Long Island University
C. W. Post Campus
Economics Department
Introduction
to Microeconomics
ECO 12 Spring 2008
Section
1 Mondays and Wednesdays 9.30 a.m. to 10.50 a.m.
Section 3 Mondays and Wednesdays 12.30 p.m. to 1.50 p.m.
Instructor: Udayan Roy
Description | Textbook | Chapters to be Covered | Study Guide | Supplementary Reading | Examinations and Grading | Attendance Policy | Contact Information | Office Hours | Web Sites
Course’s Description: (From the Undergraduate Bulletin 2006–2008) This course examines the theory of demand and supply, theory of the firm, resource allocation, international trade, economic growth and development. Every Semester, 3 credits
Textbook: Principles
of Economics, Fourth Edition, by N. Gregory Mankiw, Thomson South-Western,
Chapters to be covered: I would like to cover chapters 1–20 of the textbook. (See the Table of Contents.) As only about 35 hours of lectures—34 hours and 40 minutes to be precise—have been scheduled for this course, we will have to move rapidly. This is one of several reasons why your reading should stay one step ahead of the lectures. Reading each chapter before it is discussed in class is a sure way of raising your chances of success in this course.
Recommended Study Guide: Study Guide for N. Gregory Mankiw’s "Principles of Economics" by David R. Hakes, Thomson South-Western, Mason, Ohio, 2007, ISBN: 9780324319026. This study guide is recommended but not required. A copy of this book will be kept on reserve for you at the library’s circulation desk throughout the semester.
Supplementary Material: A list at http://myweb.liu.edu/~uroy/eco12/syllabus/supp.html includes books that will not be explicitly discussed in this course. However, they are not only authoritative, they are also very informal, easy to read, and, at times, quite funny. I recommend them very highly to you.
Examinations and Grading: Your grade will be based on your performance in the Midterm, the Final, some in-class quizzes, and some homework assignments. In preparing the course grade I will use the following weights: 30% for the Final, 30% for the Midterm, 20% for the quizzes, and 20% for the homework assignments.
The Midterm will be held on Monday, March 10, and the Final will be held during Finals Week (on either Wednesday, April 30 or Monday, May 5). Since the fall 2007 semester, the economics department has, in the case of introductory courses, added to the Final tests a set of questions in addition to those chosen by the instructor. In other words, the Final test may contain some questions chosen by the economics department in addition to those chosen by me. The questions set by me will not be cumulative: that is, they will be based essentially on the material not tested in the Midterm. However, if the economics department decides to insert some questions into the Final, those questions may be based on all chapters.
I will give short in-class quizzes—with adequate warning—throughout the semester. I will count only your four highest quiz scores and these will have a collective weight of 20% in your course grade, as I said earlier.
The homework assignments will consist of computer-graded online quizzes within the WebCT course management system. You will have to log on at http://webct-fe.liu.edu and then go to the WebCT page for this course to find and complete the online homework assignments. Use the firstname.lastname format as your username. The password should be the same password you use to access our Student Information Systems (SIS).
If you do not have an SIS password, please go to http://www.liu.edu/it/cwpost/studentlogin.html for further instructions. (By the way, this page also has links to documents that explain how to use WebCT.) If you are still unable to log on to WebCT, please contact the Office of Information Technology. You could email them at webct@cwpost.liu.edu or call them at 516 299 2281 or go to their offices on the main floor of the Library building.
Attendance Policy: The best possible grade (BPG) that you could get will depend on the number of your absences. See the accompanying table for details. You will be marked absent if you are late for a lecture by ten minutes or more or if you leave early or if you are not attentive in class.
|
Absences |
BPG |
|
6 |
B+ |
|
8 |
B |
|
10 |
B- |
|
12 |
C+ |
|
14 or more |
D |
No make-up tests will be given for the Midterm or the Final unless there are compelling medical reasons supported by a valid doctor's note. In case you cannot take a test at the scheduled time, you (or someone representing you) must inform me of the reason(s) not later than twenty-four hours after the test. Ideally, I should be told before the test. The reason(s) you give for missing a test will affect my decision on whether or not you should get a make-up test but it will not affect your BPG. No make-ups will be given for the quizzes. Homework assignments handed-in late will not count.
Contact Information: My office is at Room 206, Hoxie Hall (across
from the Bookstore). My office phone number is (516) 299 2405/2321. My e-mail
address is uroy@liu.edu. My own Web
site is at http://myweb.liu.edu/~uroy/.
My mailing address is: Udayan Roy, Economics Department,
Office Hours: My office hours are: 2.00 p.m.–3.30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. For any other hours, a prior appointment will be necessary. Please stop by whenever you need any help with your coursework.
Web Sites: The course's Web site is at http://myweb.liu.edu/~uroy/eco12/. The Web site for this course's textbook is at http://websites.swlearning.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=0324224729&discipline_number=413. It has a lot of material that might be of use to you.
Have a great semester!