William Rainey Harper College

MACROECONOMICS!

MACROECONOMICS IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

SPRING 2007

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GENERAL INFORMATION

TEXTBOOKS
  • Macroeconomics by Campbell R. McConnell and Stanley L. Brue, 17th edition, McGraw-Hill, 2008

 

  • Study Guide to Accompany McConnell and Brue Macroeconomics by Walstad, McGraw-Hill, 2008

 

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 Weekly Activities via Blackboard

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

ECO 212 ONLINE! (ECO 212-059)
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].

Exams should be taken during the week noted on the class schedule, but they may be taken early with permission. Exams 1, 2, and 3 consist of 40 multiple choice questions (each worth one point) and an extra credit essay (probably worth three points). 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.

ECO 212 BLENDED! (ECO 212-097)

All exams will be taken in class on the daye listed in the schedule

Exams 1, 2, and 3 consist of 40 multiple choice questions (each worth one point) and an extra credit essay (probably worth three points). 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.

BOTH

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. They can be attempted ONLY ONCE (i.e. you must finish the 10 questions the first time), but there is no time limit.

MAKE-UP POLICY

Exams:

Students will be allowed to take an exam at a later time other the scheduled week only IF:
1. the instructor is notified BEFORE the week the exam is scheduled AND
2. the student has a very good reason.

 

BRIEF COURSE OUTLINE

  • The exact reading assignments can be found at: Assignments

    UNIT 1 - WHAT IS ECONOMICS and GLOBALIZATION

    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, 18

    Efficiency, Specialization, and Exchange (Trade)

    UNIT 2 - INTRODUCTION TO MACROECONOMICS

    Ch. 10

    A Model of the Macro Economy: AS and AD

    Ch. 7

    Introduction to Economic Growth and Instability: UE, IN, & EG

    Ch. 6

    Measuring Domestic Output

    Ch. 16

    Economic Growth

    Ch 16 W*

    The Economics of Developing Economies
    * Chapter 16W is online at:

    UNIT 3- -MACROECONOMIC POLICY

    Ch. 8, 11

    Fiscal Policy

    Ch. 12-14

    Monetary Policy

    NOTE: This outline may be changed! All changes will be posted BlackBoard announcements 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. 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, during office hours, 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.
  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