ECON 1000 V Introduction to Economics 2011 Summer

Transcription

1 ECON 1000 V Introduction to Economics 2011 Summer Instructor: María Sabourin-Jovel Non-electronic Mail: Office: A-809, Loeb Building ECON 1000 V Phone: x 8132 Department of Economics Fax: Carleton University Office Hours: Mondays 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 1125 Colonel By Drive Thursdays 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada Lectures Broadcast on CUOL Use the WebCT facility for Mondays and Thursdays, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. all course-related electronic communication Teaching Assistant(s): Contact information and Office Hours to be posted on WebCT Course Description ECON 1000 is a full-summer-session course, worth 1.0 credit, which provides an introduction to the major tools and policy problems of Economics with a focus on topics of Canadian interest. Economic analysis is applied to a variety of contemporary problems such as pollution, poverty, the control of monopoly, unemployment, inflation and international economic problems. This course precludes additional credit for ECON 1001, ECON 1002, and FYSM A grade of C- or higher is required to qualify for ECON/MATH 1402, ECON 2020, ECON 2102, ECON 2400, and ECON DEF(erred final grade) status at the end of this course precludes (continued) registration in any other course for which the former is a prerequisite. Lectures This course consists of two weekly pre-recorded lectures (delivered by Professor P.N. Rowe) and broadcasted by Carleton University Online (CUOL). Lectures are identified by the term and the week number in which they broadcast. During the Summer Session course lectures are simply referred to by number, Full-Credit courses Students are advised to allow an extra half-hour at the end of the scheduled broadcast time when watching or recording lectures on the CUOL channel. There are no tutorials for this section. Carleton University Online (CUOL) Refer to for details on how to view lectures, what students should know before taking a Carleton University Online (CUOL) class. The CUOL web site also contains information outlining the rights and obligations of distance students as well as dates and deadlines specific to CUOL courses and information about CUOL exams. Page 1 of 12

2 Questions about course work Please note that all questions regarding the course work should be directed to the instructor (María Sabourin-Jovel) using the WebCT-based . The instructor will be responsible for setting all the assignments and exams in this course as well as for answering all student questions and assigning final grades for the course. Video on Demand (VOD) Service Students may register to access the lectures for this course over the Internet using the Video on Demand (VOD) Service. Lectures will usually be available within 24 hours of their broadcast. Students will also have access to all previous lectures for the duration of the term. Please be advised that VOD lectures and all the material posted on WebCT for this course will be removed following the final examination, i.e. DVD or VOD lectures and the material posted on WebCT are not available to any student after the final examination regardless of deferral status. Textbook and Study Guide Principles of Microeconomics: Fourth Canadian edition by N. Gregory Mankiw, Ronald D. Kneebone, Kenneth J. McKenzie, and Nicholas Rowe, Thomson Nelson Education, Canada, Study Guide for use with Principles of Microeconomics: Fourth Canadian edition by Peter Fortura and Shahram Manouchehri, Thomson Nelson Education, Canada, Principles of Macroeconomics: Fourth Canadian edition by N. Gregory Mankiw, Ronald D. Kneebone, Kenneth J. McKenzie, and Nicholas Rowe, Thomson Nelson Education, Canada, Study Guide for use with Principles of Macroeconomics: Fourth Canadian edition by Peter Fortura and Shahram Manouchehri, Thomson Nelson Education, Canada, A helpful website, with practice questions, to be used in conjunction with the textbook can be found at: mankiw4e.nelson.com/student/. Course Home Page The instructor will be using Web Course Tools (WebCT) to communicate with all students registered in this course and to post important announcements, contact information and office hours for Teaching Assistants (TAs), assignments, grades (except final grades), Web links, as well as updates to the course material and handouts. Answer keys to all assignments and the midterm examination will also be posted on WebCT. Students will also have access to a discussion board, e- mail and a chat room (during virtual office hours) through WebCT. Students should check WebCT regularly for updated information (at least twice a week). Page 2 of 12

