Econ121 - Microeconomics Syllabus

 

Course Syllabus: Syllabus_Econ121_S19_61351.docx

Course Description: Introduction to microeconomics, including basic economic concepts, analysis of markets, efficiency, consumer and firm behavior, industry structures, market failure, and resource markets.

Textbook Information: https://openstax.org/details/books/principles-microeconomics-2e

Course Description: Introduction to microeconomics, including basic economic concepts, analysis of markets, efficiency, consumer and firm behavior, industry structures, market failure, and resource markets.

Grading: Your course grade will be based upon a comprehensive Final Exam, a Midterm, weekly Discussion Board Posts, and weekly Assignments.

Discussion Board Posts	25%
Assignments	25%
Midterm	25%
Final Exam	25%

 

The grades will be determined on the basis of the following scale:

Percentage	Grade
90-100	A
80-89	B
70-79	C
60-69	D
0-60	F

 

Canvas: As an online course, Canvas will be used much more extensively than with a traditional classroom. Canvas will be the primary resource for our class, and any links necessary to use during the course will be posted there.

Accelerated Course: Since this is an 8-week course, we will be covering two chapters a week. As well, we will have to cover some chapters during testing weeks. Since we are covering such a large amount of material each week, one missed week can have a dramatic impact on your grade. Please be aware of this, and prioritize your time accordingly.

Homework: Assignments will become available every week through on Canvas.  Assignments will be submitted online, and will be before Midnight every Friday night. Late assignments will not be accepted.

Discussion Board: Discussion Board Threads will be made available in each module, and your response will be due by the following by Midnight every Wednesday night. You will be required to post a comment on two (2) of your fellow classmates’ posts by Midnight every Friday night.

• • Note: Students will be unable to view others’ posts until they have submitted their own. For this reason, you will not be able to go back and edit your post once submitted. Any further understanding may be listed in the comments section, but may not be factored in to the grade.

Exams: Exams will be made available in two formats:

• • Proctorio: Proctorio is an online proctoring software that requires the extension to be installed in your Chrome browser. There is a link in the Canvas course with further information.
  • On Campus: The exam will be made available at the Assessment Center on campus, and may be taken any day of the week.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

• • Understand how households (demand) and businesses (supply) interact in various market structures to determine price and quantity of a good produced.
  • Understand the links between household behavior and the economic models of demand.
  • Represent demand, in graphical form, including the downward slope of the demand curve and what shifts the demand curve.
  • Understand the links between production costs and the economic models of supply.
  • Represent supply, in graphical form, including the upward slope of the supply curve and what shifts the supply curve.
  • Understand the efficiency and equity implications of market interference, including government policy.
  • Understand how different degrees of competition in a market affect pricing and output.
  • Apply economic reasoning to individual and firm behavior.
  • Understand the meaning of marginal revenue and marginal cost and their relevance for firm profitability.
  • Understand the major characteristics of different market structures and the implications for the behavior of the firm.

Course Information

Course Site: Our course can be accessed at https://rsccd.instructure.com. You may access our Canvas course site from home, the library or the student labs at SAC. When you are officially enrolled in the class and the class has been made available to students, you will have access to our class on the college Canvas site. The student is expected to monitor the Canvas web site and complete all assignments in a timely manner. Students are expected to login at least every two days.

Communication: The primary sources of communication in this course will be through the discussion board and by email. Please be sure to have a current working email address in your Canvas profile.

Personal Issues: For questions regarding personal issues such as a grade on a specific assignment, please communicate with me via email. Emails must include our Course Section Number, your name and the subject, in the subject line. (e.g. 29210 Your Name – Project #4 Question)

I will respond to emails within 48 hours Monday through Friday if they have the section number in the subject line. Emails received over the weekend will be answered on Monday. Responses to emails without the proper subject information may be delayed.

Assignment and Course Questions: For questions about specific assignments, course or Canvas, please refer to our “Frequently Asked Questions”. If an answer to your question cannot be found, please post a question on our discussion board. Students are encouraged to post answers to each other’s questions.

Deadlines: All Discussion Board posts must be completed by Wednesday 11:59 PM to receive credit. Homework assignments are due by 11:59 PM on the Friday of the week that they are assigned. Assignments may be locked after the due date.

Academic Honesty Policy: You should be familiar with the Academic Honesty Policy at Santa Ana College.

