Email: phopkins@sas.edu.sg
There is a link to each day's lesson on this page. The calendar contains information about homework, assignments that are due, and class resources. Click here to access the syllabus and get details about extra-help and peer tutoring and here to see a list of videos that will help you improve your study skills.
FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
August 14/15: Introduction to AP Economics and the Circular Flow Model.
Expectations: First, we will discuss the course and our expectations.
Simulation: We will do a class simulation to highlight some important concepts related to the study of economics.
August 16/17: Economic Systems and the Production Possibilities Model
August 21/22: Comparative Advantage
August 23/24: Summative Quiz
August 25/28: RTI (Review, Tutorial, Inquiry)
August 29/30: Unit 1 Test
INQUIRY: DO WE REALLY BEHAVE RATIONALLY?
Before listening: Brainstorm some narrow (supporting questions) that must be answered before the broader question (above) can be addressed.
After listening: Brainstorm some questions that arose in your mind as you watched and listened. Try to write them so that they are broad and open, like the question above.
FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
August 31/September 5 (Two formatives today): The Theory of Consumer Choice (Demand and Utility Maximization)
September 6/7: Supply
September 8/11: Equilibrium and Elasticities
September 12/13: Role of Government and Market Efficiency (Price Controls, Taxes and Subsidies)
September 14/15 (Exchange): Summative Quiz
September 18/19: RTI (Review, Tutorial, Inquiry)
September 20/21: Unit 2 Test
INQUIRY: ARE WE ACTUALLY IN CONTROL OF OUR OWN CHOICES?
After watching/listening/reading: Brainstorm three supporting questions that you could use to help you answer the question above.
Then: For each supporting question identify one source that helps you to answer it. Be able to explain how it relates to the supporting question and why you consider it a reliable source.
September 22/25: Costs of Production (Short-run)
September 26/27: Perfect Competition in the Short-run
September 28/29: Long-run Costs and Perfect Competition in the Long-run
October 2/3: Summative Quiz
October 4/5: RTI (Review, Tutorial, Inquiry)
October 6/9: Unit 3 Test
INQUIRY PROJECT (Step 1): For the rest of the semester you will be working on a project in which you attempt to design an inquiry of your own.
Read through these sample inquiries. Your project should be structured the same way (Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Happiness, Free Trade, Gender Wage Gap, Great Recession, Johnson and Reagan, Labor Market).
Develop a compelling question, one that is open (there is not one correct answer), broad (can be analyzed from a variety of perspectives), and debatable. Use the questions from Unit 1 and Unit 2 and those in the linked inquiries in (1) above as models.
Develop three supporting questions that must be answered in order for you to answer your compelling question.
Find three sources that could be used to answer/analyze your first supporting question.
Using the three sources from (4) above, write a brief response to your first supporting question.
Submit all of this work in the dropbox. Call the document "Inquiry Project".
EXTENSION: If you found this unit interesting, you might want to check out the resources below.
FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
October 10/11 (IASAS athletes depart): Pure Monopoly
October 12/13 (IASAS and Fall Break): Price Discrimination and Regulating Monopoly
October 23/24: Monopolistic Competition
October 26/27: Collusive Oligopoly and the Prisoners Dilemma
October 30/31: Non-collusive Oligopoly and Kinked Demand Theory
November 1/2: Summative Quiz
November 3/6: RTI (Review, Tutorial, Inquiry)
November 7/8 (Class before MUN): Unit 4 Test
INQUIRY PROJECT (Step 2): Supporting question #2
Continue your project on the same "Inquiry Project" document that you started last unit.
Find three sources that could be used to answer/analyze your second supporting question.
Using the three sources from above, write a brief response to your second supporting question.
EXTENSION: If you found this unit interesting, you might want to check out the resources below.
FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
November 9/10 (MUN): Supply and Demand for Resources and Allocating Multiple Inputs
November 13/14: Perfectly Competitive Labor Markets
November 15/16: Monopsony and Unions
November 17/20: Summative Quiz
November 21/22 (Class before Thanksgiving): RTI (Review, Tutorial, Inquiry)
November 27/28: Unit 5 Test
INQUIRY PROJECT (Step 3): Supporting question #3
Continue your project on the same "Inquiry Project" document that you began in Unit 4.
Find three sources that could be used to answer/analyze your third supporting question.
Using the three sources from above, write a brief response to your third supporting question.
EXTENSION: If you found this unit interesting, you might want to check out the resources below related to this question (Is Amazon a book monopsony and is its market power a good thing?)
FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
November 29/30: Negative and Positive Externalities
December 1/4: Public Goods and Common Resources
December 5/6: Distribution of Income and Taxes and Asymmetric Information
December 7/8: Summative Quiz and RTI (Review, Tutorial, Inquiry)
December 11/12: Unit 6 Test
December 13/14: Exam Review
INQUIRY PROJECT (Step 4): Final Product Due sometime before exams begin (December 15). Bring all your work together in a new document called "Inquiry Project Final." It should be organized in exactly the same way as the linked inquiries you used as examples in Unit 3.
