Economics 2000 Section 14 Introduction to Microeconomics 1125 BEC S Wing Fall 2015 Professor Coombs Office 2338 BEC Email coombs lsu edu Office Hours M W F 10 30 11 30 T Th 9 30 11 00 Course Description This is a General Education course An honors course ECON 2001 is also available Credit will not be given for both this course and ECON 2001 or ECON 2030 Study of how households and firms make decisions and how they interact in specific markets theories of production price determination trade externalities and public goods This course is a General Education Course in the area of Social Science The goal of such courses is to ensure LSU graduates demonstrate an understanding of factors associated with global interdependence including economic political psychological cultural and linguistic forces The object of this course is not to make you a theorist or practicing economist but Your study of economics should make your private decisions more effective and your views on social issues more subtle and balanced It may not make you more popular however Economics has been called the dismal science because economists are always telling people what is wrong with superficially attractive solutions to social problems Professor Jack Hirshleifer Text 1 The Micro Economy Today 14th Edition by Schiller Hill and Wall Pearson Publishing You cannot hope to do well in my course without this text Read each chapter multiple times Each time you read the material you come away with a more solid foundation Advice you cannot expect to do well in this course without reading and studying from the text Your class notes cannot substitute for the text REQUIRED www connectstudentsuccess com You will complete required homework assignments through 2 CONNECT software this online resource Also CONNECT functions as an online study guide and provides a wealth of valuable resources to help you understand and master the subject It contains solutions to selected study exercises at the end of each chapter as well as additional practice questions and exercises Explanations are provided for the answers to some of the multiple choice questions REQUIRED Course Website Moodle http moodle lsu edu Moodle is accessed through your PAWS account under Student Services I will use Moodle to post notes grades and provide other relevant course materials You must check Moodle daily for email announcements Grading Policy Your grade in this class will be determined by your performance on homework assignments two mid term exams and a cumulative final exam These homework assignments are web based assignments that you will complete on CONNECT The homework assignments must be completed on time There will be no additional time allowed for turning in an assignment If you do not turn in the assignment by the deadline it will count as a grade of zero There will be three mid term exams given and your lowest score on the mid terms will be automatically dropped The two remaining exams will count for 50 of your course grade If you miss a second exam you will receive a grade of zero unless I am notified prior to the exam and the excuse is a valid and fully documented one Valid excuses must be officially approved the definition of officially approved can be found in LSU policy statement PS 22 Exams that are missed for excused reasons cannot be made up There are no makeup exams given in this class no exceptions Instead the final will be weighted more heavily to account for the missed exam so the final will be worth 65 of your final grade A comprehensive final exam manadory will be worth 40 of the course grade Everyone must take the final exam at the time it is scheduled Make sure vacation trips are scheduled appropriately Grading is summarized as follows Exams Homework assignments LearnSmart in Connect 2 mid term exams 3 given drop lowest score Comprehensive final exam mandatory Weight 10 50 40 Final Semester Grades The University has converted to a plus minus grading system In this class final semester grades will follow a 10 point grading scale i e 90 100 80 89 etc but the cutoffs for plus and minus grades will be determined by the distribution of semester averages For example depending on the distribution A may be slightly lower than 90 Important notice You are required to take the final exam on the day it is scheduled Make sure you do not schedule something else for that day Make ups for the Final Exam must be approved by the Dean of your College and are permitted only if you have a conflict with a final exam in another course or you have 3 final exams scheduled within a 24 hour period If you are planning to leave town for the holidays do not book a flight before the date of the Final Exam Special Needs Students who need accommodations because of special needs addressed in the Americans with Disabilities Act ADA or have emergency medical information to share with me or need special arrangements in case of emergency building evacuation should inform me of such needs immediately Please see me privately after class or in my office Your Responsibilities My lectures begin at 9 00 You are expected to be in the classroom at that time Please do not enter the classroom late If you have to leave early let me know before class begins otherwise do not leave early You are expected to attend class and keep up with the reading assignments If you miss class you are responsible for finding out what was covered or announced in class Materials not in the text will be presented in class and may be covered on the exams Use of lap top computers and all other electronic devices are not permitted in this class Also make sure to turn off your cell phones before entering the class room Do not have any electronic devices on your desk during class During exams all electronic devices must be kept stored and unavailable This is a large class so conversations with your classmates during lectures are strickly prohibited If you violate this rule you will be asked to leave the room COURSE OUTLINE My lectures basically follow the content of the text but not necessarily in the same order You are expected to attend class and keep up with the reading assignements on CONNECT Materials not in the text will be presented in class and placed on the exams You cannot expect to perform to your potential without reading and studying the text Put another way your class notes while important cannot substitute for the book Exam 1 Chapters 1 thru 6 Exam 2 Chapters 7 thru 10 Exam 3 Chapters 11 thru