Economics 202 -- Introduction to Macroeconomics

OAKTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
 ECO 202 COURSE SYLLABUS
 SUMMER 2006






Instructor: Joyce Bremer
Email Address: jbremer@oakton.edu
Home Phone: (847) 537-4385
Fax:  (847) 635-1987

Office Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 9:00-10:00a.m.(Online)
                     On Des Plaines Campus by Appointment

Note: Please contact me via e-mail or telephone any time you have any questions, suggestions, or comments. You may also 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  202 Principles of Economics II 3 3 0

II. Prerequisite:   None

III. Course Description:
 This introductory microeconomics course teaches the basic price theory of the firm.  Operation of supply, demand, cost and revenue functions in perfectly and imperfectly competitive markets are stressed.  Markets for both products and factors are analyzed.  International trade and finance problems are examined in theory and practice.  The student makes the extensive use of graphical analysis.

IV. Learning Objectives:
A.  The student will learn the basic framework of decision-making and optimization
      theory.
B.  The student will apply this theory to analyze the interaction of goals attainable under
      specific market environments and develop decision rules to attain these goals.
C.  The student will achieve the ability to utilize graphical and simple algebraic tools as
well as oral and written problem  analysis.
D.  Within the decision-making framework, a student will become well grounded in the
specific conditions which exist for classification of perfect and imperfect sellers markets as well as their counterparts in input or factor markets.  The student will be able to analyze the role of the firm as decision-maker in these varied environments.  An understanding of partial and general equilibrium concepts will also be achieved.
E.  In addition, a basic understanding of international economic concepts such as
     comparative advantage, terms of trade, balance of payments and the advantages of
     fixed or floating exchange rates will be attained.

F.  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 findings effectively in writing

V. Academic Integrity:

Students and employees at Oakton Community College are required to demonstrate academic integrity and follow Oakton’s Code of Academic Conduct. This code prohibits:

• cheating,
• plagiarism (turning in work not written by you, or lacking proper citation),
• falsification and fabrication (lying or distorting the truth),
• helping others to cheat,
• unauthorized changes on official documents,
• pretending to be someone else or having someone else pretend to be you,
• making or accepting bribes, special favors, or threats, and
• any other behavior that violates academic integrity.
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

(6/5-6/11)
Introduction and Supply and Demand 
Marginal Utility & Consumer Demand
Review Chapters 1 & 2  
Chapter 3  
Chapter 20 
Post a Response to the Discussion Forum

(6/12-6/18)
Elasticity 
Applications of Supply & Demand 
(price ceilings and price floors; 
excise taxes; social benefits and costs)
Chapter 21 
Chapter 4  
Complete and Submit Elasticity Worksheet 
(6/19-6/25) 
Production and Costs  
Project 1
 Chapter 23  
Post a Response to the Discussion Forum 
(Project 1 Due no later than midnight Sunday 6/25)

(6/26-7/2)
Midterm Exam 
Pure Competition
(Midterm Exam Due no later than midnight Sunday 7/2) 
Chapter 24  
Complete and Submit Pure Competition Worksheet
(7/3-7/9)
 Pure Monopoly 
Monopolistic Competition, 
Oligopoly and Antitrust Policies
 Chapter 25
Chapters 26, 27, & 28 
Post a Response to the Discussion Forum

(7/10-7/16)
Economic Resources  
Wages, Labor Problems & Unions  
Project 2 
  Chapters 29 & 30  
Post a Response to the Discussion Forum  
(Project 2 Due no later than midnight Sunday 7/16)

(7/17-7/23)
 The Global Economy   Chapters 33 & 34  
Post a Response to the Discussion Forum
(7/24-7/27)
 FINAL EXAM

 
  Post a Response to the Discussion Forum
Final Exam Due no later than midnight Thursday 7/27

  
 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 Micro View, 13th edition, Pearson Addison-Wesley, 2006.
(Purchase of a new text is required in order to obtain the access code to MyEconLab. However,  I do not assign material from MyEconLab.)

X.  Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
 
 
Midterm exam 
(Multiple Choice and Essay/Problems) 
100 points
Final Exam 
(Multiple Choice and Essay/Problems) 
100 points
Project 1 75 points
Project 2 75 points
Discussion 60 points
Total Semester Points 410 points

 Grading Scale used in this class:
 
Total Semester Points  Grade
 369-410   A
 328-368   B
287-327   C
246-286 D
0-245  F

 
XI. Other Course Information

Submitting Work

Tests: The mid-term and the final exam 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: All projects 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.
Discussions will be active for two weeks.
Initial postings must be made by the end of the assigned week. Initial postings made after the assigned week will not earn credit.
Responses to classmates' postings can be made either in the assigned week or the following week. Any postings made after the second week will not earn credit. You are required to post at least 2 substantive postings per week.
Discussion forums will be available after the two-week time period, but any postings made after the second 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 7.5 points (5 points for your original response; 2.5 points for your reply to a classmate's posting). No credit will be received for postings made after the end of the assigned week.

Homework Assignments
Homework assignments will be evaluated on the basis of the correctness of your answers and the amount of work shown to determine these answers. Homework must be submitted by the end of the assigned week (midnight Sunday). If a homework assignment is submitted late, the grade will be reduced 1 point for each day it is late. (e.g., If the project is 3 days late, 3 points will be deducted from the grade.)

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 - Summer 2006 Link Here
 

Economic Links
My Homepage
 
 
 


Last updated May 10, 2006

Send comments to: jbremer@oakton.edu