CUNY Common Core Course Submission Form Instructions: All courses submitted for the Common Core must be liberal arts courses. Courses may be submitted for only one area of the Common Core. All courses must be 3 credits/3 hours unless the college is seeking a waiver for a 4-credit Math or Science course (after having secured approval for sufficient 3-credit/3-hour Math and Science courses). All standard governance procedures for course approval remain in place. College Kingsborough Community College Course Number ECO 1300 Course Title Microeconomics Department(s) Business Discipline Subject Area Enter one Subject Area from the attached list. Credits 3 Contact Hours 3 Pre-requisites CUNY proficiency in reading and writing. Mode of Instruction Select only one: X In-person Hybrid Fully on-line Course Attribute Select from the following: Freshman Seminar Honors College Quantitative Reasoning Writing Intensive Other (specify): Catalogue Description An analysis of the determination of prices under alternative market structures. Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding the economic behavior of the household, the business firm, and government. This course is consistent with not only other CUNY institutions but also with most Business/Economics departments within the USA. It will greatly facilitate the transfer of Economics credits from Kingsborough to other CUNY and non CUNY educational institutions. An introductory knowledge of microeconomics complements concepts learnt in Macroeconomics and benefits all citizens and students as they have a vested interested in their future as workers, consumers, and agents in the U.S. and global economies. The two courses (Macroeconomics and Microeconomics) are not mutually exclusive courses. They lay the necessary foundation for financial literacy and will create the necessary awareness to be global citizens in an interconnected world. At Kingsborough Community College, the curricula for which this course is required and the curricular objectives addressed by the course meet the requirements for successful transfer into junior year of baccalaureate programs in Business and demonstrate academic preparation in accounting, general business, and liberal arts and sciences. Introduction of these two Pathways courses will also provide stability to enrollment patterns on a consistent basis at KBCC. January 31, 2012 Draft 1
Syllabus Syllabus must be included with submission, 5 pages max Waivers for 4-credit Math and Science Courses All Common Core courses must be 3 credits and 3 hours. Waivers for 4-credit courses will only be accepted in the required areas of Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning and Life and Physical Sciences. Such waivers will only be approved after a sufficient number of 3-credit/3-hour math and science courses are approved for these areas. If you would like to request a waiver please check here: If waiver requested: Please provide a brief explanation for why the course will be 4 credits. If waiver requested: Please indicate whether this course will satisfy a major requirement, and if so, which major requirement(s) the course will fulfill. Waiver requested Indicate the status of this course being nominated: x current course revision of current course a new course being proposed CUNY COMMON CORE Location Please check below the area of the Common Core for which the course is being submitted. (Select only one.) Required English Composition Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning Life and Physical Sciences Flexible World Cultures and Global Issues x Individual and Society US Experience in its Diversity Scientific World Creative Expression Learning Outcomes In the left column explain the assignments and course attributes that will address the learning outcomes in the right column. D. Individual and Society A Flexible Core course must meet the three learning outcomes in the right column. The course requires students to read the text, assigned readings, and a number of short current articles on current economic issues (such as mergers), prepare a journal of these articles and prepare short summaries. Through these activities, students will be required to identify and assess the arguments both in favor and against, and to evaluate the potential impact on competition in the affected industry and on consumers. Gather, interpret, and assess information from a variety of sources and points of January 31, 2012 Draft 2
The assignments students must complete require the use of several readings and the relevant chapters in the textbook. Students will develop the skills of critical and dialectic thinking regarding microeconomic issues through class discussion and written assignments. Using the Pair and Share or group methodology, students will need to solve assigned problem sets that assess their deductive and inductive critical thinking skills. Students will communicate their awareness and understanding of microeconomics via oral and written means. These may include structured evidence based debates, in class discussions, written essays, 60 second commercials, group presentations, and problem sets. Students will complete both short individual papers/reports and group assignments that require citing evidence from readings to support their Evaluate evidence and arguments critically or analytically. Produce well-reasoned written or oral arguments using evidence to support A course