William Rainey Harper College

MACROECONOMICS!

MACROECONOMICS IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

SYLLABUS -- Fall 2009

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ECO 212 ONLINE!

ECO 212-W01 and ECO 212-W80

SECTIONS

These webpages will be used by two sections of ECO 212, Macroeconomics. Sections -W01 and -B01. Section W01 is an online class and section B01 is a "blended" class - basicvally an online class that also meets once a week on campus.

ECO 212-W01 orientation is Tuesday, 8/25, 5:00-6:15 p.m. in room J-251. T The orientation is optional. All the informtion is available online on this syllabus and on the orientation webpage at: ORIENTATION

ECO 212-B01 meets once a week on Thursdays, at 10:50-12:05 in room J-253. Students in the online W01 section are welcome to attend. Any handouts given to the blended class will also be available on blackboard for both sections under the WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS link.

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

 BLACKBOARD

  • Go to http://harper.blackboard.com
  • Follow the instructions to "log-in",
    • If you need help see the following on the Blackboard opening page:
      • "Getting Started with Blackboard"
      • "Student Blackboard Technical Support"
  • You should see "ECO 212 W01- Fall 2009 - Macroeconomics (Healy)" or "ECO 212 B01- Fall 2009 - Macroeconomics (Healy)"
    • If you do not please e-mail the instructor: mhealy@harpercollege.edu 

 E-MAIL

Option to Forward New Harper Email Account
  • If you are not planning on using your new Harper email account, please view the instructions on how to forward that account to one you check frequently. Visit http://harper.blackboard.com and check out "How do I forward my Harper email?" in the "Getting Started with Blackboard" are

TEXTBOOK WEBSITE 

  • http://www.mcconnell18e.com,
    • click on "Macroeconomics",
    • then click on "Online Learning Center - Student Edition" in lower left-hand corner

TEXTBOOKS
  • Macroeconomics by Campbell R. McConnell, Brue, and Flynn, 18th edition, McGraw-Hill, 2009

 

  • Study Guide to Accompany Macroeconomics by McConnell, Brue, Flynn, and Walstad.

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Almost every day we hear news reports of economic problems and economic successes from around the world. All over the world countries are undertaking economic reforms, often called STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT POLICIES, that their leaders believe will provide their citizens with lower unemployment and higher living standards. Such programs are often considered part of a process called GLOBALIZATION.

This course will cover the area of economics commonly defined as macroeconomics. The main goal of macroeconomics is to gain a better understanding of the causes of, and remedies for, UNEMPLOYMENT and INFLATION, as well as the factors that affect ECONOMIC GROWTH.

We will study these macroeconomic issues in an international context to try to understand the economic reforms many countries are undertaking.

You will use a textbook, study guide, and internet websites as your source of course content. You will also use the internet to communicate with the instructor and with each other, and to submit assignments.

A step-by-step orientation will get you started. Go to: Orientation

GRADING

The final grade for the class will be awarded according to the following point system:

12 online "Required Activities"

24 points

5 online quizzes (5 points)

25 points

3 unit exams (40 points each)

120 points

Comprehensive Final Exam

80 points

TOTAL: 249

Letter grades: 90%=A, 80%=B, 70%=C, 60%=D, below 60%=F

EXAMS and QUIZZES

All exams will be taken on the Harper campus in the Assessment Center, Student and Administration Center, room A-148, phone 847-925-6541 [see: Assessment Center hours]. To take the exams you simply go to the testing center with a picture ID and ask for the appropriate exam for ECO 212-W01 or ECO 212-B01.

Exams should be taken on, or before, the day listed on the WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS link on Blackboard. Exams 1, 2, and 3 consist of 40 multiple choice questions (each worth one point) and an extra credit essay (probably worth three points). After you SUBMIT your answers to the forty multiple choice questions the extra credit essay will be available under the Blackboard "EXAMS" link. If you ask on the Discussion Board, I will tell you what the extra credit questions will consist of. The comprehensive final exam is 80 multiple choice questions.

