/ Spring 2009
Econ 212: Principles of Macroeconomics
Sections 1 & 2
Course Contract
Prerequisite / Students must either
1) have a SAT-Math score of 400 or better,
2) or have an ACT-Math score of 19 or better,
3) or have a grade of C or better in Math 080.
If you don’t meet any of the above 3 conditions, drop this course and take Math 080 instead.
Instructor / Dr. Jacqueline Khorassani
Class HoursLocations / Section 1: 8-8:50, MWF, Thomas 209
Section 2: 9-9:50, MWF, Thomas 209
OfficeHours & Location / MWF: 10:00-11:00 TTH: 13:00-14:00 (with the exception of January 27 and April 7) and by appointment Thomas 104
Voice / 740-376-4621 (office)
E-mail / Use this device only if WebCT is not available.
Web Page / Use this device to see the course contract and to send me your anonymous feedback.
WebCT / Use this device to
  1. see the course contract
  2. access the discussion board
  3. see your grades
  4. see the weekly study guides and class slides
  5. see the course announcements
  6. send me private emails

Aplia / Use this device to submit your out of class assignments.
Course’s Main Objectives /
  1. To give you an introduction into the way macroeconomic variables such productivity, gross domestic product, unemployment rate, inflation rate are measured.
  2. To discuss the importance of the above variables in assessing the economic health of a given nation.
  3. To use economic models in order to understand the relationship among macroeconomic variables and how they can be influenced in the short run and in the long run.

Course’s Secondary Objectives /
  1. Enhancing your communication skills: In this course you will be given numerous opportunities to put your thoughts in writing as well as expressing them vocally. My goal is to create an atmosphere in which we all feel comfortable to express our opinions and respectfully discuss our disagreements and learn from each other. The level of your engagement in class and outside class (on WebCT’s discussion board), in part, determines your participation grade.
  2. Encouraging collaborativelearning: Economics is a subject that needs to be discussed. Discussions help us to better comprehend economic concepts. In my opinion, out-of-class discussions among students are as valuable as (and sometimes more valuable than) in-class discussions. To encourage you to work together and learn from each other,
  3. At times, I will randomly select teams of 2-3 students to work on the inclass assignments together.
  4. You are required to participate in WebCT’s discussion board.
  5. The grading scale, which is pre-determined as follows, will not be altered based on class performance. This means that it is possible for all of you to receive As on an exam. Don’t be afraid to share your knowledge with your classmates and help them out.

Means of Communication / Our main means of communication is the classroom. The students are expected to attend classes on a regular basis. Your participation grade depends, in part, on your attendance. In addition, I may also communicate new information to you via WebCT or your college designated email account. Similarly, please feel free to visit me in my office, call me, or e-mail me to discuss your concerns and questions. I have also made it possible for you to send me your comments anonymously via my web page.
Textbook / The 8th edition of “Macroeconomics: A Contemporary Introduction” by William A. McEachern bundled with Aplia. You may choose to
  1. buy the on line version of the text & access code to Aplia from Aplia for $70.
  2. choose option 1 above plus buy a hard copyof the textbook via Aplia for an additional $50.

