ECON 301 – Microeconomic Theory
and Policy
Section 001
Fall 2010
California State University, Bakersfield
______________________________________________________________________________
Instructor: Dr. Aaron Hegde
Office: BDC 260
E-mail: shegde@csub.edu
Office hours: TR 2 – 3pm; W 2 – 5pm
Required Text: (1)
Pindyck, R. and D. Rubinfeld.
2009. Microeconomics, Prentice Hall, 7th Ed, along with
subscription to Aplia.com
á
Please see
the Aplia Student Registration & Payment
Instructions, located at the end of this syllabus, for more information on
purchasing the textbook and Aplia.
(2) Levitt,
S. and S. J. Dubner. 2010. Superfreakanomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes and
why suicide bombers should buy life insurance
(3) Ten-week subscription to the Wall Street Journal (fill out the form)
Class Meets: TR 3:10 pm –
5:15 pm; BDC 264
Class Website: https://bb.csub.edu/
______________________________________________________________________________
Course Description
Topics considered:. Theory construction and application in the areas
of consumer choice and demand, production and cost, competitive markets,
general equilibrium, and welfare economics.
Prerequisite: Econ 201 or equivalent
Course
Objectives
Objective 1a and 1b. Communication: Writing and Speaking. Effectively communicate with written
and oral presentations that: (1) focus on the intended audience, (2) are
logically organized with cogently developed ideas, (3) effectively employ
vocabulary and are free of spelling and grammatical errors or delivered to
maintain interest without distracting mannerisms, and (4) use software to
create a high quality presentations.
Objectives 2a, 2b, and
2c. Quantitative: Design,
Calculation and Analysis/Interpretation.
(1) Select graphical and quantitative models appropriate to frame and
address questions and model economic behavior, (2) Calculate accurately and
effectively summarize data and (3) Analyze and interpret the results from
graphical and quantitative methods and models.
Objective 3a. Economic
Literacy. Knowledge of key microeconomic concepts and
theories.
Objective 3b.
Information Competency. (1) Locate information and data for products and
industries, (2) critically evaluate credibility of sources and reliability of
information, and (3) synthesize industry and product data and information from
differing sources to reach an informed position.
Objective 4a. External
Economic Environments: Analyze outcomes in product (industries) and factor markets from the
perspective of market participants.
Objective 4b. Decision
making:
(1) state a problem, (2) identify alternatives, (3) identify criteria for
assessing alternatives, (4) weigh alternatives using the established criteria,
and (5) choose among alternatives and interpret/evaluate the results.
Course Policy:
Grading System: Grades will be
determined by total percentage points earned in the course, with the points
corresponding to each letter grade to be determined at the end of the term. I
do not tend to grade on the curve. Rather, I use the usual standard that
corresponds to each letter grade:
|
95
– 100 A |
90-94 A- |
87-89 B+ |
84-86 B |
|
80-83 B- |
77-79 C+ |
74-76 C |
70-73 C- |
|
67-69
D+ |
64-66 D |
60-63 D- |
0-59 F |
*There
will be no rounding off in grade calculations, for e.g., an 89.9 will still be
considered a B+. The above
translates to the following out of a 500-point scale:
|
>475
A |
450
– 475 A- |
435
– 449 B+ |
415
– 434 B |
|
400
- 414 B- |
385
- 399 C+ |
370
– 384 C |
350
– 369 C- |
|
325
- 349 D+ |
300
- 324 D |
<300 F |
|
Course Requirements: Course
requirements and grade distribution are as follows:
|
Midterm (Oct 14) |
100 |
(20 %) |
|
Final Exam (Nov 23, 5 – 7:30 pm) |
100 |
(20 %) |
|
Assignments (8) |
160 |
(32 %) |
|
Book Report (Nov 16) |
60 |
(12%) |
|
Discussions (8) |
80 |
(16%) |
|
Total Points |
500 |
|
Exams: There are two exams, a mid-termand a final exam during exam week. All exams will be mostly short answer
and problem type questions on the topics covered in class lectures. Details
will be provided when appropriate. The final exam is cumulative and will only
be administered on the scheduled day (Nov 23). You will not be allowed
to take it any other day. Please keep this in mind before you make any other
arrangements.
Assignments: A
broad category that involves doing the homework, coming to class, doing the
readings, class participation, and group work. You will be required to complete
all homework using Aplia in this class. All homework
assignments are due by the due date specified on Aplia.
