ECON 2020 Principles of Macroeconomics

Instructor Contact:

Alpna Bhatia, PhD

Email: bhatiaa@colorado.edu

About the Course:

This course is designed as an introductory survey of economy-wide issues such as inflation, unemployment, national output, employment, and government deficits and debt. The basic aggregate demand/supply model will be introduced and used to model historical events. Monetary and fiscal policies will be surveyed where both their benefits and shortcomings will be discussed. Alternative economic theories will also be included throughout the course.

Course Prerequisites:

ECON 2010 (Principles of Microeconomics) with a C- or better course grade. 

Proctoring:

This course requires proctored examinations. Exams are proctored which will require planning on your part. Proctors are individuals who administer the exam process following the guidelines provided by the University of Colorado Boulder to ensure academic integrity. Some proctoring options require the student to pay a fee. 

Objectives:

Upon completion of the course, you should be able to:

• identify the data and tools of macroeconomic policy;
• describe the costs and benefits of economy-wide phenomena such as inflation, unemployment, government debt;
• evaluate public policies in an informed and objective manner;
• recognize the institutional surroundings that impact macroeconomic phenomena;
• describe the role of international trade in the macroeconomy; and
• further your analytical, research, and writing skills.

Required Texts:

Schiller and Gebhardt: The Macro Economy Today, 15th edition with access to Connect. Connect is the website where you will read your textbook and complete some graded assignments. You will access Connect through our course website, Canvas. You will have a free Connect trial for the first two weeks of class before having to purchase it.

Grading (out of 1000 points):

• Model Prep (55 points): There will be a weekly (Econ) Model Prep activity that will revolve around math or writing about economics being used that week. There will be twelve (12) Model Prep activities, in total, and the lowest of these model prep assignments will be dropped from your final grade calculation.
• LearnSmart (55 points): Each chapter has an associated LearnSmart activity on Connect, worth 5 points. Students complete this activity by answering questions until they reach the target score. Once students reach the target score, they receive full credit (a grade of 100%) for completing the activity. Students may continue answering questions to review even after they’ve completed the activity or after the due date has passed BUT credit is awarded only when completed by the due date.I will count your 11 best Learn Smarts scores.
• Problem Sets (330 points): There are twelve (12) Problem sets each worth 30 points. The lowest of your problem set grade will be dropped from your grade calculation.
• Discussion or Exercises (150 points): Formal class discussion and exercises help extend economic analysis by relating actual events to the theories presented in class. There will be six (6) discussions or exercise postings, each worth 30 points. Your lowest score is dropped.
• Practice Exams (60 points): There will be two (2) practice exams, one before each exam that you can take multiple times. Each practice exam is worth 20 points.
• Exams (350 points): There are two (2) exams. The midterm exam is worth 150 points and the cumulative final exam is worth 200 points. The exams are completed in a proctored setting.