My Teaching Philosophy / I believe that straight lecturing is not the most effective way to teach economics. I also believe that you are capable of studying and understanding most of the material covered in the book on your own if you give it your best shot. Thus, I am not going to stand here and repeat the chapters of your textbook everyday. In other words, I am not going to be a transmitter of knowledge. Rather I view myself asadesignera coach. Further, I view students as knowledge constructors rather than sponges.
My task therefore, is
  1. to design a map that will lead you toward the construction of your knowledge;
  2. to help you figure out how to ask the right questions when you feel lost;
  3. to ask you questions in an attempt to find out if you are on the right track;
  4. and to give clear and meaningful answers to your questions.
I realize that you are different form each other. You have different backgrounds, skills and learning styles. That is why I use a variety of strategies and media in this class. I plan to give each of you as much support and guidance as possible.
Your taskis
  1. to study & follow the map (the study guide in the beginning of each week);
  2. to see if you are there by answering the on line Aplia questions;
  3. to ask questions when you feel lost (I always prefer an stupid question to no question as the alternative is remaining stupid.);
  4. and to respond to my questions. (Be prepared to be wrong sometime. Being wrong is okay as making mistakes is an inevitable part of learning.)
Our joint task is to build a learning environment in which we feel free and comfortable to express our thoughts; to respectfully disagree with each other at times; and to learn from each other.
Attendance Policy / Attendance in this class is mandatory. Missing a class affects your participation grade. This holds unless you have an excused absence. Classes missed due to participation in college-sponsored co-curricular events are considered excused absences. In order for the absence to be excused, I must receive a written notification before or immediately after you miss the class. Regardless of the nature of your excuse, it is your responsibility to contact me immediately after you miss a class to find out about the new assignments and everything else you have missed.
Course Outline / Our tentative goal is to cover Chapters 5 through 10, 12 through 15 the textbook. I say tentative because I want to have the flexibility of including just -in- time topics in our course.
Grading / The following table shows the weight of different assignments in your final grade.
Best 3 Exams (20 % each) / 60%
Aplia Assignments / 20%
In Class Assignments / 15%
Participation / 5%
The students will be evaluated as follows
Percent / Grade / Percent / Grade
97% and above / A+ / 77 to 79% / C+
93 to 96% / A / 73 to 76% / C
90 to 92% / A- / 70 to 72% / C-
87 to 89% / B+ / 67 to 69% / D+
83 to 86% / B / 63 to 66% / D
80 to 82% / B- / 60 to 62% / D-
59% and below / F
You may keep track of your grades on WebCT
Examinations / You will be given four exams according to the following schedule.
Exam 1: Wednesday, February 4
Exam 2: Wednesday, March 4
Exam 3: Wednesday, April 8
Exam 4:
Section 1 (8-8:50 MWF): Wednesday April 29, 8:30-11:00
Section 2 (9-9:50 MWF): Thursday, April 30, 8:30-11:00
Exams 2, 3and 4 aresemi-comprehensive. That is, in addition to the new material, they may also cover a specified section of thetopics covered by the previous exams.Exams may consist of multiple choice questions, analytical questions, and graphical or numerical problems. When calculating your course grade, I only take your top 3 exams into consideration.
Here is some information on how I will grade your exams. You will receive5 points on each correct answer you choose on the multiple choice questions. There is also a penalty of 1 point (-1 points) if you choose an incorrect answer. This grading method is consistent with the simple fact that in life we are often rewarded for our correct decisions and penalized for our incorrect decisions. In my opinion, it is better to admit that you don’t know the answer to a questionrather than pretending that you do. I simply want to discourage you from relying on yourluck when answering a multiple choice question. Moreover, on all other questions, I will give you 1/5 of the grade if you simply admit that you don’t know the answer. For example if you have no clue on how to answer an essay question that carries 5 points, it is better to simply say so and receive 1 point instead of giving a wrong answer and receive 0 points.
Aplia Assignments / This semester, you will work on numerousassignmentson the Aplia website. Each assignment has either 20 points. Only the top 80 percent of your Aplia gradeswill count toward your course grade. The overall weight of these assignments in your course grade is 20%.
(Note:If you receive fewer than 15 points on Aplia Assignment 2, my advise to you is to drop this course and take Math 080 instead.)
The Aplia site requires a separate registration process. Here are the steps:
If you have never used Aplia before...
1. / Connect to
2. / Click the New Student link and enter your Course Key:
CNNP-6E63-N7EE. Continue following the instructions to complete
your registration.

