Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

Economics 109 Summer Session 2021 Dr Linda Kerr

Course Title

Economics 109 (Sem B3) Course Code

Econ 109-B3 Course Length

6 weeks.

Course Description

★ 3 (fi 6) (either term, 0-3s-0) The course will introduce students to basic writing in the economics discipline. The focus is on developing the ability to write clearly on economic concepts, as well as illustrating results of data analysis. ECON 109 is a prerequisite for all ECON courses at the 300- and 400-level. ECON 109 will be waived as a prerequisite upon completion of the Assessment of Reading, Comprehension, and Writing in Economics. Students who have successfully completed the Assessment of Reading, Comprehension, and Writing in Economics will not be permitted to enroll/receive credit in ECON 109.

Course Structure

This is a synchronous course. You must be available every Tuesday and Thursday during class time to attend Zoom sessions. We will meet online using Zoom at 10:00 for up to 75 minutes each time. (MDT). Students in China will have their Zoom sessions on Tuesday and Thursday (CST). This will be organized by the first week of class. I take attendance and you are responsible for having the correct technology to participate in the course. System requirements link https://www.ualberta.ca/information-

services-and-technology/services/software-hardware-vendors/technology-requirements.htmlYou are also responsible for watching, listening to or reading assigned materials. Check announcements on eclass for updates and changes to due dates.

The technology may fail while we are on Zoom and in that case please check your email for a new Zoom invitation. The message will appear in your inbox within five minutes.

You can access eClass at http://eclass.srv.ualberta.ca by using your University of Alberta email and password. Here you will find the course outline, important announcements, lectures, class notes, related articles, lecture recordings, websites, and your grades. “There is an alternative way to access UofA email. Details are available here: Email and Calendaring | Information Services and Technology

Required Readings –Buy both eTexts at VitalSource.com

Reading at University , How to Improve Your Focus and Be More Critical by Jamie Q Roberts; Caitlin Hamilton Publisher: Red Globe Press

eText ISBN: 9781352009170, 135200917X Copyright year: 2020 Format: PDF

Available from $19.99 USD SKU: 9781352009170

Brilliant Writing Tips for Students by Julia Copus Publisher: Red Globe Press eText ISBN: 9781137013996, 1137013990

Copyright year: 2009 Format: PDF

Available from $6.00 USD SKU: 9781137013996R180

We will also use The Word on College Reading and Writing. It is free and you can search for it online.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Develop Active Reading strategies to use in all courses.

2. Assess and critique readings from a wide range of economics articles and journals.

3. Develop and apply the conventions of academic writing to each assigned task.

4. Generate written work based on assigned readings that meet academic standards.

5. Learn to locate appropriate academic sources for assigned tasks from the Library resources.

Course Assessment

In order to pass this course you must show marked improvement throughout the term. Your final mark is at the discretion of the Professor. The grades are not just based on raw scores. "Percentage grades will be translated into letter grades, targeting a 100 level class average of between 2.6 – 2.9 (i.e. approximately a B-). Both absolute performance and performance relative to the rest of the class will be considered in determining your letter grades.".

This is a course that requires constant engagement. You must be prepared to work daily. Remember that reading always takes more time than you expect. You will be submitting work regularly throughout the course so it is important that you keep track of when work is due and Follow the Instructions for each piece of work. You must take this course seriously and want to learn.

Don’t take the course just to raise your GPA. We are here to help but don’t expect an A.

Note - should you receive a failing grade in ECON 109, you will be dropped from 300/400-level economics courses.

You will not be able to complete ECON 300/400 level courses until the ECON 109 requirement is fulfilled.

Writing Assessments

You will take a writing assessment at the end of the course to show your ability to understand and summarize a short piece on a topic in economics. This will also factor into your ranking for the course. This assessments is mandatory. It is set for

Thursday August 5^th during our regular Zoom time. It will be opened on eclas and you will have 55 minutes to complete it.

There is no excuse for missing these assessments.

Course breakdown

! Homework/Participation 15%

! Assignments 70% (six)

! Final Paper 15%

Any assignment lose one point per day after the deadline passes. There will be no extensions for the final paper unless there are extreme circumstances. The penalty for lates is 10% per day as soon as the dealine passes.

Participation

• Practicing weak skills using the Brilliant Writing Tips for Students

• Participating in live Zoom sessions

Homework

All assigned homework

This includes responding to videos and answering questions from the recorded synopsis for the first three units.

Assignments

Each assignment builds upon the previous one so it is vital that you complete all assignments in a specific order.

Final Essay

We will begin working on this in the second week of the course.

Economics English Conversation Club

The Department has set up EEC which is a conversation class for students in Economics. I strongly encourage you to attend.

https://www.ualberta.ca/economics/undergraduate-programs/economics-english-conversation-club/index.html

Assessments throughout the course aim to Teach skills that are transferable

Measure achievement

Identify strengths and weaknesses Motivate through timely feedback

All assigned work must be uploaded to moodle in .doc format. Do not submit PDFs or JPEGs. SUBMIT ONLY WORD DOCS. Do not send late work in by email. Contact me and I will reopen the grade book.