3 How to Access WebCT? Use the WebCT link on the home page or go to webct6.carleton.ca. Login into WebCT by using your Student Computing Account. If you have problems logging into WebCT please contact CCS Service Desk (509 ML) for assistance at , or Click on the link for ECON 1000 V. Please take at least half an hour to familiarize yourself with WebCT. To open a file click on the file link. If the file does not open correctly make sure that a browser check has been performed correctly. Also ensure that you have the proper software that is needed to view the particular file. Students should solve any issues related to their student computing accounts, their computer operating system or Internet browser s compatibility with WebCT within the first two weeks of the course. It is important that students become comfortable with WebCT before the first assignment. No extensions will be granted in relation to computer/browser compatibility issues. /Communication Policy The best way to contact the instructor is by WebCT . s will be answered within 48 hours, except on weekends and holidays. Please note that s asking about information already posted on WebCT, about the material covered in a specific lecture or requesting to meet with the instructor outside of regular office hours will not receive a reply. A relevant Webpage has been prepared for students in this course, so please use this resource wisely and avoid unnecessary s. s sent from any other account such as hotmail, yahoo or Gmail will not be answered for security reasons. Online Discussion Groups (WebCT) Students may also contact the instructor via the Discussion Group tool available on WebCT, which will be monitored twice a week. The online discussion group will allow students to communicate with the instructor, TAs, and other students in the course. To create a new message from within the desired topic, click Create Message. Enter a Subject and message in the available spaces. Preview your message before posting, and then click Post to publish the entry. You may also answer to messages sent by other students. Office Hours The instructor will hold virtual office hours, through the Chat tool on WebCT, on Mondays 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. and Thursdays 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Chat tool on WebCT allows students in the course to communicate in real time with the instructor. Please note that the Chat room on WebCT will be monitored by the instructor only during her virtual office hours. Page 3 of 12

4 How to use the Chat tool on WebCT? From the Chat screen, locate the room for ECON 1000 V and click its Action Links icon. Click Go to Chat Room. If there are other students in the Chat room a number appears next to each name to indicate the order in which students raised their hand. Once the instructor Pass the Microphone/Pen to a specific student, an icon appears next to the student s name and the corresponding student is allowed to chat with the instructor. A message is sent to all Students informing them that the selected Student has the microphone/pen. The Teaching Assistant(s) assigned to this course will have weekly office hours on campus, which will start in the second week of classes. TA s office hours as well as the corresponding contact information will be posted on WebCT no later than the second week of classes. Academic Accommodation Students may need special arrangements to meet their academic obligations during the term. Students can visit the Equity Services website to view the policies and to obtain more detailed information on academic accommodation at For an accommodation request the processes are as follows: Pregnancy obligation Write to the instructor with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. Religious obligation Write to the instructor with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. Students with disabilities requiring academic accommodations in this course must register with the Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities (PMC) for a formal evaluation of disabilityrelated needs. Documented disabilities could include but are not limited to mobility/physical impairments, specific Learning Disabilities (LD), psychiatric/psychological disabilities, sensory disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and chronic medical conditions. Registered PMC students are required to contact the PMC, , every term to ensure that instructors receive the corresponding Letter of Accommodation, no later than two weeks before the first assignment is due or the first in-class test/midterm requiring accommodations. Students who only require accommodations for their formally scheduled exam(s) in this course, please submit your request for accommodations to PMC by the deadlines published on the PMC website: Page 4 of 12

5 Grading Scheme and Course Requirements The final grade for this course will consist of the following elements weighted as shown below: 1. Assignments 30 % 2. Microeconomics examination 35 % 3. Macroeconomics examination 35 % Students must fulfil all of the preceding course requirements in order to achieve a passing grade (Dor higher). Failure to submit one or more of the assignments or failure to write the Microeconomics examination (without a documented compelling reason) will result in a grade of FND ( Failure with No Deferred final examination allowed ). Failure to write the Macroeconomics examination when the student has achieved satisfactory performance during the term will result in a grade of ABS ( ABSent from a required final examination ). See Academic Regulation 2.3 for the official meanings of these grades, and note that it stipulates that no course grades are final until approved by the Faculty Dean. Application to write a deferred final examination must be made at the Registrar s Office. There are two examinations (3 hours each) in this course. The Microeconomics examination will take place between June 24 th and June 29 th and will be scheduled by the University. The date and the location of this exam will be posted on WebCT as soon as it is announced by the University. This exam will evaluate Chapters 1 to 23 from Principles of Microeconomics: Fourth Canadian edition. Students who miss the Microeconomics exam will be allowed to write a deferred exam only if a valid medical certificate or a verifiable and documented reason is provided within a week of this examination. The granting of a deferred Microeconomics exam will be at the sole discretion of the instructor. Please send the corresponding medical certificate to the instructor s attention at the Department of Economics. The deferred exam for Microeconomics will take place during the second half of the summer term (near the end of July). The exact date and location will be announced on WebCT. Failure to write the deferred Microeconomics exam (with or without a documented compelling reason) will result in a grade FND ( Failure with No Deferred examination allowed) for the course. No exceptions will be made. The Macroeconomics exam will take place between August 18 th and August 23 th and it is scheduled by the University. The date and the location of this exam will be posted on WebCT as soon as it is published by the University. This exam will evaluate chapters 5 to 17 from Principles of Macroeconomics: Fourth Canadian edition. Failure to write the final (Macroeconomics) examination when the student has achieved satisfactory performance during the term will result in a grade of ABS ( Absent from a required examination ) for this course. Applications to write a deferred final examination for the Macroeconomics part of the course must be made at the Registrar s Office (300 Tory). The instructor cannot make individual arrangements with any student. The deferred exam for Macroeconomics will take place as scheduled by the University. Page 5 of 12