If you have used Aplia before...
1. / Connect to
2. / Sign in with your usual e-mail address and password and enter your
Course Key when prompted: CNNP-6E63-N7EE. If you are not
prompted for a new Course Key, click the Enter Course Key button to
enroll in a new Aplia course. Enter your Course Key when you are prompted.

Note: You will have different payment options after you register for your
course. If you choose to pay later, you can use Aplia without paying until
11:59 PM on 02/01/2009.
You will only need to register once. After the registration process iscomplete, you will not need to enter the course key again. For technicalproblems or problems signing in, please send Aplia an e-mail by clickingon the "Help" link in the upper-right corner of any page or bye-mailing:
Here is how most Aplia assignments work. Upon completion of a page of questions, you have two options: you can save your work and continue on to the next page of questions, or you can request immediate feedback by clicking “Grade It Now.” This will display which questions on the page were answered correctly and incorrectly, with detailed explanations for each question. If you are happy with your score, you can continue on to the next page of questions in the problem set. If you think you can improve your score after reading the feedback, you can make another attempt by clicking the “Try Another Version” button. This allows you to attempt a new page of questions covering the same concept, but using different examples and/or numbers. You can attempt a given page of questions up to three times. The final score reported in the grade book will be an average of the points received on each attempt.
Aplia assignments have firm due dates. Do them early to avoidany emergencies preventing your completion before their due dates.
In Class Assignments / During this semester I will frequently require you to take five to ten minutes to complete a short individual or team assignment in class. I collect and grade some of these assignments. Fifteen percent of your course grade depends on your graded in class assignments.
Make-up Policy / If you miss an exam or an in class assignment and have an excused absence, I will meet with you to discuss your options. If you miss an exam or an in class assignment because of an unexcused absence, you will receive a grade of zero on that exam or assignment. If you miss an Aplia assignment for any reason, you will receive a grade of zero.
Weekly Study Guides / Each Saturday, look for a study guide for the following week on WebCT. Study guides are designed to guide you in your studying and keep you on track. Make sureto carefully read these study guides as soon as they become availableand post your questions on WebCT’s Discussion Board. Your questions must reflect that you have done your best to grasp the material. Your participation grade depends, in part, on the quality and the quantity of your posted questions. Remember: if you don’t ask any questions, I assume you know.
ClassPowerPoint Slides / Each Friday, look for the previous week’sclassroom PowerPoint Presentations on WebCT.
Participation Grade / As noted above, five percent of your grade is determined by your participation. To maximize your participation grade you must (1) attend classes; (2) actively participate in class by asking questions and responding to questions asked by others; (3) post questions or respond to others’ questions on WebCT’s discussion board. (4) be an active member of your team.
Extra Help Sessions / During this semester, there will be a total of five extra help sessions according to the following schedule:
Session 1 / Session 2 / Session 3 / Session 4 / Session 5
Tuesday, February 3 / Tuesday, March 3 / Tuesday, April 7 / Tuesday, April 28 / Wednesday, April 29
All help sessions start at 5:30 PM in Thomas 209. During these help sessions I will be available to answer your questions.
Academic Dishonesty / "Dishonesty within the academic community is a very serious matter, because dishonesty destroys the basic trust necessary for a healthy education environment. Academic dishonesty is any treatment or representation of work as if one were fully responsible for it, when it is in fact the work of another person. Academic dishonesty includes cheating, plagiarism, theft, or improper manipulation of laboratory or research data or theft of services. A substantiated case of academic dishonesty may result in disciplinary action, including a failing grade on the project, a failing grade in the course, or expulsion from the College" (Marietta College Undergraduate Programs, 2008-2009 Catalog).
Have A Disability? / If you need accommodations due to documented disability, contact the AcademicResourceCenter (Andrews Hall, Third Floor, 376-4700) at the beginning of the semester for further instruction
Academic Warning, Probation, Dismissal / In order to familiarize yourself with the college policy please study the relevant pages of Marietta College 2008-2009 Undergraduate Catalog available at

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