UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI - CLERMONT

COURSE SYLLABUS AND SCHEDULE OUTLINE FOR

PRINCIPLES OF MICROECONOMICS (34-ECON-141-001)

WINTER QUARTER 2003

T, Th 9:30A – 10:45A

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES BULIDING ROOM 115

Instructor Information

Instructor: Dr. Jeff Bauer, Assistant Professor

Office: Snyder Building 272C

Phone: Office: 732-5257 24-HR Voicemail

Fax: 732-5304

Division Office: 732-5255

Home: 753-9081

E-Mail: Jeff.Bauer@UC.Edu

Website: http://www.ucclermont.edu/~bauerj

Office Hours: T 9:00A – 9:30A, 3:10P – 4:00P, Th 12:30P – 2:30P (2^nd and 4^th Thursdays of the month), and 5:30 – 6:30. Other times by appointment.

Required Text(s)

Economics, McConnell & Brue, 15^th Edition, Irwin McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 0-07-249850-1.

Course Description

An analysis of the economics of the business firm including such topics as: supply and demand; price determination under different competitive situations; and resource use rules for individual firms.

Course Objectives

1. Recognize the basic economic principles/theories and discuss their application to current problems and events in the American economy.

2. Discuss the consequences of scarcity.

3. Analyze supply and demand curves/schedule and interpret the results of intersecting and shifting curves.

4. Calculate elasticity coefficients and evaluate their impact on the individual firm.

5. Calculate marginal utility and determine the optimal combination of consumption to maximize total satisfaction.

6. Calculate the cost of production and apply the market structure price to select the profit maximizing output.

Course Requirements

Reading Assignments: The student is expected to read all assignments prior to the class in which they will be discussed. He/she should be ready to participate in class discussions and activities. See http://www.mhhe.com/economics/mcconnell15 for text support materials.

Exams: There will be three (3) exams during the quarter. Exam formats will be true/false, fill-in-the-blank and multiple choice. Exams will be given as indicted on the Course Schedule.

Individual Application Assignments: There will be five (5) application assignments during the term. Application assignments are designed to provide the student the opportunity to demonstrate competence with the material though application of the concepts presented in class. Assignments will come from the textbook and outside sources and will be assigned throughout the term.

Group Debate Project: Each student will be assigned to a group and each group will be responsible for planning, researching, and presenting a debate topic. Additional details and an outline for this project will be supplied during the term.

Grading:

The final grade will be determined as follows:

Exam One (Chapters 1, 2, 3)…………………..… 100 points

Exam Two (Chapters 4, 7 (20), 8 (21))…………. 100 points

Final Exam (Chapters 9 (22), 10 (23), 11 (24))…… 100 points

Application Assignments (5 @ 20 Points)……… 100 points

Debate Project…………………………………… 100 points

Total Points 500 points

The numerical average will be calculated by dividing total points by 5.

GENERAL COURSE POLICIES

Attendance and Make-Up Work

Attendance is a requirement of the course. If for some reason you cannot attend a class, please let me know by using one of the phone numbers (or other means) listed above. Make-up work will not be accepted without prior approval from the instructor.

Make-Up Exams

Make-up exams will be given at the discretion of the instructor. The student must notify the instructor of the absence before the exam begins. Notification after the exam begins will result in the student receiving a score of zero for the exam. If proper notification is given, a make-up exam will be administered which may be significantly more challenging than the examination given on the scheduled date.

Cheating and Plagiarism

The policy as stated in the University of Cincinnati Student Handbook will be strictly enforced. A copy of the Student Handbook is available in the Student Development Office.

Withdrawals

The current withdrawal policy of Clermont College will apply. The withdrawal policy for this term is available in the Registration Office.

ADA

Students with Disabilities: The policy of the University of Cincinnati Clermont College requires students to self-identify and provide proper documentation to the Director of the Learning Center for appropriate academic assistance.

Grading Scale

The following plus/minus grading system will apply:

92 - 100% = A 91 - 89% = A- 88 - 87% = B+ 86 - 82% = B 81 - 79% = B-

78 – 77% = C+ 76 – 72% = C 71 – 69% = C- 68 – 67% = D+ 66 – 62% = D

61 – 59% = D - 58% and Under = F

Note: The course schedule and procedures are tentative and subject to change depending upon the progress of the class.

COURSE SCHEDULE – PRINCIPLES OF MICROECONOMICS

Week 1 Chapter 1 The Nature and Methods of Economics

01/07

Week 2 Chapter 2 The Economizing Problem

01/14 Introduction to Group Debate Project

Week 3 Chapter 3 Individual Markets: Demand and Supply

01/21 Library Date for Group Debate Project

Week 4 Exam One Chapters 1 - 3

01/28 Chapter 4 The Market System

Begin Research for Group Debate Project

Week 5 Chapter 4 The Market System (Continued)

02/04 Chapter 7 (20) Supply and Demand: Elasticities and Government Set

Prices

Week 6 Chapter 7 (20) Supply and Demand: Elasticities and Government Set

02/11 Prices (Continued)

Week 7 Chapter 8 (21) Consumer Behavior and Utility Maximization

02/18

Week 8 Exam Two Chapters 4, 7, and 8 (Chapters 4, 20, 21 in hard bound)

02/25 Chapter 9 (22) The Costs of Production

Week 9 Chapter 10 (23) Pure Competition

03/04 Group Debates

Week 10 Chapter 10 (23) Pure Competition (Continued)

03/11 Chapter 11 (24) Pure Monopoly

Week 11 Final Exam Tuesday, March 18^th from 8:00a – 10:00a and covering

Chapters 9, 10, and 11 (Chapters 22 – 24 in hard bound)