Course Syllabus
Principles of Macroeconomics
Economics 2
Course Number:
(3 credit units)
Spring 2018
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Instructor: Peter de Luca
Email address: delucapj@PierceCollege.edu
Phone: 818 265 9377
CLASS INFORMATION
ECON 2 – Principles of Macroeconomics: Section 25714
Meets: Tuesday: in room Birch 1103 from 8:00 PM to 10 PM. Saturday: in room Birch 1102 from 8:00 AM to 12 noon. These are the days we will meet on Saturdays: 2/10, 2/24, 3/10, 3/24.
The midterm will be on Tuesday March 6th.
The final will be on Tuesday, March 27th.
TEXT :
Macroeconomics by Stephan Slavin; Required.
Any version from the 9th to the 11th will be good.
You can get the book cheap through Amazon.com for about 10 to 20 dollars.
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES
Description (Econ 2 – Principles of Macroeconomics):
Macroeconomics is the study of the overall aspects and workings of a national economy such as income, output. In this course, topics such as inflation, deflation, unemployment, Gross Domestic Product, fiscal and monetary policy, Keynesian and classical economic theory, money, and trade will be explored.
Student Learning Objective
Students learn the principles of economics focusing on aggregate economic analysis. Topics discussed include the market system of resource allocation, measurement of GDP, the problems of unemployment and inflation, stabilization policy, and macroeconomic controversies.
List of topics covered in the course:
- Externalities and Public Goods
- Supply and Demand
- Household consumption sector
- Business investment sector
- Government sector
- Export-Import sector
- Gross Domestic Product
- Unemployment and inflation
- Classical and Keynesian economics
- Fiscal and monetary policy
- The Federal Reserve System
- International trade
- International finance
CLASS POLICIES AND ATTENDANCE
Each student is responsible for his/her education, and I am here to help you! By your enrollment in this class, I expect that you are willing to assume all responsibilities for successful completion of the course and abide by the policies that are set forth. Class time will be spent in discussion, lectures, and doing workbook exercises. Please be on time, but if you arrive late, please take a seat in the back of the room, if possible. Students are responsible for all materials and information given in class.
Class attendance is important. In the class, we will do lots of workbook exercises. The process of doing exercises in the class is the most powerful way to learn the material. It is like going to a dance class and trying it out on the dance floor. You can’t learn to dance by just reading a book! If you are missing classes, not participating in Canvas, and doing poorly in class, I may drop you from the class. I will first want to speak with you either in class or on the phone before making that decision.
All phones must be turned off while in class. You cannot use your phone’s calculator. You must buy a calculator.
IMPORTANT DATES
First Day of Class February 6, 2018
Last day to drop w/o fees February 12, 2018
Last day to drop w/o "W" February 12, 2018
Last day to drop March 18, 2018
GRADES
Grades are based on a percentage of possible points—totaled from assignments, quizzes, and exams, etc. The grading scale is as follows:
A = 90–100% B = 80–89% C = 70–79% D = 60–69% F = below 60%
ACADEMIC RESPONSIBILITY:
Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty The faculty and administration of Pierce College are committed to the belief that honesty and integrity are integral components of the academic process. The College expects students to be honest and ethical at all times in their pursuit of academic goals. Students who violate the code of academic conduct by which the College maintains its academic integrity will be dealt with in a manner reflecting the seriousness of these violations.
I. Violations of academic honesty and integrity occur when a student participates in any act in which he/she uses deception or fraud while performing an academic activity. Violations include, but are not limited to, the
following: Using study aids such as calculators, tape recorders or notes, when not authorized by the instructor. Cheating on examinations, assignments or experiments (allowing another student to copy one’s answers or copying the answers of other students; exchanging information by any means, including verbal exchanges, sign language, hand signals, secret codes, passed notes, creation of a distraction for the purpose of cheating; changing answers on a previously scored test, assignment or experiment; inventing information and/or data.) Allowing another student to assume one’s identity in order to fulfill an assignment or take a test. Submitting for a grade the words, ideas, and/or written work (including laboratory notes and drawings) of another person without giving due credit to that person. This includes purchased papers or papers written by other students. Falsifying or attempting to falsify attendance records and/or grade rosters. Conspiring with other students to commit any of the above behaviors.
II. Consequences for any offense against academic honesty and integrity may include: An “F” or a “0” on the examination or assignment. Suspension from the class and other sanctions and/or penalties authorized by the Board of Trustees for violations of the District Code of Conduct. A record of the student’s violation placed in the student’s disciplinary file. Students are required to be honest and complete their own work at all times (homework, class work, quizzes, tests, etc.). Additional information about plagiarism can be found at www.plagiarism.org or through various websites on the Internet
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Special Services – 818.719.6430 Student Services Bldg, 1st floor
Students with disabilities, whether physical, learning, or psychological, who believe that they may need accommodations in this class, are encouraged to contact the office of Special Services as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. Authorization, based on verification of disability, is required before any accommodation can be made.