Capital in the 21st Century (optional): Listen to these podcasts to learn more about the debate over inequality.
Vaccinations: If you find the idea of positive externalities interesting, watch this video.
Semester Exam
December 15: A1 and A2 semester exams
December 18: B1 and B2 semester exams
December 19: A3 and A4 semester exams
December 20: B3 and B4 semester exams
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
January 15/16: This summary of 20th Century macroeconomic theory is good background for everything we do this semester. It was written by Paul Krugman, a Nobel Laureate. Give it a read if you have time.
January 17/18: Business Cycles and GDP
January 22/23: Unemployment
January 24/25: Inflation (including costs of inflation)
January 26/29: Summative Quiz (Extra practice docs: Calculating GDP, Unemployment, and Inflation)
January 30/31: RTI (Review, Tutorial, Inquiry)
February 1/2: Unit 7 Test
INQUIRY PROJECT (Step 1): This semester you will be working on a new inquiry project. The process is the same as it was first semester.
Develop a compelling question, one that is open (there is not one correct answer), broad (can be analyzed from a variety of perspectives), and debatable. Use the questions from Unit 1 and Unit 2 and those in the linked inquiries in (1) above as models.
Develop three supporting questions that must be answered in order for you to answer your compelling question.
Find three sources that could be used to answer/analyze your first supporting question.
Using the three sources from (4) above, write a brief response to your first supporting question.
Submit all of this work in the dropbox. Call the document "Inquiry Project".
EXTENSION: If you found this unit interesting, you might want to check out the resources below.
Read the linked article and watch the linked video on "ghost cities" in China
Listen to this podcast (Freakonomics Podcast on the Shadow Economy).
Official measures of GDP do not capture much of the activity that goes on in the economy. Much of what is missed takes place in black (illegal) markets or is just never reported to the government. This Freakonomics podcast discusses these activities.
FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
February 5/6: Aggregate Demand
February 7/8 (Class before Interim): Aggregate Supply
February 21/22 (First class after Interim): Equilibrium in the Short-run and Long-run (Keynesian and Classical economics)
February 23/26: The Phillips Curve
February 27/28 (Students leave for CulCon): Keynesian Fiscal Policy and the Multiplier (Recessionary and Inflationary Gaps)
March 1/2: Open Day in Honor of the Multitude of AP Econ Students in CulCon
March 5/6 (First class back after CulCon): Supply-side Economics and Crowding Out
March 7/8: Summative Quiz
March 9/12: RTI (Review, Tutorial, Inquiry)
March 13/14: Unit 8 Test
INQUIRY PROJECT (Step 2): Supporting question #2
Continue your project on the same "Inquiry Project" document that you started last unit.
Find three sources that could be used to answer/analyze your second supporting question.
Using the three sources from above, write a brief response to your second supporting question.
EXTENSION: If you found this unit interesting, you might want to check out the resources below.
Watch this Ted Talk by Adam Davidson.
And read this article by Jude Wanniski: Taxes and a Two Santa Claus Theory
You may read this critique of Wanniski as well, if you are interested.
FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
March 15/16 (Exchange): Introduction to Money and Money Creation
March 19/20: Interest Rate Determination (The Money Market and the Market for Loanable Funds)
March 21/22: Monetary Policy Tools and Keynesian Monetary Policy
March 23 (Day before Spring Break)/April 2 (Day after spring break): Monetarism and the Natural Rate School
April 3 (Class after Spring Break)/4: RTI (Review, Tutorial, Inquiry)
April 5/6: Summative Quiz
April 9/10: Unit 9 Test
INQUIRY PROJECT (Step 3): Supporting question #3
Continue your project on the same "Inquiry Project" document that you began in Unit 4.
Find three sources that could be used to answer/analyze your third supporting question.
Using the three sources from above, write a brief response to your third supporting question.
EXTENSION/ENRICHMENT: Was the United States government right to bail out the banks in 2008?
April 11(Wednesday before IASAS)/12: Free trade vs. Protectionism
April 13/16 (IASAS): Balance of Payments
April 17/18: Foreign Exchange Market
April 19/20: Links between international trade and macroeconomy
April 23/24: Summative Quiz
April 25/26: Unit 10 Test
April 27/30: Senior Appreciation Day
INQUIRY PROJECT (Step 4): Final Product
Bring all your work together in a new document called "Inquiry Project Final." It should be organized in exactly the same way as the linked inquiries you used as examples in Unit 3.
Submit this document to the dropbox by the end of the period identified above.
EXTENSION: If you found this unit interesting, you might want to check out the resources below.
Required: Watch sections 1, 3, and 5 of this program. (Feel free to watch sections 2 and 4 if you like, too.)
Optional: This podcast looks at the same problem, the relationship between international trade (particularly trade deficits) and unemployment, through a more technical lens.
May 2/3: Macro mock exam in class
May 4/7: Review
May 8/9: Review
May 10/11: Review
May 14/15: Review
May 16: AP Macro Exam (PM)
May 17: Review
May 18: AP Micro Exam (AM)
FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS