THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS ECON200 Principles of Microeconomics Summer I Online 2010 Instructor Adriana Vamosiu Online Office Hours Sunday and Wednesday 9 30 pm 10 30 pm and by appointment 1 E mail avamosiu umd edu Web Page https elms umd edu webapps portal frameset jsp sign in or create a username and password and you should automatically be able to see this course added to your account if you are officially registered Hereafter this course webpage is referenced as ELMS Course Structure and Meeting Times This course will be conducted mostly online including lectures discussion sections exam reviews homework and one of the two exams The final exam will be the only component where you must physically be present in College Park in the same room at the same time as the instructor and other students All the lectures are posted on ELMS These recorded powerpoint presentations can be viewed at your convenience in the week before the deadlines listed later in this syllabus Each lecture presentation covers part of a chapter and includes a verbal explanation of visual learning aids Each chapter will have a minimum of 3 associated lecture presentations You should view each set of before presentations before the relevant chapter is covered in the on line discussion sections The homework is also online but a different website than ELMS more details later in the syllabus and can be done anytime before the deadline The assignments do not need to be done in one sitting so you can work on it at your convenience as long as it is all completed by the deadline Deadlines for homework assignments will be listed on the homework s website I will hold online discussions twice a week We will collectively meet in an online chat room via ELMS at a predetermined time and you can IM or use a microphone and webcam to talk I will be using a webcam and a microphone for everyone to see and hear me This is your time to ask clarification questions on the material and the homework and walk through the concepts together to get a better understanding of them The online discussions will be held every Sunday and Wednesday 8 9 30 pm starting Wednesday June 2nd no online meeting on Sunday July 4th There will be one online midterm using the homework website and an in class final examination The final exam will be held on Saturday July 10th 3 30 5 30 pm you must come IN PERSON ON CAMPUS Review sessions 1 Midterm review online Sunday June 20th during discussion 8 9 30 pm Final exam review online Friday July 9th 8pm 10pm If need arises for a face to face meeting we will use my office Morrill Hall 0101 1 Course Description ECON200 is the first half of a two semester introductory sequence in economics The focus of the course is microeconomics ECON201 covers macroeconomics We generally recommend that students complete ECON200 before taking ECON201 and I will assume that this is your first course in economics The goal of the course is to introduce you to the field of economics and ways of economic thinking We will address questions such as What is economics about What are some important economic issues And how do economists form ideas and policies At the heart of all of economics is the question of how individuals make decisions Ordinary people make decisions but so do other decision makers such as small businesses nonprofit organizations giant corporations and governments We will ask how all of these decisions come together to shape the economy Topics will include the competitive market model of supply and demand market efficiency externalities and public goods monopoly oligopoly government policy and labor markets Learning to solve problems is the most important skill for doing well on exams in economics and we will do in class problems have homework and i will hold review sessions I will also discuss some topics not covered in lectures guide discussions present study questions to prepare for exams and review exams Required Text The textbook is N Gregory Mankiw Principles of Microeconomics Fifth Edition South Western Publishers The book is required for the course Towards the end of the semester supplemental readings might be required for a few lectures These readings will be placed on reserve at McKeldin Library or on the course web page In addition we will be using the APLIA system that accompanies the textbook APLIA is an online product that contains both a digital version of the textbook and online homework Your homework will be assigned submitted and graded through APLIA as will one of the two exams The textbook and access to the APLIA website can be purchased separately or together I have attached additional information regarding available payment options as well as registration instructions for APLIA It is in your best interest to read and understand the information in this attached document before making any purchase decisions You may register and use the APLIA website without paying the fee until 06 6 2010 Use this grace period to decide which purchase option works best for you If you are considering dropping this course during the drop add period do not make a payment until you decide to stay in the course You need to pay the full amount before the end of the grace period to continue using the site Homework I will assign about 25 problem sets throughout the course some will be for practice optional to prepare you for the graded ones and most will be graded A schedule of assignment due dates will be posted on the course web page Homework will be assigned and graded via APLIA we will discuss more about this in our first online discussion Since problem sets are graded automatically immediately after their due date has passed there is no way to make up missed assignments That is why I will count towards your grade only the highest 15 scores on problem sets you can drop your lowest ones Before each exam I will hold a review session and also make some practice problems sets available on the course webpage You are not required to turn in these problem sets and they will not count toward your grade but you will probably benefit if you do them Exams 2 There will be one online midterm and an in class final examination The questions on the exams will be BOTH multiple choice true false and problem solving short answer questions The final exam will be cumulative covering all material discussed in the course Make up examinations will be given to students with a valid excuse for missing an exam according to
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