in this area (II.D) must meet at least three of the additional learning outcomes in the right column. A student will: Students should be able to apply the fundamental concepts of scarcity, choice, resource allocations, demand and supply and market structure to an understanding of how various US industries function and interact in global economy. Students will be exposed to various methods of economic behavior, any of which can be used by students to understand their role within society. For example: Identify and apply the fundamental concepts and methods of a discipline or interdisciplinary field exploring the relationship between the individual and society, including, but not limited to, anthropology, communications, cultural studies, history, journalism, philosophy, political science, psychology, public affairs, religion, and sociology. Study of market behavior and income inequality yields insights into behavior of the poor, middle class and the wealthy and an awareness of potentially enhancing the wealth of individuals and society at large. Study of Utilitarian and Indifference curve approaches informs students of the power and the limitations of rational exuberance. Study of market power under various market structures, may add to students understanding of failed market outcomes, market abuses and their impact and consequences on prices, competition, and government intervention in markets. Case Study analysis, historical retrospective inquiry will be utilized. Several journal assignments that include January 31, 2012 Draft 3
problem sets to amplify readings and notes will be assigned. Students will be taught various economic models and theories that will improve and enhance their understanding of their own experiences as economic agents and the impact of their choices on the society as a whole. For example: Examine how an individual's place in society affects experiences, values, or choices. Study of the concepts of elastic and inelastic demand provides a template for understanding one s basic choices and a reflection on their own relatively personal elastic and inelastic demands. Written assignments given will reinforce student learning outcomes. One written assignment requires students to describe the process of price discrimination; another to identify why businesses and the government uses the concepts of elasticity of demand and supply to raise revenue or taxes. Students will use course readings and independent assignments to examine the development of a particular industry in another emerging market and compare the aspects or process of that development with the same industry in the USA. Students will be engaged in group discussions and submit a group report on the assigned project. Students will use their cultural diversity as an asset to dissect issues from various cultural view points, and yet see the commonality of human experiences all over the world. This will also enable students to work in a team environment and work with culturally diverse peers. Students will learn to recognize economic trends and their relevance for individuals. Lectures, assignments and discussion will be structured to enhance student awareness of current events, the ideas driving them and their impact on workers, voters, and other stakeholders. Articulate and assess ethical views and their underlying premises. * Analyze culture, globalization or global cultural diversity, and describe an event or process from more than one point of Identify and engage with local, national, or global trends or ideologies, and analyze their impact on individual or collective decision-making. Writing assignments and Group discussions will be used to deepen student understanding with a view to provoking subsequent discussion and debate. For January 31, 2012 Draft 4
example: One writing assignment requires students to describe the various strategies Unions use to exercise their market power and how they impact firms (GM Ford, Chrysler), wage determination, political movements in Ohio, Wisconsin, and Europe, Greece. The impact on labor, consumers, and tax payers is a point of emphasis in these discussions. E. Scientific World A Flexible Core course must meet the three learning outcomes in the right column. A course in this area (II.E) must meet at least three of the additional learning outcomes in the right column. A student will: Gather, interpret, and assess information from a variety of sources and points of Evaluate evidence and arguments critically or analytically. Produce well-reasoned written or oral arguments using evidence to support Identify and apply the fundamental concepts and methods of a discipline or interdisciplinary field exploring the scientific world, including, but not limited to: computer science, history of science, life and physical sciences, linguistics, logic, mathematics, psychology, statistics, and technology-related studies. Demonstrate how tools of science, mathematics, technology, or formal analysis can be used to analyze problems and develop solutions. Articulate and evaluate the empirical evidence supporting a scientific or formal theory. Articulate and evaluate the impact of technologies and scientific discoveries on the contemporary world, such as issues of personal privacy, security, or ethical responsibilities. Understand the scientific principles underlying matters of policy or public concern in which science plays a role. January 31, 2012 Draft 5