1 P a g e Fall 2012 Introduction to Economics - Micro 01:220:102:11 9/4/2012 12/12/2012 Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:40pm - 9:00pm, Hardenbergh Hall B7 Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:45-5:45pm, Office 425NJH(and by appointment) Erin Fairweather, Ph.D. Email: econfairweather@gmail.com Cell: 201.657.3183 Final Exam: Thursday December 20, 2012 @ 8pm-11pm Course Description This is an introductory course in microeconomics. At its most basic level, microeconomics is the science of decision making. The decisions can be made by firms (e.g. what to produce, how much to produce, where-when-and in what manner to produce). The decisions can also be made by consumers (e.g. what to purchase and for how much), workers (e.g. how much to invest in human capital and where/how much to work), and governments (e.g. how much and whom to tax and subsidize). Some decisions appear on their face to be economically-based, such as those provided above. Other decisions which are not explicitly economics, such as whom to marry and whether or not one decides to commit a crime, can be analyzed using economics theories and techniques. In this way, microeconomics is a lens through which the world can be viewed. Learning Goals 1. Basic economic concepts including opportunity costs, scarcity, positive and normative economics 2. How to analyze production possibilities of firms and countries, the sources of their comparative advantages, and gains from trade 3. How to use the supply and demand model to understand how markets work. 4. How elasticity is calculated and its relevance to understanding markets. 5. How to analyze consumer behavior with respect to decisions about consumption, savings and employment. 6. How to analyze decisions firms make about pricing, output, employment and investment. 7. How to analyze the behavior of firms in alternative market structures including perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition and oligopoly. 8. How to apply basic game theory to strategic interaction between companies and individuals 9. How to use the concepts of equity, efficiency, and market failure to analyze and evaluate government policies such as price floors and ceilings, tax policy, environmental policy, etc. 10. How to apply economic concepts and ideas to situations not specifically covered in class.
Course Prerequisites 640:111 (Pre-Calculus I) or 640:115 (Pre-Calculus College Math) or PLACEMENT TO CALCULUS Required Resources The required reading for this course is from the following text: Microeconomics, Tenth Edition by Michael Parkin It is expected that you will have read each chapter before it is presented in class. If you fail to read the material, you will not be prepared to ask thoughtful questions or get clarity around more difficult concepts. It is NOT required that you purchase the latest edition of this textbook. Feel free to save money by purchasing used earlier editions, as the basic structure and content of the Parkin Microeconomics text has been fairly constant over the last decade. In order to fully understand the material presented in this course, you will also need to complete problem sets based upon the material presented in class. These problem sets, which will be graded (details provided below), are intended to provide you with much needed practice. Advanced mathematics is not required to complete these problem sets, but it is assumed that you have a firm grasp on Pre-calculus and Algebra. The weekly homework assignments must be completed through MyEconLab an online learning resource that costs $55 for the semester. The information you will need for access is provided below: Visit the website: http://pearsonmylabandmastering.com/ Register as a Student using the following CourseID: fairweather32888 Create an account or sign in using an existing account (if you have one) Tentative Grading HW Assignments: 20% Exam 1 (Parkin Ch 1-6): 25% Exam 2 (Parkin Ch 8-12): 25% Final exam (Parkin Ch 13-17): 30% 2 P a g e
Exams: You must attend all exams at their scheduled times. NO make-up exams will be accommodated without a documented excuse that I find acceptable and all make-ups must be completed within 7-10 days of the original exam date. All material covered in the required textbook, presented during lectures, or assigned as homework is fair game for the exam. Lecture attendance and homework completion are highly correlated with success in this course. Please note that NO calculators or cellphones may be used during the exams. To this end, calculations will be kept simple, and you can provide answers in either decimal or LCD fraction form. HW Assignments: You must complete each assignment by NO LATER THAN 11:59pm Monday evening. Late assignments will not be accepted. A total of 15 assignments will be due during the course of this semester; I will count only the top 12 grades (meaning you can drop the lowest 3 scores). Absences Students are expected to attend all classes. If you expect to miss one or two classes because of illness or a family emergency, please use the University absence reporting website https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/ to indicate the date and reason for your absence. An email is automatically sent to me. Academic Integrity Any student caught cheating on an exam will be dismissed immediately and receive a failing grade for the course. NO exceptions. Cheating during an exam includes, but is not limited to, consulting any textbooks or notes, talking to another student, a physical exchange with another student, or making a concerted effort to view another student's exam or to share your own. It is in your best interest to refrain from any movements or communications that might suggest you are cheating. 3 P a g e
Tentative Schedule 9/4 9/6 Topic: What is Economics? Parkin Chapter 1 Topic: The Economic Problem Parkin Chapter 2 9/11 9/13 Topic: Supply & Demand Parkin Chapter 3 Topic: Supply & Demand Parkin Chapter 3 9/18 9/20 Topic: Elasticity Parkin Chapter 4 Topic: Elasticity Parkin Chapter 4 9/25 9/27 Topic: Efficiency & Equity Parkin Chapter 5 Topic: Efficiency & Equity Parkin Chapter 5 10/2 10/4 Topic: Government Actions in Markets Parkin Chapter 6 Topic: Government Actions in Markets Parkin Chapter 6 EXAM I: Chapters 1-6 10/9 Topic: Utility & Demand Parkin Chapter 8 4 P a g e
10/11 Topic: Utility & Demand Parkin Chapter 8 10/16 Topic: Possibilities, Preferences & Choices Parkin Chapter 9 10/18 Topic: Organizing Production Parkin Chapter 10 10/23 Topic: Output & Costs Parkin Chapter 11 10/25 Topic: Output & Costs Parkin Chapter 11 10/30 11/1 Topic: Perfect Competition Parkin Chapter 12 Topic: Perfect Competition Parkin Chapter 12 11/6 11/8 Topic: Perfect Competition Parkin Chapter 12 EXAM II: Chapters 8-12 Topic: Monopoly Parkin Chapter 13 11/13 Topic: Monopoly Parkin Chapter 13 11/15 Topic: Monopololistic Competition Parkin Chapter 14 5 P a g e
11/20 Topic: Monopololistic Competition Parkin Chapter 14 11/22 No Class 11/27 Topic: Oligopoly Parkin Chapter 15 11/29 Topic: Oligopoly Parkin Chapter 15 12/4 12/6 Topic: Public Choices and Public Goods Parkin Chapter 16 Topic: Public Choices and Public Goods Parkin Chapter 16 12/11 Topic: Economics of the Environment Parkin Chapter 17 6 P a g e