California State University, Bakersfield
Essentials of Macroeconomics (ECON 202 Honors)
Abbas Grammy, Ph.D. Professor of Economics
Department of Economics School of Business and Public Administration
Office: BDC Room 249 via 247 Hours: MW 8-9 a.m. & 2-3 p.m.
E-mail: Website: www.csub.edu/~agrammy
Telephone: 661-654-2466 Fax: 661-654-2438
Course Description:
This course is a study of theories of income, employment, inflation, and money. Emphasis will be placed on macroeconomic theory and policy and analysis of macroeconomic data for decision-making. Course objectives are:
· To learn the principle concepts, theories, and policies of macroeconomics
· To analyze macroeconomic trends and apply them to societal conditions
· To be informed of historical and current economic events
These objectives are achieved by classroom lectures and discussions, data analysis projects, historical and current events, homework assignments and examinations.
Course Materials:
K. Case, R.Fair, and S. Oster, Principles of Macroeconomics and Study Guide for Principles of Macroeconomics 9th edition 9th edition, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009.
The textbook’s Power Point slides are available on my website under Course Materials. Please download and print as “handout” three to a page for note-taking and discussion purposes.
Course Policy:
Attendance: You are required to attend all class sessions and actively participate in class discussions. You are also required to come to the class on time and stay for the entire period. I will end the class on time and give you a brief break. If you must leave the class to attend a prior engagement before the session is over, you need to let me know in advance.
Grading System: Letter grades will be determined by total percentage points earned in the course. I do not intend to grade on the curve. I will use the following distribution corresponding to each letter grade:
95-100 A 84-86 B 74-76 C 60-64 D
90-94 A- 80-83 B- 70-73 C- 50-59 D-
87-89 B+ 77-79 C+ 65-69 D+ 0-50 F
Assignment Policy:
There will be no make-up exams, quizzes, or assignments. Only serious and compelling medical reasons with supporting certifications from credible sources will be considered. Exams, quizzes, and assignments cannot be made up for other reasons. Assignments must be hand-delivered to me in the classroom on their respective due dates. Other forms of submission such as sliding under my office door or via e-mail are not acceptable. Late assignments will not be graded. Late arrival to exam or quiz sessions will not receive extra time. If you happen to miss any exams, quizzes, or assignments, your grade will be based on the requirements you have completed. Incomplete grades will not be assigned.
Cheating & Plagiarism:
I follow the university’s policy on Academic Integrity enumerated below:
The principles of truth and integrity are recognized as fundamental to a community of teachers and scholars. The University expects that both faculty and students will honor these principles and in so doing will protect the integrity of all academic work and student grades. Students are expected to do all work assigned to them without unauthorized assistance and without giving unauthorized assistance. Faculty have the responsibility of exercising care in the planning and supervision of academic work so that honest effort will be encouraged and positively reinforced.
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.
In particular, seemingly identical examinations and assignments will be subject to the cheating and plagiarism policy. The course of action is to assign Failure (F) grades to students caught cheating and for the instructor to report them to the university administration for further disciplinary actions. You must work independently in the completion of all assignments and examinations in this course. All course requirements are not group activities.
Course Requirements:
Mid-term Examination 30%
Final Examination 30%
Homework Assignments 10%
In-Class Quizzes 10%
Writing Assignment 20%
Explanation of Course Requirements:
Examinations: There are two exams in this course. Each examination will consist of a combination of problem sets and multiple-choice questions. The mid-term exam will cover Chapters 5-9 and the final exam will cover Chapters 10-18 and 21. Each exam consists of a combination of multiple-choice questions and problem sets.
Homework Assignments: There are several homework assignments consisting of problem sets. Late assignments will not receive credit.
In-Class Quizzes: Once a week, you view a video/DVD presentation and take a quiz while viewing a film. Each presentation is a study of macroeconomic policy with historical applications from the United States.
Writing Assignment: You’ll track quarterly data (2000.1-Most recent quarter) on unemployment rate, inflation rate, and economic growth rate. You will analyze the trends of these indicators and write a paper (4-5 pages, double-spaced). Your paper is graded on data accuracy, graphical illustrations, writing mechanics and organization, and beauty of presentation.
To collect and plot data visit:
www.economagic.com
US Macro 1
US Employment Data: Unemployment Rate
US Consumer Price Index: All Urban Consumers, SA
US GDP and Components: Real Gross Domestic Product in Chained 2005 Dollars
Schedule of Class Activities
Week 1
Course Review
Visiting www.economagic.com
Chapter 5: Introduction to Macroeconomics
Chapter 7: Unemployment, inflation, and Long-run Growth
Quiz 1
Week 2
Chapter 6: Measuring National Output and Income
Quiz 2
Week 3
Chapter 8: Aggregate Expenditures & Equilibrium Output
Chapter 9: The Government and Fiscal Policy
Quiz 3
Week 4
Chapter 9: The Government and Fiscal Policy (continued)
Quiz 4
Week 5
Mid-term Exam
Chapter 10: The Money Supply and Federal Reserve System
Quiz 5
Week 6
Chapter 11: Money Demand and the Equilibrium Interest Rate
Chapter 12: Aggregate Demand in the Goods and Money Markets
Quiz 6
Week 7
Chapter 13: Aggregate Supply and the Equilibrium Price Level
Chapter 14: The Labor Market in the Macro-economy
Quiz 7
Week 8
Chapter 15: Policy Timing, Deficit Targeting, and Stock Market Effects
Chapter 16: Household and Firm Behavior in the Macro-economy
Quiz 8
Week 9
Chapter 17: Long-Run Growth
Chapter 18: Debates in Macroeconomics
Quiz 9
Week 10
Chapter 21: Economic Growth and Development & Transitional Economies
Chapter 19: International Trade, Comparative Advantage & Protectionism
Quiz 10
Important Dates
First day of class: Monday, September 13, 2010
Last day of class: Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Newsletter due: Wednesday, October 18, 2010
Mid-term Exam: Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Final Exam: To be announced
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