ECO 201 COURSE SYLLABUS
Fall 2009
Instructor: Joyce Bremer
Email Address: jbremer@oakton.edu
Phone: (847) 537-4385 (between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.)
Fax: (847) 635-1987
Office Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 9:00-10:00 a.m. (Online)
Note: Please contact me via e-mail or telephone any time you have any
questions, suggestions, or comments.
On Campus (
You may call me at home between 7:00 a.m.
and 9:00 p.m. at 847-537-4385.
I.
|
Course Prefix |
Course Number |
Course Name |
Credit |
Lecture |
Lab |
|
ECO |
201 |
Principles of
Macroeconomics |
3 |
3 |
0 |
II. Prerequisite: None
III. Course Description:
Course introduces macroeconomics, utilizing
modern economic theory to analyze fiscal and monetary policies by. Content
includes inflation, taxes, full employment, gross domestic product (GDP),
economic growth; money and banking. Extensive use of graphical analysis.
IV. Learning Objectives:
A. The
student will develop analytical skills that can be applied to the solution of a
wide range of problems including, but not bounded by the economic material of
this course.
B. These skills will include the construction of a general
theory or model explaining how a system works. The student will be able to explain
this model:
1. orally or in writing.
2. by depicting the
system graphically.
3. by using simple
algebraic formulas to express his/her ideas.
C. Using the modeling approach, the student will then
analyze the effects of different policy decisions on the outputs or goals
produced by the system.
D. As applied to the economic systems under study, the
student will understand the interaction of different fiscal and monetary
policies, and determine their effects upon basic economic goals such as full
employment, price stability, and growth.
E. In addition to the above objectives, this course will
help students develop the following General Education Competencies that have
been established by the College:
1. Define Problems
2. Construct
Hypotheses
3. Gather,
analyze, and interpret data and information
4. Differentiate
between fact and opinion
5. Communicate
effectively in writing
V. Academic Integrity:
Students and employees at
There are serious
consequences to violations of the academic integrity policy. Oakton’s policies
and procedures provide students a fair hearing if a complaint is made against
you. If you are found to have violated the policy, the minimum penalty is
failure on the assignment and, a disciplinary record will be established and
kept on file in the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs for a
period of 3 years.
Details of the Code of Academic Conduct can be found in the Student Handbook.
VI. Outline of Topics:
|
Week |
Topic |
Assignment |
|
1 |
Introduction |
Chapter 1 Post a Response to the
Bio and Intro Course Quiz Discussion Forums |
|
2 |
Scarcity and the Production Possibilities Frontier |
Chapter 2 |
|
3 |
The Market Mechanism |
Chapters 3 & 4 (September 7 - Labor Day holiday, College closed) |
|
4 |
Exam 1 |
Exam 1 Due no later than midnight 9/20 |
|
5 |
Macroeconomic Measurement: National Income Accounting |
Chapter 8 |
|
6 |
Project 1 |
Project 1 Due no later than midnight 10/4 (10/4 – Incomplete (I) grades from Summer 2009
semester for which faculty have not submitted final grades will become an
"F" after 10/4) |
|
7 |
Macroeconomic Instability |
Chapter 7 & Chapter 9 (October 9 – Last day for filing Graduation
Petitions - noon) |
|
8 |
Real GDP and the Price Level |
Chapter 10 |
|
9 |
Classical and Keynesian Analysis |
Chapter 11 |
|
10 |
Aggregate Spending and the Multiplier Effect |
Chapter 12 |
|
11 |
Exam 2 |
Exam 2 Due no later than midnight 11/8 |
|
12 |
The Government Sector - Fiscal Policy and the
Federal Debt |
Chapter 13 & Chapter 14 |
|
13 |
Money and The |
Chapter 15 & Chapter 16 |
|
14 |
Monetary Policy; |
Chapter 17 & Chapter 18 |
|
15 |
Project 2 |
Project 2 Due no later than Midnight 12/6 |
|
16 |
Exam 3 |
Exam 3 Due no later than midnight Wednesday 12/16 |
VII. Methods of Instruction
Read
Assigned Material
Online
Mini-Lectures
Online
Discussion
VIII. Course Practice Required
A. Read and understand course
material to include charts and graphs.
B. Writing clearly and
correctly at a college level.
C. Participation in online
discussion.
D. Mathematics at the high
school algebra level, solving linear equations.
E. Graphic analysis.
IX. Instructional Materials
Required
Textbook: Roger Miller, Economics Today, The Macro View,
14th edition, Pearson Addison-Wesley, 2008.
