SYLLABUS Spring 2010 ECON 2133 Principles of Macroeconomics Sec 002 MWF 9 9 50 a m in Rivers West 105A Sec 004 MWF 10 10 50 a m in Rivers West 105A Dr Gary W Zinn Dept of Economics Office Brewster A 110 inside A113 office suite Tel 328 6751 office 756 3395 home Office hours MWF 11 11 45 a m and 2 3 15 p m Tue 8 30 10 45 a m Thu 1 30 3 15 p m e mail zinng ecu edu Course website core ecu edu econ zinng As the semester progresses I will post important documents exam study guides post exam summaries grade reports etc on this website along with announcements reminders etc Please check the website every 2 3 days for new materials and information Note To access the website type in the address exactly as above on the location address line on your web browser This site cannot be accessed through One Stop Banner Blackboard or www ECONOMICS is the social science that studies how people use limited resources to satisfy their needs and wants through the production distribution exchange and consumption of products i e goods and services MACROECONOMICS studies the market economy at an aggregate level with focus on topics including measuring national output of goods and services overall price levels inflation and unemployment and how these may be influenced through governmental monetary and fiscal policy Text Hall R and M Lieberman Macroeconomics Principles and Applications 4th Thomson South Western 2008 Aplia on line resource Review and practice materials that complement the text are available on line at www aplia com subscription required Also you will complete practice and graded exercises on line via Aplia see 2 below Both the text and Aplia on line resource are required Information re acquiring the text and subscribing to Aplia are provided in the appendix at the end of this syllabus Grading Basis In class exams 3 300 pts On line Aplia graded exercises 10 of 12 scores apply 200 pts Pre final total 500 pts Final exam optional see 3 below 180 pts Total 680 pts 1 1 In class exams will be given as per the Class Schedule below Exams are 100 points each Exams will consist of multiple choice questions An exam study guide will be posted on my website one week before each exam date this will outline exam coverage subjects of exam questions and specific study suggestions Exams may be taken only at the regularly scheduled class times no makeup exams will be given during the semester however The final exam will serve as a makeup exam for anyone who has missed a regular exam i e a student s percentage grade on the final exam will be applied as a makeup score for a regular exam missed This applies to one missed exam only Anyone who misses more than one exam will take a zero for any additional exam s missed 2 On line exercises will be completed as indicated in the Class Schedule below Each graded exercise will have a raw point value of 15 25 points however all exercise scores will be adjusted to a 20 point per exercise basis for grade recording purposes Twelve graded exercises will be assigned but at the end of the semester your total score on the exercises 200 point basis will be based on your ten best exercise scores You will have an announced period of days in which to log on and work on each exercise you may complete each exercise any time during that period but no later than the announced deadline Any graded exercises that you fail to complete cannot be made up 3 The final exam is optional Before the final exam period begins pre final letter grades will be posted for all students Students who have taken all regular exams and who are satisfied with their pre final grade may opt not to take the final Of course anyone may take the final in an effort to improve his her course grade The final exam will serve as a makeup exam for anyone who has missed a regular exam see 1 above The final exam may be taken and its percentage grade applied as a replacement score for a student s lowest regular exam score if the student has taken all regular exams and does not have more than four recorded class absences see Attendance below If you take the final and do poorly on it this will not reduce your course grade Note The exams and exercises described above constitute the entire basis for your course grade No individual extra credit or makeup work will be given under any circumstances Grade scales Exams and exercises may be scored either on a straight scale i e 90 A 80 B 70 C 60 D or on a curve based on the class mean and standard deviation for each exam or exercise 2 A grade report will be posted at intervals during the semester The report will show scores for all work completed to date total points earned and total absences Total points earned may be compared with a current letter grade scale thus you can verify your letter grade standing at that point in the course Please note The grade report will be posted on my course website Individual students grades will be posted by Banner I D number only no names Anyone who does not wish their grades posted in this manner must so notify me in writing before the first exam Anyone who has questions about exams grades or other course requirements at any time during the term should consult with me promptly Attendance Regular class attendance is to your benefit in that class time will be devoted to explaining and amplifying key points in the text supplementing these with illustrations and discussion etc Thus your understanding of the subject will be improved if you attend class faithfully Course grades generally correlate positively with regular class attendance I will use various means to verify attendance throughout the semester As an incentive to attendance each student may earn a 20 point attendance bonus redeemable at the end of the semester as follows Four points will be deducted from a student s attendance bonus for each unexcused absence thus anyone with five absences or more will receive zero attendance bonus points at the end of the semester Also anyone with more than four recorded absences may not use the final exam to replace a low regular exam score see 3 above Anyone may take the final exam regardless of number of absences Recorded absences may be excused only via a documented excuse University medical or similar NOTE If you fail to complete more than two graded Aplia exercises each additional exercise not completed will be counted as a recorded absence Classroom Behavior Some ECU undergraduates have a poor understanding of proper classroom behavior Specifically 1