Introduction to Microeconomics (ECON 101 X01) University of Alberta - Department of Economics
Fall 2016 Course Outline Instructor: Alexander Gainer
Class Schedule: Tuesday 6:30PM - 9:30PM Lecture Room: Tory Lecture 11
Office Hours: Mondays, 11-12, Wednesdays, 12-1, or by appointment.
Office: Tory 7-14
Email: [email protected] (Please have “ECON 101” in the subject line)
Course Websites: this course makes extensive use of e-class (Moodle). The following course material will be posted on the e-class website: past exams, grades, and lecture notes.
Course Objectives: The purpose of ECON 101 is to learn how markets and
governments determine which goods and services are produced and how income is distributed in the Canadian mixed economy.
In its simplest form, microeconomics is the study of individual decision making by consumers and businesses. The goal is to understand why consumers and businesses make the decisions they do, and how to measure their well-being as a result of these decisions. We will also consider how these decisions, and measures of well-being, change in response to different assumptions regarding market conditions.
Required Textbook: Principles of Microeconomics, by Mankiw, Kneebone, and
McKenzie, Sixth Canadian Edition (this edition is preferred, however, older versions are acceptable).
Other resources:
• Top Hat: this software is how students will answer questions in class for bonus marks.
• FlipItEcon: this is where students will complete the weekly online assignments.
Instructions on how to purchase and use Top Hat and FlipItEcon are at the end of this document.
Please contact me if you are interested in the no-cost alternatives for these two resources.
Outline of Topics and Required Readings:
Grade Distribution:
FlipItEcon Assignments: 15%
First mid-term exam: 20%
Second mid-term exam: 20%
Final exam: 45%
Top Hat: 4% (bonus marks) Exams:
The two midterm exams and the final exam will be written at the Learning Assessment Centre (LAC) which is located at 3-106 Education North (map). It is the student’s
responsibility to book their exam time using the LAC website. If you fail to book an exam time and there is no space in the LAC then you will receive zero marks on that exam.
The questions on the exams will relate closely to the material covered in class. The final exam is cumulative, while the midterm exams are non-cumulative.
Exam Schedule:
First mid-term exam (1 hour): October 11-12.
Second mid-term exam (1 hour): November 22-23.
Final exam (3 hours): December 5-6.
Missed Exams:
If a student misses a midterm exam they must email me immediately to notify me and to apply to write the deferred midterm exam. The deferred midterm exam will be
cumulative and will be held in the LAC on November 28. If you miss a midterm and do not contact me you will receive a mark of zero on that exam. You will not be able to have the percentage weight of your missed exam added to the percentage weight allotted to the final exam
Topics Textbook Readings
Introduction Chapters 1 and 2
Trade Chapter 3
Supply and demand (how markets work) Chapters 4, 5 and 6 Supply and demand (markets and welfare) Chapters 7,8 and 9 Public sector (government interaction and policy) Chapters 10 and 11
Firm behaviour and market power Chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 The economics of factor and labour markets Chapter 18
A student who has missed a final exam because of incapacitating illness, severe domestic affliction or other compelling reasons (including religious conviction) may apply for a deferred exam. The application is to be submitted to the undergraduate office of the applicant’s own faculty. The instructor does not have the authority to approve such applications. The deferred final will be held on December 19.
Assignments:
The assignments are done on-line with FlipItEcon. There are 12 assignments; each week of prelecture, bridge and problem sets is one assignment. At the end of the
semester I will drop your 2 lowest assignments and use your 10 best assignments. Late assignments will not be graded.
Tutor Centre (Tory 8-28)
The tutor centre will tentatively begin operation the third week of classes, and will close the last day of classes. Hours of operation, once set, will be posted on the course website. The tutors are third and fourth-year honours economics students. You are encouraged to visit the tutor centre with content questions. The tutors will help you with questions about class/text/assignment material. Take your work with you so that the tutor can see what you have been doing and help you to identify problem areas. You must be able to demonstrate that you have been working on the problem in order for the tutor to help you. The tutors are not meant to be instructors. They will help you with something that you are having difficulty understanding. Tutors will NOT provide answers to assignments before they are due. Access to individual assignments are not available in the tutor centre. The tutors will help you to understand the concept so you can do your own assignment later.
You are also encouraged to visit the tutor centre if you would simply like to talk with an economics student about the department and its course and program offerings. Tutors will be happy to provide you with some personal insight. Program and course
information as well as a schedule of economics undergraduate advisors can be picked up in the tutor centre.
If you have any questions about, or encounter any problems with the tutor centre, please let me know immediately. The Economics Department is committed to a tutor centre that offers the assistance that students need. We need your help to ensure that this happens. You are invited to please fill out an evaluation form when you visit the tutor centre. Tell us what you liked; tell us what we can do better.
Grading:
Students will be ranked according to the weighted sum of their assignments and exams. When assigning letter grades I look for breaks between pools of students.
