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ECON 301 –
Intermediate Microeconomics
Course Description: You will learn the basic analytical tools of microeconomic theory, which means being able to define, recognize, illustrate and interpret microeconomic concepts algebraically, graphically and conceptually. We will illustrate the usefulness of these analytical tools through engaging and relevant examples. You will develop the ability to creatively apply these analytical tools to collective and individual questions. Prerequisites: Economics 201 (Principles of Economics I), and, at the minimum, Math 121. Knowledge of the material covered in Math 122 is recommended. Calculus will be used extensively in the course. Required Material:
A set of colored pencils is required for answering the daily quizzes and the final exam. You should have the following colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and brown. I will not give you colored pencils, but I may sell them for a considerable markup. You are also required to have the following books: Hal Varian (2009), Intermediate Microeconomics: A Modern
Approach. Eighth Edition, W. W. Norton. ISBN: 978-0-393-93424-3 Theodore Bergstrom and Hal Varian (2009), Workouts in Intermediate Microeconomics. Eighth Edition, W. W. Norton. ISBN: 978-0-393-93515-8 You will not be required to bring these books to class. No calculators are required or allowed during the in class quizzes and the final exam. Course Grade:
60% of your final grade will be determined by a series of daily quizzes. Each quiz is worth 10 points. Only the top fifteen quizzes will count for a total of 150 points. These quizzes are designed to test that you have completed the assigned homework. Most questions will be adapted directly from the homework to be completed by that class day. Most quizzes will be conducted from 8 – 8:15 AM in class before lecture. If you are late to class, you will not be given additional time. Yet a few quizzes will be "take home quizzes” due at the beginning of class. These will be conducted on days we cover more than one chapter. The "take home quizzes” will be graded by random sampling, which means only some of the problems from each student will be graded. 40% of your final grade will be determined by a final exam. It will be conducted on Friday July 9th and will be worth 100 points. The best way to study for this test will be to do your homework. A few of the questions on the final exam may be adapted from your homework and quiz questions, but most questions will be new. The questions will be designed to test your ability to apply the analytical tools discussed in this course to economic problems, not your ability to reproduce previously solved problems. Extra Credit Assignments: You can increase your final grade 12% through completing the three optional extra credit assignments given throughout the course. You can gain up to 10 points on each extra credit assignment. These extra credit assignments cover material we are not able cover in this course because of our limited time. The questions on these assignments will be graded just as critically as the questions on the quizzes and the final exam. The extra credit assignments will also be graded by random sampling, which means only some of the problems from each student will be graded. Grading Philosophy:
Answering a question in economics is more than getting the right answer. I want you to be able to efficiently and clearly support your answers. Therefore how you support your answers will be given just as much weight and scrutiny in determining your grade for a question as whether your answer is correct. Unclear work, chicken-scratch handwriting and badly constructed graphs will lose you credit. Your grade is a measure of achievement. We will not change
grades so you can keep your scholarship, to keep you eligible for sports, to
keep you from being put on probation or whatever. Your grade in my course is
not a Christmas or birthday present that can be exchanged for a different color
or larger size. It is not a measure of how much effort you have expended. Tying
your grade to how much effort you put in would mean that someone who easily
mastered the material would fail, which doesn’t make any sense.
Grading Grievance Procedure: Anyone feeling that a dispute exists after the grading of an
assignment, quiz or test should speak with Jeffrey Hulbert. I will not discuss
any grading problem with any student that does not first speak with Jeffrey
Hulbert first. And if I end up re-grading an assignment, I will re-grade the whole
assignment and I will be much harsher than Jeffrey Hulbert. Adult Behavior:
We are all adults. Jeffrey and I will expect you to act like adults and we will treat you as adults. Adult behavior includes being considerate, respectful and trustworthy. You should at least pretend like you are taking my course to learn economics not to get a grade. We will not police the classroom looking for childish
behavior like cheating, coming in late for class, sleeping in class or whining
demanding self important accusatory woe-is-me entitlement grade grubbing. Yet
if we happen to accidentally catch childish behavior, then we will treat you
like children. If we happen to accidentally catch you cheating, then we will
report you to the honor committee and give you a zero on that particular
assignment.
Students with
Disabilities: If you have a documented disability and need special accommodations, please see me as soon as possible. I will handle special accommodations as discretely as possible.
Missing Class: If you have to miss class, meet with me ahead of time to discuss the possibility of a substitute to class. I will handle this on an individual basis. If we discussed your missing class before the beginning of the course, then remind me. I am a bit absent minded. If you miss class without telling me ahead of time, then you
will get a zero on whatever quiz or test you have on that day. Illness is no
excuse for missing a daily quizzes, because not every daily quiz counts toward
your final grade. Illness is an acceptable excuse for missing the final if and
only if you provide a doctors note. Jeffrey and I have to submit the grades by July 11th (my birthday).
Email Policy: Jeffrey and I will not answer any economics questions through
email. It would take too much time to type up clear and efficient answers to
every economics question from every student. Come to our office hours to ask us
economics questions. We will use email to set up individual meetings and make
general class announcements. Deadlines for Course Changes: Add Deadline: 4:30PM June 14th This course appears for credit. Drop Deadline*: 4:30 PM June 24th No record; course is deleted. Withdrawal Deadline: July 1st Course appears with a grade of W = "withdrawal". Drop/Withdrawal Deadline with Refund: 4:30PM June 15th * = Must Stay Registered for Other Summer Courses |
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