There is absolutely NO tolerance for cheating in this class. Academic dishonesty or cheating is defined as an intentional act of fraud in which a student seeks to claim credit for the work or efforts of another without authorization. This includes assisting other students in acts of dishonesty or coercing students into acts of dishonesty, whether it is in coursework or on exams. Any student caught cheating or assisting another student in the act of cheating, will receive a zero score for the assignment or quiz. Students will be reported to the Dean of Student Development upon a second breach of the Academic Honesty policy. If you have any questions regarding this policy or application of this policy, please let me know.

Course Policies

Attendance Policy: In accordance with the college drop policy, students who do not access the class web site or submit the “first assignments” by the due date may be dropped as a no show. Students who fail to turn in the weekly assignments and or participate in the discussion boards will be considered “absent” and may be dropped from the class for “excessive absence.” Students are responsible to officially drop the class or they will receive a letter grade based on their performance.

Accommodations for Disabilities: Disabled Student Programs & Services Statement

Your success in this course is important to me. Santa Ana College and I are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all individuals with disabilities. If you have a disability that may have some impact on your ability to do well in this course, I encourage you to speak with me as soon as possible. Also, please contact Disabled Student Programs & Services so that we can all collaborate on your classroom accommodations in a timely manner. DSP&S is located in U-103, and their phone number is 714-564-6264. The DSP&S office requires documentation of your disability in order to receive reasonable accommodations. If you do not have documentation, they will work with you to acquire it. I look forward to supporting you to meet your learning goals.

Additional Information

Update your Email: Login to WebAdvisor, click on “Address Change”, Enter your Email Address, Click “Submit”, and “Log out” to exit. Please see the Distance Education website for further details: http://sac.edu/disted

Questions: If you have any trouble logging in, or with Canvas, please contact the instructor. As a secondary means of contact, you may use the Distance Education Student Help and Frequently Asked Questions page (http://sac.edu/disted). If necessary, contact them directly at (714) 564-6725, or A-101.

Preparation: Are you ready for Online Learning? Do you have the necessary Canvas skills?

• • This course is geared for students who are self-directed, manage their time and have basic computer skills.
  • It is mandatory to be able to use the Internet and type all assignments.
  • Complete the “SAC Student Online Orientation”, under “My Organizations” on the Canvas homepage. It will allow to you become familiar with Canvas, learn about time-management, learning styles, and will help you to determine the best approach for you in an online course: https://rsccd.instructure.com

Expectations: This is a college level course. Many students expect that an online course will be easier, or entail less time. This is not true. This online class will take just as much time as a traditional classroom course. College credits are based on the Carnegie Unit, the structure of the US Education system, for a system of “units”. One semester unit represents one lecture hour of required classroom time and two hours of student preparation time. Thus, our three unit course requires, 3 lecture hours and 6 hours of student preparation. As an accelerated class, this time is doubled each week, or approximately 18 hours total, per week that you will need to spend on this course.

 

Weekly Course Schedule:

Date	Day of Week	Detail
4/15	Monday	Chapters 1 & 2 Available on Canvas
4/17	Wednesday	Discussion Board Post – Due by Midnight
4/19	Friday	Assignments & 2 Discussion Comments due by 11:59 PM
4/20	Saturday	Chapters 3 & 4 Available on Canvas
4/24	Wednesday	Discussion Board Post – Due by Midnight
4/26	Friday	Assignments & 2 Discussion Comments due by 11:59 PM
4/27	Saturday	Chapters 5 & 6 Available on Canvas
5/1	Wednesday	Discussion Board Post – Due by Midnight
5/3	Friday	Assignments & 2 Discussion Comments due by 11:59 PM
5/4	Saturday	Chapters 7 & 8 Available on Canvas
5/6	Monday	Midterm – Made Available Online and On Campus
5/8	Wednesday	Discussion Board Post – Due by Midnight
5/10	Friday	Assignments & 2 Discussion Comments due by 11:59 PM Midterm – Must be Complete
5/11	Saturday	Chapters 9 & 10 available on Canvas
5/15	Wednesday	Discussion Board Post – Due by Midnight
5/17	Friday	Assignments & 2 Discussion Comments due by 11:59 PM
5/18	Saturday	Chapters 11 & 12 available on Canvas
5/22	Wednesday	Discussion Board Post – Due by Midnight
5/24	Friday	Assignments & 2 Discussion Comments due by 11:59 PM
5/25	Saturday	Chapters 13 & 14 available on Canvas
5/29	Wednesday	Discussion Board Post – Due by Midnight
5/31	Friday	Assignments & 2 Discussion Comments due by 11:59 PM
6/3	Monday	Final – Made Available Online and On Campus
6/7	Friday	Final – Must be Complete