From Section 23.4(4) of the University Calendar, “Grades reflect judgements of student achievement made by instructors. These judgements are based on a combination of absolute achievement and relative performance in a class.”
Students with special needs (University Calendar §25.2):
Students with disabilities or special needs that might interfere with their performance should contact the professor at the beginning of the course with the appropriate documentation. Every effort will be made to accommodate such students, but in all cases prior arrangements must be made to ensure that any special needs can be met in a timely fashion and in such a way that the rest of the class is not put at an unfair disadvantage. Exam arrangements: SAS (Student Accessibility Services) and the student, with the approval of the course instructor, determine exam accommodations. Assessments and/or documentation of the need for accommodation are required. At the beginning of each term, the student meets with instructors to review the exam arrangements which will be used. The student provides a “Letter of Introduction” from SAS verifying the nature of the accommodations required due to the disability. A few weeks before each exam, the student completes an “Exam Schedule” form, for SAS, outlining scheduled exam dates, times, etc. The student then takes an “Exam Instructions and Authorization” form to the instructor. The instructor is asked to complete the form and enclose it with the exam and arrange to have it delivered or mailed to SAS. In administering exams, SAS follows university protocol and only makes accommodations as required due to the disability. Exams are usually set to overlap with the time the professor has set the in-class exams.
Academic Integrity
“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.ualberta.ca/secretariat/appeals.htm) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in the 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.” (General Faculties Council, 29 SEP 2003)
During exams you will NOT be permitted to communicate with your colleagues.
Note 1: Policy about course outlines can be found in §23.4(2) of the University Calendar. Note 2: The Code of Student Behaviour is published in the Calendar.
Note 3: Check out Section 30.3.2 in the General Faculties Council Policy Manual (is posted on the course WebCT site).
Lecture Recording
Audio or video recording of lecture, 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. Recorded material 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).
1. Textbook: Principles of Microeconomics, by Mankiw, Kneebone, and McKenzie (Sixth Canadian Edition). This edition is preferred, however, older editions are acceptable
Easiest option: buy the textbook or e-text at the University of Alberta bookstore.
Other options: buy the textbook used, rent the e-text from websites like VitalSource, buy the textbook or e-text from the publisher or Amazon.
2. Top Hat (used to answer questions in class for bonus marks).
Easiest option: buy Top Hat from this website: https://app.tophat.com/e/
556656
Instructions: Make sure you sign up using your “@ualberta.ca” email
address. The course join code is: “556656”. Full instructions are located at the end of this document.
Other option: buy Top Hat at the University of Alberta bookstore and follow the above instructions.
3. FlipItEcon (online assignments).
Easiest option: buy FlipItEcon from this website: www.flipitecon.com
Instructions: Make sure you sign up using your “@ualberta.ca” email address. The course access key is: “gainerx01". Full instructions are located at the end of this document.
Other option: buy FlipItEcon at the University of Alberta bookstore and follow the above instructions.
You Need Three Things for this Course
Top Hat
We will be using the Top Hat (www.tophat.com) classroom
response system in class. You will be able to submit answers to in-class questions using Apple or Android smartphones and tablets, laptops, or through text message.
You can visit the Top Hat Overview (https://success.tophat.com/s/
article/Student-Top-Hat-Overview-and-Getting-Started-Guide) within the Top Hat Success Center which outlines how you will register for a Top Hat account, as well as providing a brief overview to get you up and running on the system.
An email invitation will be sent to you by email, but if don’t receive this email, you can register by simply visiting our course website:
https://app.tophat.com/e/556656
Note: our Course Join Code is: 556656
Top Hat will require a paid subscription, and a full breakdown of all subscription options available can be found here:
www.tophat.com/pricing.
Should you require assistance with Top Hat at any time, due to the fact that they require specific user information to troubleshoot these issues, please contact their Support Team directly by way of email ([email protected]), the in app support button, or by
calling 1-888-663-5491.
MACMILLANHIGHERED.COM
GRACE PERIOD: You have 21 days from when you create an account to access full course content before you are required to purchase access or redeem an access code.
There are two ways to proceed:
Option 1
Enter your student access code.
If you purchased a printed access card in the bookstore, select REDEEM on your account page and enter the code.
Option 2
Purchase online.
If you wish to purchase access online, select PURCHASE on your account page. Complete the billing and credit card information.
Save your confirmation screen.
To get into FlipIt, start from this URL:
www.FlipItEcon.com
• Locate “Get access to FlipItEcon” and click “Student”
• Complete the Account Creation Page and click “Register”
• You’ll receive an email with a link to continue your registration and create a password
• Set up your profile and then choose the “Enrollments” tab.
• Enroll in this course by entering in the Course Access Key.
The Course Access Key for this course is: gainerx01
Go to macmillanhighered.com/getsupport for help articles and information on how to contact Macmillan.
Have a fantastic semester!