GRADE DISTRIBUTION AND EXPLANATION
PRACTICE AND REGULAR QUIZZES 50%
Practice Quizzes:
There are practice exercises that cover the same chapter material as the regular quizzes. These practice exercises provide immediate feedback for the questions in it. Each practice quiz is worth one point and you can do them as many times as you wish. They are all open book. But there are time limits and they will be closed when the corresponding chapter regular quiz is closed. They are there to prepare you for doing the regular quizzes, midterm and final. There is a strong correlation between the practice quizzes and the graded quizzes and the midterm and final exams.
Regular Quizzes:
There are thirteen regular quizzes. Most are worth 3 points each. They are all open book. But there are time limits and closing dates that you must keep track of.
You must take the online quizzes by yourself. The quizzes are used by me to determine your progress in the class. The quizzes are an assessment tool and your grade must reflect your understanding of the material. A quiz must be done in one sitting. You cannot walk away from it.
Once you submit your quiz, it will then be automatically graded. You will know your score immediately. If you don’t take the quiz, you will get a zero for it. Unless you have mitigating circumstances, I will not reopen the quiz for you. But I will most likely allow you to replace your quizzes with the corresponding chapter scores in your midterm and final exam. I will determine the replacement policy for each student based on their participation in Canvas. See more information about my replacement policy in the Midterm and Final Exam sections below.
MIDTERM EXAM 25%
The midterm exam will cover chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9. It will be broken down by chapters and it will be broken down and given on Tuesday and Thursday of week 9. It will be a closed book test. But I will provide a formula sheet for you and a study guide. You will have choices in this exam. If your midterm score is higher than your quiz scores, I will then replace your REGULAR quiz scores with your midterm score. If you didn’t take a quiz or if you earned less than 50% on the quiz, then I will multiply your test score by 80% and give you that grade for each quiz you missed or got less than 50% on. But allowing you to replace your zero with that portion is totally at my discretion. If you failed many quizzes or didn't take them, I will not replace them with your midterm or final exam. I will look at your participation in Canvas to determine whether the zero will be replaced. I do not replace practice quizzes because you can take them as many times as you wish and potentially get a perfect score each time.
FINAL EXAM 25%
The final exam will cover chapters 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, and 19. It will be a closed book test. But I will provide a formula sheet for you and a study guide. You will have choices in this exam. If your final exam score is higher than your quiz scores that the final exam covered, I will then replace your quiz scores with your final exam score. If you didn’t take a quiz or if you earned less than 50% on the quiz, then I will multiply your test score by 80% and give you that grade for each quiz you missed or got less than 50% on. But allowing you to replace your zero with that portion is totally at my discretion. I will look at your participation in Canvas to determine whether the zero will be replaced. I do not replace PRACTICE quizzes.
EXTRA CREDIT 2%
A quiz for each chapter will be given at the end or at the beginning of the class. If you get at least a 70% average on all of them, I will give you the full 2 points. If your average is between 60% and 70%, then you will get one point.
Important Policy on Midterm and Final Exams:
The policy below is set up to discourage cheating on the quizzes. There shouldn’t be more than a ten-point difference between a student’s average quiz scores and the midterm or final scores that cover those chapters. If there is, then that is a red flag.
POLICY:
If you get less than a 70% on your midterm, then some of your quiz scores for the chapters covered by the midterm may not count. I will replace each quiz score that is more than 12 points higher than your midterm to 12 points higher than your midterm score. If you get below a 50% then all the higher quiz scores will be turned into that midterm grade. The same policy will be applied to your final.
If your combined average for the midterm and final is a D, then a C is the highest grade you can earn in the class. If your combined average for the midterm and final is below 50%, then you will get an F for the class no matter what your quiz scores are. If your combined average is between 50% and 59%, then a D is your highest score no matter what your quiz scores are.
LECTURE AND EXAM OUTLINE AND SCHEDULE (subject to change)
Week 1:
Chapter 4: Supply and Demand
Saturday: Chapter 3: The Mixed Economy
Saturday: Chapter 5: The Household-Consumption Sector
Week 2:
Tuesday: Chapter 5: The Household-Consumption Sector
Tuesday: Chapter 6: The Business Investment Sector
Week 3:
Tuesday: Chapter 7: The Government Sector
Saturday: Chapter 9: Gross Domestic Product
Week 4:
Tuesday: Midterm Review
Tuesday: Chapter 10: Business Cycles, Unemployment and Inflation
Week 5:
Tuesday: Midterm Exam: Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9
Saturday: Chapter 10: Business Cycles, Unemployment and Inflation
Saturday: Chapter 11: Classical and Keynesian Economics
Saturday: Chapter 12: Fiscal Policy and the National Debt
Week 6:
Tuesday: Chapter 12: Fiscal Policy and the National Debt (Continued)
Tuesday: Chapter 13: Money and Banking
Tuesday: Chapter 14: The Federal Reserve and Monetary Policy
Week 7:
Tuesday: Chapter 18: International Trade
Saturday: Chapter 19: International Finance
Saturday: Final Review
Week 8:
Tuesday: Final Exam: Chapters 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
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