ECONOMICS 2200
Principles of
Economics - Micro
Fall 2004
Prof. Arthur
Diamond
Office: RH 512E
Office
Phone: (402) 554-3657
Office Hours:
12:50 - 2:00 PM Tues. & Thurs.; and by appointment.
Internet
address: adiamond@mail.unomaha.edu
World Wide Web home page: http://cba.unomaha.edu/faculty/adiamond/web/diahompg.htm
Course Objectives:
Economics consists of tools of
analysis that have proven useful in explaining a wide variety of human
behavior. The aim of the course is for
the student to master some of the basic tools both through an understanding of
their theoretical rationale, and also through applying them to explain behavior
and to predict the effects of government policies.
Required
Texts:
Robert E. Hall and Marc Lieberman. Microeconomics:
Principles and Applications, 3rd
ed., Thomson, Southwestern, 2005. [ISBN #
0-324-29066-7]
Geoffrey A. Jehle. Active Learning Guide for Microeconomics: Principles and Applications, updated
2nd ed., Thomson, Southwestern, 2005.
[ISBN # 0-324-26045-8]
Grades:
Grades will be based on on-time,
full-class-period attendance; one 20-minute quiz; two 75-minute exams; and a
final. The quiz will consist of 10
multiple choice questions (and be worth 10 points). The two exams will each consist of 40 multiple
choice questions (and be worth 40 points).
The final will consist of 60 multiple choice questions (and be worth 60
points). The final will be
comprehensive. In order to answer some
of the questions, you will need to make use of graphs or simple algebra. The quiz is tentatively scheduled for the
last 20 minutes of the class on Tues., Sept. 14th. The first exam is tentatively scheduled for Tues.,
Oct. 5th and the second exam is tentatively scheduled for Tues., Nov. 2nd. The final exam for ECON 2200-003 is
scheduled on Tues., Dec. 14th from
Exams will be attentively
monitored. The result of academic
dishonesty will be a grade of F for the course.
Only illness or a death in the immediate family will be accepted as
legitimate excuses for missing a quiz, exam, or final. Documentation will be required. False documentation will result in a grade of
F for the course. A student who misses a
quiz or exam should contact me as soon as possible after the quiz or exam to
explain the absence and arrange to take a make-up. If a student misses a quiz or exam, they
should not attend the following
class session in which the answers to the exam are discussed. Final exams will be kept on file for no less
than eight weeks after the date of the final.
Students will receive 1 point for each
full class attended, up to a maximum of 30 points. When a
student is absent from class, the student will lose the point for attendance,
no matter what the reason for missing the class. A half point will be deducted if the student
arrives late, and a half point will be deducted if the student leaves
early. If class is cancelled for any
reason, each student in the class will receive one point for that class.
The following table provides the
grading scale in terms of percentages, and total points in the course:
|
Grades |
Percentages |
Points |
|
A+ |
95-100 |
171-180 |
|
A |
90-94 |
162-170 |
|
A- |
85-89 |
153-161 |
|
B+ |
82-84 |
147-152 |
|
B |
78-81 |
140-146 |
|
B- |
75-77 |
135-139 |
|
C+ |
72-74 |
129-134 |
|
C |
68-71 |
122-128 |
|
D+ |
65-67 |
117-121 |
|
D+ |
62-64 |
111-116 |
|
D |
58-61 |
104-110 |
|
D- |
55-57 |
99-103 |
|
F |
54 or less |
98 or less |
Grades in the
65-67% range would normally receive a C-, but both students and colleagues have
persuasively argued that in the
Accommodations are provided
for students with verified disabilities.
For more information contact Services for Students with disAbilities in
EAB 117 or 554-2872, TTY 554-3799. Test scores, and
total course points, will be posted on BlackBoard, and the course grade will
also be obtainable through eBRUNO
on the Registrar’s World Wide Web home page.
Prerequisites:
All prerequisites for the course must
be completed before enrolling in the course.
If it is discovered that a student lacks a prerequisite, CBA will
administratively withdraw the student from the course. The prerequisites for this course are: MATH 1310, 12 hours earned, and a cumulative
GPA of “C” (2.0) or better.
No More Than Two Enrollments in Course Allowed:
Effective Fall 2002, students may enroll
in each core business course only two times.
(Withdrawal after 5:00 p.m. of the Friday of the first week of classes
(August 27, 2004) counts as an enrollment.)
The reason for the rule was that a
small, but significant and growing, number of students seemed not to be taking
some classes very seriously, because they could always retake the classes many
times until they found a section they could pass. When sections fill early, as in recent
semesters, this practice often had the effect of making it harder for serious
students to register for the courses they need.
(My understanding is that if you enroll for a third time, they are
reserving the right to disenroll you whenever they discover it.)
BlackBoard (MyUNO):
Much information concerning the course
will be posted to the web pages of BlackBoard which has a URL of: https://myuno.unomaha.edu/. For example, a current version of the
syllabus will be available on BlackBoard, and PowerPoint slides that accompany
class lectures will generally be posted to BlackBoard. Test grades will also be posted there. Announcements pertaining to the class either will
appear on BlackBoard or will be sent out via Notes email through BlackBoard.
Xtra! Online Graphing and Tutorial Tools; and
other Multimedia Tools:
Xtra! is an optional online resource
that some of you may find useful. Xtra!
includes a set of online, computer tutorial and assessment tools that are
bundled inside new copies of the textbook.
You will need the access code inside the text, and will need to register
with that code (and some other identifying information) at the URL:
http://hallxtra.swcollege.com/
If you purchased
a used copy of the text, I believe that you can purchase access to Xtra! online
at the same URL just listed.
As time permits, video tape segments will
be used to highlight how economics is useful in understanding important policy
issues.
Study Guide Questions:
Students are expected to be able to
answer the multiple choice questions in the Active
Learning Guide that correspond to each chapter assigned in the main
text. When the lectures for a chapter
have been completed, time will be allowed for you to ask about any questions
from the Active Learning Guide that
you are having trouble with.
Some
of the questions on the exams will be taken from, or adapted from, the Active Learning Guide.
The following is a tentative weekly
schedule of where I hope we will be in the readings as the semester
proceeds. The schedule given below may
represent an optimistic projection of what we will be able to cover.
Aug. 24 Introduction to Course
26 Double
Oral Auction Experiment
31
Sept. 2
7
9
14
16 discuss quiz; Ch. 4
21
23 Chs. 4 & 5
28
30
Oct.
5 1st exam (covers chapters 1-4)
7 discuss
exam
12
14
19 Fall break; no class.
21
26 Chs. 8 & 9 Monopoly
28
Nov.
2 2nd exam (covers chapters 5-9)
4 discuss
exam & Ch. 10
9 Chs. 10 &
11 Chs.11 & 12 Economic
Inequality
16
18
23
25 no class---Thanksgiving break
30 Ch. 16 Comparative Advantage
and the Gains from Trade
Dec. 2
7 review
past exams for comprehensive part of final
9 review
new material for final
14 Final
exam for ECON 2200-003 from 10:00 AM -
16 Final
exam for ECON 2200-004 from
Important Dates:
Sept. 14: quiz (tentative date).
Oct. 5: 1st exam (tentative date).
Oct. 19: fall break; student holiday; no class.
Nov. 2: 2nd exam (tentative date).
Nov.
5: Last day to drop course with a grade
of "W".
Nov. 25: Thanksgiving break; no classes.
Dec. 14: Final exam for ECON 2200-003 from 10:00 AM –
Dec. 16: Final exam for ECON 2200-004 from