The Department of Economics has purchased Grammarly subscriptions for ECON 109 students. Follow the instructions to create an account.

Grammarly

1. Go to grammarly.com/enterprise/signup

2. Provide your name, @ualberta.ca email, and set up a password.

3. Check your inbox for the email and click on the activation link.

4. Apply the access code kUEdpbLWBGDhNgZA

If you already have a free account, you would need to log out and log in again at grammarly.com/enterprise/signin.

Download the Apps

To make sure you get the most out of Grammarly, we have some additional helpful features for Microsoft Word, Internet browsers, emails, and the desktop! You can find all Grammarly products listed at https://gram.ly/HSJ9

University Policies and Statements

Protection of Privacy - Personal information is collected under the authority of Section 33(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Alberta) directly by the University or by an authorized service provider on behalf of the University, and will be protected under Part 2 of that Act. It will be used for the purpose [of allowing students enrolled in the course to review the material] and will be disclosed to other students enrolled in the class through eclass and in accordance with section 40 of the FOIP Act. At the end of the semester it will be permanently deleted. Direct any questions about this collection to Dr. Linda Kerr.

! “Policy about course outlines can be found in the Evaluation Procedures and Grading System section of the University Calendar.”

! “The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect.

Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at www.governance.ualberta.ca) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in

suspension or expulsion from the University.” http://www.ualberta.ca/current-students/academic-resources/academic-integrity

NOTE: There is an alternative way to access UofA email. Details are available here: https://ist.ualberta.ca/services/email-apps Resources that students may want to access, available at http://www.ualberta.ca/current-students

! Accessibility Resources: If you have a condition that may require some classroom or exam modifications, please contact Accessibility Resources to obtain a determination as to what accommodations should be made.

! Academic Success Centre: The Academic Success Centre offers a variety of learning resources, including a variety of workshops in learning effective study and exam strategies.

! Centre for Writers: The Centre for Writers offers free one-on-one writing coaching to all students. Students can request consultation for a writing project at any stage of development. There may be a wait list for assistance.

! Territorial Statement: “The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages, and cultures of the First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence

continues to enrich our vibrant community.”

! Learning and working environment: The Faculty of Arts is committed to ensuring that all students, faculty and staff are able to work and study in an environment that is safe and free from discrimination and harassment. It does not tolerate behaviour that undermines that environment.

! Sexual Violence Policy: It is the policy of the University of Alberta that sexual violence committed by any member of the University community is prohibited and constitutes misconduct. Resources and more information can be found at

https://www.ualberta.ca/campus-life/sexual-violence

! “Audio or video recording, digital or otherwise, of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the instructor or as part of an approved accommodation plan. Student or instructor content, digital or otherwise, created and/or used within the context of the course is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the content author(s).”

! Please note: Instructors cannot request medical notes from doctors in the case of an absence from a term exam. However, instructors may request a students submit a Request for Deferral of Examinations and/or Term Work by completing the Medical Declaration Form for Students from the Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Student Services forms cabinet.

Economics 109: Course Layout Writing Assessments

Your ability to understand and summarize written material will be assessed in the second last week of class.

R

emote Delivery & Zoom Sessions

Our classes this term are remote delivery to keep you safe and healthy throughout the pandemic. We will have Zoom session Tuesdays and Thursdays. You are required to attend and participate in the Zoom sessions and they count towards your participation grade.. Remember that our class is scheduled for 10:00 am for up to 75 minutes MDT and 10 am CST.

There is extended course information on eclass. Check for announcements every week and watch for beartrack emails.

You can reach me by email at any time using

[email protected].

Office Hours

You can reach me any time by email and it was my experience last semester that almost all issues could be resolved by email. I am also available to speak to at the end of class or email then. So if you have questions just contact me right away.

Introductory Unit

The first scheduled live Zoom

The following topics are covered in the unit videos:

Getting to know each other

Going through syllabus (you will always be notified in advance of any changes) Discussing the Learning Objectives

Explaining Netiquette

Discussion of technology for the course and explanation of the Zoom breakout rooms

Unit One: Reading for Understanding The importance of understanding what you read Assumptions about reading

Critical reading and critical thinking Deep Reading

Unit Two: Notemaking Active learning

Taking effective notes Understanding the sources

Unit Three: Academic Writing//Using the Library//Writing Guides Conventions of academic writing

Elements of building an academic paper Writing for a specific audience

Identifying and fixing common mistakes How to avoid plagiarism

Finding and using reliable sources Using multiple sources in a paper Acceptable referencing

Unit Four: Writing For Economics Working with economics journals

Using your reading skills for more difficult sources

Learning about the different types of economics you can practice.

The Final Writing Assessment: August 5^th in the scheduled Zoom session. Do not miss this. I cannot complete your course grades without this. Our final zoom session is August 10th.

The purpose of this course is to teach you the reading comprehension skills needed at University and to begin the journey that will turn you into a good writer. During the semster please read a variety of sources at all levels of difficulty and your work will improve in all your courses.