate presentation should include a discussion of the question, a brief review of the pro- and con arguments, and a brief outline of a short article on the subject.