6 Both examinations (Microeconomics and Macroeconomics) are closed book examinations. Reference material is not permitted. Students may not communicate with anyone other than the Instructor, teaching Assistant or Proctors while examinations are being written. Both examinations have three parts. Part A consists of multiple-choice questions. In parts B and C students will be asked to answer several short questions and one long question, respectively. More information regarding the midterm and final exam format will be posted on WebCT as the course unfolds. Off-Campus Examinations Off-campus examination service is available ONLY to eligible distance students who qualify for this service. All other students are expected to come to campus to write examinations. Students are expected to write off-campus examinations on the same day as on-campus students. Students, with individual proctors, are advised to re-confirm the off-campus examination arrangement with their proctor one week prior to each test or examination date. Tests or examinations missed due to a miscommunication between student and proctor will result in a noshow (failure to write). Students writing at Examination Centres do not need to contact the Examination Centre prior to each test or examination date. These students will follow the distance examination schedule posted, early in the term, on the CUOL website. It is the student s responsibility to arrive at the correct, pre-arranged Examination Centre at the correct time. Tests and examinations missed due to a misunderstanding of the exam schedule will result in a no show (failure to write). Online Assignments There are six online assignments in this course: three for Microeconomics and three for Macroeconomics. In order to calculate your assignment grade the best five assignments out of six will be considered, i.e. the lowest grade will be dropped when calculating the average. We will not be using Aplia in this course. All assignments will be posted on WebCT, under assessments, at least one week before the due date. Assignments are to be completed and submitted online. The cut-off time to submit your assignment is 11:59 p.m. on the due date. Students will be allowed to attempt each assignment up to three times. Once the due date has passed, the highest grade will be recorded and students will not be able to change their answers anymore. Please see Appendix A for specific instructions on how to submit online assignments. Online assignments consist of multiple choice questions. A question is posed to which there are multiple answers and students must select the correct answer. Some questions require longer calculations to obtain the correct result. All questions for each online assignment will be presented at once. Questions can be answered in any order. Students can revisit questions after they have answered them. Students have 5 hours to complete each attempt. After the due date, the correct answers with detailed explanations as well as your grade will be posted on WebCT. Make sure to review them thoroughly. Page 6 of 12

7 Students must submit their online assignments on time. Late assignments will not be accepted. Failure to submit online assignments on time will result in zero marks unless a valid medical certificate is provided within a week of the corresponding assignment s due date. In that case, the assigned weight will be equally distributed among the other assignments. It is a good idea to start assignments as early as possible to avoid any emergencies preventing completion by the due date. Optional Online Assignments There are two optional online assignments in this course: one for Microeconomics and one for Macroeconomics. Optional assignments give students a chance to improve their grade as well as to check their understanding of the material. Students are not required to complete the optional assignments, but it is highly recommended that they do so. If the grade in the Microeconomics (Macroeconomics) Optional Assignment is lower than any of the grades from the other three Microeconomics (Macroeconomics) assignments, the grade from the optional assignment will be ignored. If, on the other hand, the grade in the Microeconomics (Macroeconomics) Optional Assignment is higher than any of the grades in the other three Microeconomics (Macroeconomics) assignments, the lowest grade will be ignored and replaced by the grade of the Microeconomics (Macroeconomics) Optional assignment. Practice Online Quizzes There are two practice online quizzes in this course. No marks are awarded for completing these quizzes. Although students are not required to complete these, it is highly recommended that they do so. Tentative schedule for Assignment and Examinations Any changes to this schedule will be posted on WebCT. Assignment Due Evaluates Assignment 1 (Micro) May 30 Micro chapters 1, 2, 3, 4 Assignment 2 (Micro) June 6 Micro chapters 5, 6, 7, 8 Assignment 3 (Micro) June 13 Micro chapters 9, 10, 11, 12 Optional Micro Asmt. June 20 Micro chapters 13, 14, 15,16 Practice Quiz (Micro) No marks awarded for this quiz Micro chapters 17 to 23 Midterm exam June 24 - June 29 Micro chapters 1 to 23 To be scheduled by the University Assignment 4 (Macro) July 28 Macro chapters 5, 6, 7 Assignment 5 (Macro) August 4 Macro chapters 8, 9, 10, Assignment 6 (Macro) August 11 Macro chapters 11, 12, 13 Optional Macro Asmt. August 15 Macro chapters 14, 15,16 Practice Quiz (Macro) No marks awarded for this quiz Macro chapter 17 Final exam August 18 August 23 To be scheduled by the University Macro chapters 5 to 17 Page 7 of 12