The five quizzes are online at our Blackboard site and they will be taken at home via the internet. They consist of 10 multiple choice questions each and will be worth 5 points per quiz. They can be attempted ONLY ONCE (i.e. you must finish the 10 questions the first time you access them), but there is no time limit.

RETAKE EXAMS

Optional "retake" exams (same chapters, different questions) are available for exams 1, 2, and 3. If you take a retake, only the higher score will be included in your total score. Be sure to tell the Testing Center personnel that you wish to do a RETAKE. Retake exams also have an extra credit essay question.

EXAM MAKE-UP POLICY

Students will be allowed to take an exam on a day later than that on the eight-week schedule only IF:
1. the instructor is notified BEFORE the week the exam is scheduled AND
2. the student has a very good reason.

WEEKLY  REQUIRED ACTIVITIES

Most weeks you will need to complete the online "Required Activities". These can be found on Blackboard under theWEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS link. The Required Activities are worth two points each. You can do them as many times as you wish and only the highest score will be recorded, BUT you must have them completed by Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m. of the assigned week.

BRIEF COURSE OUTLINE

UNIT 1
Part 1 Why is the World Moving to Capitalism?

Ch 1

Introduction to Efficiency and to the Study of Economics

Ch. 2

An Introduction to the Global Economy

Part 2 How Capitalism Works

Ch. 3

Efficiency and Markets: Supply and Demand

Ch. 4

The Role of Government in a Market Economy

Ch. 5, 20

Efficiency, Specialization, and Exchange (Trade)

UNIT 2 - INTRODUCTION TO MACROECONOMICS

Ch. 12

A Model of the Macro Economy: AS and AD

Ch. 6

An Introduction to Macroeconomics

Ch. 9

Business Cycles: Unemployment and Inflation

Ch. 7

Measuring Domestic Output

Ch. 8

Economic Growth

Ch 22 W*

The Economics of Developing Economies
* Chapter 22W is online at:

UNIT 3- -MACROECONOMIC POLICY

Ch. 10, 13

Fiscal Policy

Ch. 14-16

Monetary Policy
 

NOTE:

  • The exact reading assignments can be found at: Assignments
  • This outline may be changed. All changes will be posted on the Blackboard announcements and announced via e-mail.

HOW TO PASS ECONOMICS

This is a difficult course! There is an old rule of thumb concerning studying for college courses: on average students should study TWO hours for every ONE hour of class. Since this is a three-hour online class this means that you should plan for NINE hours a week a week (three hours of "class" and 2 x 3 hours of studying). This is an average, which means some courses require more study time and some less. You may find that economics requires MORE.

The following suggestions should help you learn economics:

  1. Passive reading of the textbook is not very helpful. Read with a pen in your hand and a notebook on which to list, repeat, copy, calculate, etc. ALSO, pay close attention to the TABLES and GRAPHS. THEY ARE IMPORTANT.
  2. "Attend class." This means read and study the Online Lectures and if you want something explained, ASK using the Discussion Board.
  3. Do problems. The internet site will list the problems from the Study Guide that you are responsible for in each unit. DO THEM ALL. If you can't do a problem ask about it using the Discussion Board or you will do poorly on the quizzes and exams.
  4. When doing the multiple choice questions in the Study Guide, it is suggested that you do NOT circle the answers in the book. Rather, write the letter of the answer that you selected on a separate sheet of paper. There are two reasons for doing this: (1) it is easier to grade them since all answers are listed together at the end of the Study Guide chapters, and (2) by not writing in the study guide you can go over the questions again and again without having the correct (or incorrect) answers already marked.
  5. Ask the instructor for assistance. This can be done on the Discussion Board, via e-mail, or by phone.
  6. Keep up. It is VERY EASY to get behind in distance learning courses. To get a good grade you will have to devote a significant amount of out of class time to studying economics. If you get behind there simply will not be enough time. Follow the WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS link on Blackboard.
  7. Try to APPLY the concepts learned in class to the "real world" including issues in the news and aspects of your personal life.

SCHEDULE

See Schedule.
INSTRUCTOR: Mark L. Healy