There will be no exceptions to this rule. I reserve the right to include work,
not possibly listed within the syllabus. Advance notice will be given in such
cases. Though hw
is turned in online via Aplia, you must be present in
class, for the entire period, on the day it is due on Aplia.
If not, you will receive a zero for the hw. There will
be a total of eight (8) homework assignments.
Book Report: There is one paper to be submitted in this class. The paper
is expected to be between five and seven pages (5 – 7). It is based on
the assigned book.
Discussions: This category involves participating in class discussions as well as
discussions online. There will be a discussion question posted each Sunday. It
will be due by the following Sunday.
Extra
Credit: The class has a blog, accessible through Blackboard, which
will have relevant articles posted to it on a weekly basis. Reading the posts
and responding to them can earn you up to 1 point per week (separate from the
mandatory discussions). In order to receive the full point, the post must be
well thought out and add to the discussion.
Class Attendance: Students
are strongly encouraged to attend class and actively participate in class
discussion and activities on a regular basis. Attendance will be taken
randomly. More than three (3)
unexcused absences will adversely affect your grade (a 5% overall
reduction). No makeup exams
or extensions on the homework assignments will be allowed or accepted. Only
compelling medical reasons with supporting certification from a medical doctor
will be considered. Exams, quizzes, and homework cannot be made up for other
reasons. If you miss a class activity, your grade will be assigned according to
your completed requirements.
Announcements: Any and all class announcements will be
made via Blackboard. So please be sure to check your Blackboard account. This is the only way I communicate with
students outside of the classroom.
So please get in a habit of checking the website often.
Academic Integrity:
There are certain forms of
conduct that violate the university's policy of academic integrity. ACADEMIC
DISHONESTY (CHEATING) is a broad category of actions that use fraud and
deception to improve a grade or obtain course credit. Academic dishonesty
(cheating) is not limited to examination situations alone, but arises whenever
students attempt to gain an unearned academic advantage. PLAGIARISM is a
specific form of academic dishonesty (cheating) which consists of the misuse of
published or unpublished works of another by claiming them as one's own.
Plagiarism may consist of handing in someone else's work, copying or purchasing
a composition, using ideas, paragraphs, sentences, phrases or words written by
another, or using data and/or statistics compiled by another without giving
appropriate citation. Another example of academic dishonesty (cheating)
is the SUBMISSION OF THE SAME, or essentially the same, PAPER or other
assignment for credit in two different courses without receiving prior approval.
When a faculty member
discovers a violation of the university's policy of academic integrity, the
faculty member is required to notify the university's Coordinator of Student
Discipline and Judicial Affairs of the alleged violation, including the name(s)
of the student(s) suspected, the class in which the alleged violation occurred,
the circumstances of the alleged violation, and the evidence (including
witnesses) supporting the allegation. The faculty member shall also
formally notify the student(s) suspected of violating the university's policy
of academic integrity, the department chair, and the school dean. The
Coordinator for Student Discipline and Judicial Affairs shall conduct an
investigation, confer with the faculty member, student(s), and any witnesses
identified, and review all evidence submitted by the faculty member and
student(s). Normally, the Coordinator for Student Discipline and Judicial
Affairs shall make a settlement agreement with the student for his/her first
violation of academic integrity with the following sanctions:
¥ final
course grade of 'F'
¥ one-year 'academic
probation' requiring a meeting with the Coordinator of Student Discipline and
Judicial Affairs prior to registration for each subsequent academic term of the
probationary year.
I expect each of you to
uphold the standards of academic integrity. Cheating in any form WILL NOT BE TOLERATED and will result
in a formal report to the university.
You are expected to honestly sign the honor pledge when it is given on
assignments and exams.
Tentative Course Outline:
Consumer
Theory
Module
One: Chapter 1, & 2
Module
Two: Chapter 3, 4 & 5
Producer Theory
Module
Three: Chapters 6, 7 & 8
Markets
Module
Four: Chapter 10, 11 & 12
Module
Five: Chapter 14
Seinfeld
Economics
Where
appropriate, throughout this course, episodes from the television show ''Seinfeld''
will be used to reinforce economic concepts learned in class. A document
summarizing the particular episode and the related economic concept will be
available on the course homepage after the viewing.
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Econ
301: Micro Theory and Applications |
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