8 Grade Review The answer key to the Microeconomics exam will be posted on WebCT once the grades are ready. Students must check the answer key carefully before asking for a grade review. For a review of the midterm exam grade students must see the TA(s) during his/her office hours. If students cannot solve any marking discrepancies with the TA(s) they should contact the instructor during her office hours. Students will be allowed to peruse their Macroeconomics Final exam during office hours once classes resume. For a formal review of the final exam, students should make an application through the Registrar s office. Please note that the outcome of a review might raise, lower or leave unchanged the original grade. Academic Integrity Please be aware that plagiarism is a serious offence at Carleton and should be recognized and avoided. For further information on how to do so, please see Pammett on Plagiarism and Paraphrasing at Course Outline Early Summer Term (May 9, 2011 to June 21, 2011) Principles of Microeconomics: Fourth Canadian edition I. Introduction: Chapters 1 to 3 II. How markets work: Chapters 4 to 6 III. Supply and Demand II: Chapters 7 to 9 IV. The Economics of the Public sector: Chapters 10 to 12 V. Firm behavior and the organization of industry: Chapters 13 to 17 VI. The Economics of labor markets: Chapters 18 to 20 VII. Topics for further study: Chapters 21 to 23 Late Summer Term (July 4, 2011 to August 16, 2011) Principles of Macroeconomics: Fourth Canadian edition (Note that chapters 1 to 4 are duplicated between the two required textbooks) VIII. The data of Macroeconomics: Chapters 5 and 6 IX. The real economy in the long run: Chapters 7 to 9 Page 8 of 12

9 X. Money and prices in the long run: Chapters 10 and 11 XI. The Macroeconomics of open economies: Chapters 12 and 13 XII. Short-run economic fluctuations: Chapters 14 to 16 XIII. Final thoughts: Chapter 17 Page 9 of 12

10 Appendix A: Online Assignments 1. How to access online assignments? Log In to WebCT. Click on the link for ECON 1000 V. Click Assessment on the left side of the screen. The Assessment screen appears, which includes summary information about the corresponding assessment: its title (online assignment 1, 2, etc.), chapter(s) and/or topic(s) it evaluates, time allowed to complete it, due date, number of questions and how many marks are assigned to each question. 2. How to submit online assignments? Press on the specific assignment to be completed (e.g. online assignment 1, 2, etc.). Information about the specific assignment will be shown including the number of attempts allowed. Make sure to read the instructions and troubleshooting guide before starting each assessment. Completion time is measured from when students click Begin Assessment to when they click Finish. Once the allotted time has expired, students will not be able to save any more questions. Press Begin Assessment to start your assignment. A new browser window with all the questions will be shown. Student s progress is monitored in the right-hand frame: under the Time column, next to Remaining, the amount of time remaining to complete this assignment is displayed. If the time is displayed in bold red text, you are nearing the end of the allotted time for the assessment. Under the Question Status column, questions students have not answered are highlighted. To answer questions, choose the correct answer from the ones provided, and click Save Answer. Please allow the assessment (assignment) to load completely before attempting to save answers. Saving your answers as you go prevents from losing work in the event of a technical problem. Students can revisit questions and revise their answers. To revise an answer, enter your new response, and click Save Answer. When you are ready to submit your assignment, click Finish after making sure you saved all your answers. A confirmation message appears. Click OK. If you do not press Finish your grade will not be recorded and you will not be able to start a second or a third attempt for the corresponding assignment. Students can also watch a video tutorial on how to submit online assignments (assessments) on WebCT and how to check their submissions at the following link: 3. Troubleshooting Browser Configuration Ensure that JavaScript is enabled in your browser. Ensure that your browser is set to check for newer versions of the same page with every visit to the page. See your browser's help files for details. JavaScript Errors If you encounter a JavaScript error when you begin the assessment, close down your browser completely, and restart it Browser or Computer Crashes If your browser or computer crashes during the assessment, saved answers will not be lost. When you begin the assessment again, the saved answers will appear Page 10 of 12

11 Appendix B: Assistance for Students Page 11 of 12

12 Appendix C: Important links 1. Carleton University Online (CUOL) The CUOL Student Centre is located in the Loeb Building, Room D299. Copies of the weekly lectures of CUOL courses are available for rent from the CUOL Student Centre. Video-on-Demand kiosks are available in the CUOL Student Centre for students to view lectures at no charge. Please visit the following links for information about the following topics About CUOL: and New to CUOL? FAQ: Information about course lectures: Information about accessing your course: How to get? Survival tips: Video on Demand (VOD): CUOL Examination Services: Service Charges & Deadlines: 2. WebCT About WebCT: Tools on WebCT: Video of how to submit online assignments: Page 12 of 12