Intermediate Macroeconomics Econ 304-002, Spring 2017 Course Syllabus Instructor: Eliakim KAKPO Office Hours: Clark A 020, Tuesday 12p-1:30 p.m. Thursday 12p-1:30 p.m. E-mail: Eliakim.Kakpo@colostate.edu Lecture Meets: MILSC 115, TR, 2-3:15 p.m. Study Group Leader (SGL): Kathryn Schell E-mail: kathryn.schell23@gmail.com SGL Meets: Mon., 4-5:30 p.m. and Wed., 4:30-6 p.m. Course Websites: a. Canvas is the class website: https://colostate.instructure.com b. MyEconLab is the online homework and e-text website: www.myeconlab.com Course Description and Learning Objectives This course builds upon the concepts learned in principles of macroeconomics to develop a more in depth comprehension of the theoretical foundations and apply those models to real world analysis. Students will develop competence with these tools to: a) Understand the determination of aggregate output, unemployment, prices, and growth, and b) Analyze the impacts of fiscal and monetary policy on the Macro Economy. Extensive references to current events will come up and students will apply concepts learned in the course of the semester to current policy issues. By the end of the course, students should be competent in the following areas: The measurement of GDP as Expenditure, Income and Output The measurement and cost of Unemployment The measurement and cost of Inflation The analysis of the Macro Economy in the short-run through the use of the IS-LM model The analysis of the Macro Economy in the medium-run through the use of the AD-AS model The analysis of the Macro economy in the long-run through the use of the Solow Growth model, and the measurement of technical progress using growth accounting. The effects of monetary and fiscal policy The analysis of open economy macroeconomics and exchange rate determination Course Materials and Graded Work: a. Required textbook: The required text for this class is Blanchard and Johnson, (2012) Macroeconomics 7th edition with access to MyEconLab, Pearson. ISBN: 9780133780581. A physical copy of the text is not required, but access to the online 1
content (MyEconLab) is required for assignment. If students choose not to purchase a physical copy, students must purchase the online access option that includes the e-text. A document with instructions for accessing the online content will be posted on Canvas. Lectures will closely follow the outline of the textbook with discussions drawn from news sources that will be made available on Canvas. Students are expected to read the relevant material in advance of class. A copy of the text is available on reserve at the library. b. MyEconLab: Regular assignments will be completed on MyEconLab, a supplement to the assigned textbook. These assignments will be due the week after the relevant material has been completed. See the calendar for tentative due dates. Instructions for registering for this course on MyEconLab will be posted on Canvas. c. Canvas Postings: Additional discussion assignments surrounding real world issues and supplementary readings will be posted on Canvas. These postings will be expected three days after the relevant lecture. They must be submitted in the assignments section of Canvas. d. Exams: There will be four (4) exams. Exams will be equally weighted and mostly noncumulative. They will be cumulative in the sense that material learned early in the semester will be crucial for understanding concepts covered later in the semester. A more detailed breakdown of the content is outlined below. e. News: Students are expected to follow the news on a regular basis. Because this course is highly relevant to real world issues, being up to date on current events adds to what students take from this course and enhances group discussions. Discussion posts on Canvas will be related to news articles students are expected to find. All students pursuing a college degree, and economics majors in particular, should be following a news source with economic relevance independently of the expectations from this class. Course Expectations Attendance, Participation, and Conduct Attendance is expected, but will not be enforced. Due to the challenging nature of the course material, absences will be very detrimental to students outcomes. This is a theoretical course with real world relevance and participation is crucial for fully engaging in the material. Questions are strongly encouraged for the benefit of group learning as long as they are constructive and relevant. Students are welcome to speak their mind during discussion provided they are productive; it is expected that participants speak and behave respectfully towards others views. Those who feel the need to use their computers are asked to sit towards the rear of the classroom so as to not distract their peers. There will be zero tolerance for the use of cellular devices or social media. 2