(You may use the 13th edition of the text if you can obtain a copy of it.)
(Purchase of a new text is
required in order to obtain the access code to MyEconLab. However, I do not assign homework from MyEconLab. Its use is
strictly voluntary.)
X. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
|
Exam 1 |
75 points |
|
Exam 2 |
75 points |
|
Exam 3 |
75 points |
|
Project 1 |
75 points |
|
Project 2 |
75 points |
|
Discussion |
66 points |
|
Total Semester Points |
441 points |
F. Grading Scale used in this class:
|
Total Semester Points |
Grade |
|
397-441 |
A |
|
353-396 |
B |
|
309-352 |
C |
|
265-308 |
D |
|
0-264 |
F |
XI. Other Course Information
Submitting Work
Exams:
The exams will be available online and must be submitted (via the WebCT
e-mail) in one file (preferably as an attachment written in Word) during
the week indicated on the Outline of Topics. If an exam is submitted
after the last day of the week, the grade will be reduced 5 points for each day
it is late. (e.g., If the exam is 2 days late, 10 points will be deducted from
the grade.)
Projects:
Both projects (papers) should be e-mailed to me (via the WebCT e-mail),
preferably as an attachment written in Word, during the week in which they are
assigned. They must be submitted no later than the last day designated in the
Outline of Topics. Projects will be evaluated on both content and format, and
you will be evaluated on your success at addressing all the pertinent issues in
a succinct, well-written format. If a project is submitted late, the grade will
be reduced 5 points for each day it is late. (e.g., If the project is 3 days
late, 15 points will be deducted from the grade.)
Online Discussion Participation
Your online participation will be evaluated on a
quantity and quality basis. Your comments should advance the discussion, add
value and be relevant. Comments such as "I agree" and
"ditto" are not considered value-added participation. Therefore, when
you agree or disagree with a comment, please state and support your agreement
or disagreement. Complete sentences, correct grammar, punctuation and spelling
should be used in all your postings.
You are required to post at
least 2 substantive postings per week.
Initial postings must be made by midnight Friday of the assigned week.
Initial postings made after midnight Friday of the assigned week will not earn
credit.
Responses to classmates' postings must be made by midnight
Sunday of the assigned week. Any reply postings made after Sunday of the
assigned week will not earn credit.
Discussion forums will be available after the assigned
posting week, but any postings made after that week will not earn credit. I
encourage you to post messages about how the course material relates to your
own experience.
Discussions will be "threaded" and
asynchronous. Each week's discussion is worth a maximum of 6 points (4 points
for your original response; 2 points for your reply to a classmate's posting).
No credit will be received for postings made after the end of the assigned
week.
Policies and Expectations
E-Mail Check and Response Policy
I plan to check my e-mail for this course at least
once a day. If you email me before 3:00 p.m. on weekdays, I will try to answer
the same day. If it's after 3:00 p.m. do not expect a response until the next
day. I may respond sooner, but I cannot guarantee it. When you send e-mail,
please use the WebCT e-mail. If you use my Oakton e-mail account, please put
the title of this course (Econ 201) and the topic you are writing about in the
"Subject" line and include your name somewhere in the e-mail.
Student Commitment
You should budget adequate time each week for reading
all material and completing all assignments. You will be responsible for
keeping up to date with all lessons and assignments and participating in the
discussions. Online courses take as much, if not more, time to complete
successfully as traditional courses so please plan accordingly.
You are solely responsible for the preparation and
presentation of your assignments. Each homework assignment, written activity,
and test should be your own work. When working collaboratively, it is
acceptable to ask for criticism and help, but such input should be limited and
acknowledged when appropriate.
Instructor Commitment
As your instructor, I will follow the course outline
as detailed in this syllabus. If any changes are required, I will announce them
well in advance to give you time to adjust. You can count on my availability
during office hours, and you have the right to expect prompt responses to your
questions, comments, and requests. I will grade your work in a timely manner
and return it to you with constructive commentary. In this distance-learning
course, you will receive the same attention and care you would find in a
traditional class.
If you have a documented learning, psychological, or
physical disability, you may be entitled to reasonable academic accommodations
or services. To request accommodations or services, contact the ASSIST office
in Instructional Support Services. All students are expected to fulfill
essential course requirements. The College will not waive any essential skills
or requirements of a course or degree Program.
Academic Calendar - Fall 2009 Link Here