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COURSE MEETINGS:
- MW 8:00-9:15 (WH 220)
OFFICE HOURS:
- M 4:15 - 5:00, W 9:30 - 10:15, or by appointment (WH 212). I will share a persistent Zoom link for those who are not able to attend office hours in person.
Description:
Economics is about exchange and the allocation of scarce resources. This class will introduce you to the tools and concepts economists use to understand how consumers, producers, and governments make economic decisions and how their decisions impact the world around you.Required Books:
- Modern Principles: Microeconomics, 4th Edition. Cowen and Tabarrok. 2018. Worth Publishers.
- Included with the book are a number of videos from MRUniversity.com. I encourage you to watch these!
Course Objectives:
● Present the history and development of microeconomic theory. ● Discuss the major microeconomic theories ● Explain major microeconomic results and their implications. ● Explain and analyze how public policy actions affect economic units ● Integrate the global economy into discussions and examinations.Student Learning Outcomes:
● Compare price and quantity outcomes resulting from shifts in supply and demand. ● Compute and interpret elasticity measures. ● Compute solutions to profit maximization and cost minimization problems in firms. ● Discuss economic goals, activities, and outcomes of government.Course Communications:
The vast majority of classroom communications will take place through email. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE THAT YOU RECEIVE THESE COMMUNICATIONS.LaunchPad:
You need practice to get this stuff. LaunchPad will get you that practice. Each week, you will be responsible for completing assignments pertaining to the material we covered that week. Your grade on this portion of the course will only depend on successfully completing the assignments. You will need to register online. Follow these steps to get started. If you need additional guidance, consult the support site, especially the system requirements which list recommended browsers.Go to https://www.macmillanhighered.com/launchpad/cowentabarrokmicro4e/16271882
Then...
Bookmark the page to make it easy to return to (although note that the URL will look different due to security measures).Enroll in this course using one of the following options:- If you have an access code, select "I have a student access code", enter the code exactly as it appears on the card, and click Submit.
- If you don't have an access code, either purchase a text package that includes one OR click "I want to purchase access" and follow the instructions.
- If you need to start working but can't purchase right away, select "I want temporary access" and follow the instructions.
- Please note: Your grades are linked to your Launchpad account username (email address). If you use temporary access, make sure you purchase or register your code using the same email address for your paid access.
- If you have problems registering, purchasing, or logging in, please contact Customer Support. You can reach a representative 7 days a week:
- through the online form
- by chat
- by phone at (800) 936-6899
Grading:
10% Essays (Best 2 of 3) - 5% each25% LaunchPad assignments (Completion only, you get two (and only two) free missed assignments, no questions asked)40% Midterm Exams (x2) - 20% each25% Final Exam= 100%
Essays: Each student will be required to write three 250 MAX word essays applying concepts from class to a real-world news item of their choice. Your job is to take an item from the news and show how economics lets us understand it more clearly. You can explain or criticize a policy proposal, make an argument about the effects of some event on economic outcomes, explain how the behavior of a person in the news makes sense (or doesn’t) in light of economic reasoning, or explain an economic fallacy revealed in a news source. The purpose of these assignments is to demonstrate that you grasp the concepts we’ve studied in the course – and my hope is that you’ll see that economics is surprisingly relevant to the world around you.
LaunchPad: As noted above, your grade from the LaunchPad assignments will be based on successfully completing the assignments. This is because practice is important when exam season arrives. I will drop up to two assignment grades from LaunchPad when computing your final score, no questions asked. This means you do not need to email me your reasons for failing to complete an assignment or two.
Exams: Exams will be a combination of multiple choice and short answer questions. Attendance on exam days is mandatory and any missed exams will receive a grade of 0. The only exceptions will be allotted to students who must miss exams for pre-approved, official University functions (such as athletic events). In such cases, the weight of the missed exam may be added to the Final Exam. The Final Exam is mandatory for all students.
Participation: Some in-class activities will provide students an opportunity to earn bonus points for the final exam. If you’re not in class, you will not be able to earn these points.
Course Rules:
Phones and Computers – Unlike some professors, I do not have a problem with you using smartphones or computers in class. However, I do have some rules. ● DO put your phone on vibrate. If your phone disrupts our class, I will answer it. If the problem recurs, I will be forced to take disciplinary action. ● DO NOT initiate calls in class. If there is an emergency and you have to take a call, excuse yourself from the classroom. ● DO NOT make a habit or receiving and sending texts in my class. If it becomes a problem, I will be forced to take disciplinary action. ● DO NOT use your phone or computer for anything outside of classwork. If I see evidence you are using your device for non-course-related activities, you will be asked to stop bringing your device to class.
Your Parents – I don’t want to meet them. Ever. Part of college is learning to deal with annoyances without the help of your parents.
Attendance - Attendance will not be taken. However regular attendance is critical to doing well in the course and is encouraged. Students who attend class and make the effort to engage their classmates and me will be considered for a bump in their final grades.
Attendance at examinations is mandatory. There will be no opportunity for taking a make-up examination under any circumstance except the most dire. And no student will be allowed to miss an examination unless they contact me beforehand. Students who miss an examination will be assigned zero points. Any student missing an examination is encouraged to drop the course immediately.
Chapman University’s Students with Disabilities Policy:
In compliance with ADA guidelines, students who have any condition, either permanent or temporary, that might affect their ability to perform in this class are encouraged to contact the Office of Disability Services. If you will need to utilize your approved accommodations in this class, please follow the proper notification procedure for informing your professor(s). This notification process must occur more than a week before any accommodation can be utilized.
Please contact Disability Services at (714) 516-4520 if you have questions regarding this procedure, or for information and to make an appointment to discuss and/or request potential accommodations based on documentation of your disability. Once formal approval of your need for an accommodation has been granted, you are encouraged to talk with your professor(s) about your accommodation options. The granting of any accommodation will not be retroactive and cannot jeopardize the academic standards or integrity of the course.
Equity and Diversity Statement:
Chapman University is committed to ensuring equality and valuing diversity. Students and professors are reminded to show respect at all times as outlined in Chapman’s Harassment and Discrimination Policy. Any violations of this policy should be discussed with the professor, the Dean of Students and/or otherwise reported in accordance with this policy.Additional Information:
All appeals on exam grades should be submitted in writing within one week of the time the exams are returned. No consideration will be given to disputed exams without a written description of the specific appeal.Students are responsible for subject material covered in lecture, assigned readings, and the relevant material from the textbook, which includes all of the chapters noted on this syllabus. Occasionally the book and lecture will approach a topic differently. My goal for this course is to help you learn economics. Seeing the same material presented from different perspectives aids in accomplishing this task.
If you are still reading at this point, I really appreciate your attention to detail. To prove that to you, you can have 2 bonus points on the final exam if you send me a picture of an adorable dog or cat by midnight on Friday of the first week of class.
No guarantee is made that the schedule will contain updated information. It is the student’s responsibility to keep up with the class schedule, current assignments in LaunchPad and announcements as they are made in class. If the website differs from what was said in class, we will go with what was said in class.
Students are expected to behave in an ethical and professional manner. Please refer to the Chapman’s student handbook for Academic Integrity information.
Contact InformationErik O. Kimbrough, Ph.D.Associate Professor of EconomicsSmith Institute for Political Economy and PhilosophyChapman UniversityOne University DriveOrange, CA 92866ekimbrough at gmail.com714.628.7323Office: Wilkinson Hall, Room 212
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