Contact Hours Students are expected to put in approximately 9 hours of work per week. These hours typically break down to 3 hours of expected lecture attendance, 2 hours reading the relevant material for class, and 4 hours doing homework and/or studying for exams. Note that spending extra time on the homework is a very good method of studying for exams. Communication If you need help at any point during the semester, my door will always be open during office hours to get help if you want/need it. If my office hours don t work, I will make every accommodation possible to find a time that works for both of us. If face-to-face help isn t possible, I m available through email as well. Please send these emails to me directly rather than through Canvas (Eliakim.Kakpo@colostate.edu). Should the need arise to let you know of important changes to the course or schedule I will let you know in class and via email. Some announcements will be made on Canvas as well as supplementary material so students should be checking the course website regularly. Late Work and Educational Responsibility In extreme cases where communication with the instructor was not possible before an assignment was due, documentation must be provided and the circumstance barring the student from completing work must be a university approved excuse. Missed exams with a university approved absence, prior approval by the instructor, or documented severe and unavoidable hardship may be allowed to be taken late. Missed exams without an approved excuse will be given a grade of zero. Late assignments without proper documentation will not be accepted and receive a grade of zero. Grading a. Online Homework: Assignments to be done online will be worth 40% of the final grade. The majority of these will be quizzes on MyEconLab. There will be nine (9) online quizzes for most topics/chapters covered and the lowest score will be dropped. In some instances, these will be substituted with brief writing assignments dependent on the direction discussions take. The lowest score to be dropped only refers to the online quizzes. b. Discussion Posts: Two (2) discussion post assignments based on current events will be required at points throughout the semester when relevant material has been covered. Students are required to do both of them. These will count for 20% of the final grade. They must be submitted through Canvas in the assignments section. Assignment details will be provided on Canvas. c. Exams: There will be four (4) exams covering each of the sections covered: short-run, medium-run, long-run, and open-economy. Exams count toward 40% of the final grade and are equally weighted. 3
Final grades will be calculated based on the following points and grading scale: Assignment* Points per GRADE GRADE Frequency Assignment POINTS PERCENTAGE Discussion Posts (70) * (2) = 140 20% Online Homework (35) * (8) = 280 40% Exams (70) * (4) = 280 40% TOTAL = 700 =100% *Keep a copy of all work created for the course, including work submitted through Canvas. Grading scale A+: 98% 100% (686-700 points) A:92.0% 97.9% (644-685.9 points) A-: 90.0% 91.9% (630-643.9 points) B+: 88.0% 89.9% (616-629.9 points) B:82.0% 87.9% (574-615.9 points) B-: 80.0% 81.9% (560-573.9 points) C+: 78.0% 79.9% (546-559.9 points) C:70.0% 77.9% (490-545.9 points) D:60.0% 69.9% (420-489.9 points) F:59.9% or below (0-419.9 points) Course Outline and Tentative Schedule: Each bullet point corresponds to roughly one week of lectures. This may vary depending upon class interest and pace. See the course calendar for specific dates. The Basics Course introduction. Review of economic principles. Basic macroeconomic variables: GDP, unemployment, inflation. A quick look at the current crisis (Chapters 1 and 2). The Short-Run: The goods market and the income-expenditure model (Chapter 3). Financial Markets. Monetary Policy and the FED (Chapter 4). Goods and financial markets: the IS-LM model, or the Macro Economy in the shortrun (Chapter 5). Exam 1 The Medium-Run The Labor Market in the medium run. The natural rate of unemployment (Chapter 6). Goods, financial, and labor markets: the AD-AS model. (Chapter 7). The natural rate of unemployment and the Phillips curve. Expectations (Chapter 8). Exam 2 4
The Long-Run Basic Growth Facts. US long-run growth. Time-series and cross-country comparisons (Chapter 10). Capital accumulation and savings. The Solow Growth Model. Human capital (Chapter 11). Knowledge, Technical progress, and growth. Endogenous growth models (Chapter 12). Exam 3 (will include open economy basics) The Open Economy Open Economy basics. Exchange rates and interest rate determination (Chapter 18). Goods market in Open Economy. Effects of domestic and foreign shocks on domestic output and trade balance. Effects of exchange rate depreciation/appreciation on domestic output and trade balance (Chapter 19). Macroeconomic policy in open economies (Chapter 20). The Financial Crisis The Global Crisis. The US housing bubble of the early 2000. From a financial crisis to a global recession. Policy Responses to the crisis (Chapter 9). Comparison of theoretical explanations for the crisis. Exam 4 Academic Integrity Academic misconduct like cheating, plagiarism, etc., will be taken very seriously in this course, and can lead to an overall F grade. Plagiarism, for instance, includes quoting sources while writing a paper without referencing them. For more details about university policies relating to academic misconduct, See TILT Academic Integrity. Each exam and assignment you submit should be your own, as should all work submitted on exams. By remaining in this course, you agree to abide by the Colorado State University Honor Pledge. This is a statement of your intent to perform your work honestly and must be strictly adhered to: I have not given, received, or used any unauthorized assistance. Accommodation Students with disabilities may be eligible for accommodations in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is the student s responsibility to disclose any learning disabilities. Please contact the instructor if a special accommodation is required. To request accommodations, students should contact 5
Resources for Disabled Students at (970) 491-6385 or go to http://rds.colostate.edu. Documentation of disability is required and the RDS office will assist in this process. 6