Economics 140 - Introduction to Macroeconomics

ECONOMICS 140 INTRODUCTION TO MACROECONOMICS WINTER 2013 Course Objectives: This is an introductory course in macroeconomics, which is the study of the behaviour and performance of the economy as a whole. You will be introduced to the concepts, principles, and tools, which economists use to understand the causes of both short-run economic fluctuations and long-run economic growth and to analyze the macroeconomic problems and policy issues facing our economy.

Lecture Sections and Instructors: Section A B C D E F G

Time TR 8:30 – 9:50 a.m. TR 11.30 a.m.–12.50 p.m. TR 1:00 – 2.20 p.m. TR 2:30 – 3.50 p.m. MW 2:30 – 3.50 p.m. MW 4:00 – 5.20 p.m. W 7:00 – 9.50 p.m.

Location 1E1 BA101 BA101 1E1 1E1 1E1 N1001

Instructor and Office R.Tahir (P2056) J. Smith (P3090) R.Tahir (P2056) R.Tahir (P2056) R.Tahir (P2056) R.Jefferson (3A4) J.Smith (P3090)

Course Website: The course website is https://mylearningspace.wlu.ca. Lecture notes, course announcements, grades, and other important information will be posted there. Students are expected to check the website regularly.

Textbook & Course Materials: 1) Michael Parkin and Robin Bade, Macroeconomics: Canada in the Global Environment, 8th Edition (2013) 2) MyEconLab (Access Code Card packaged with above) 3) iClicker The textbooks available in the bookstore will come packaged with MyEconLab access (see below), but you can also purchase a stand-alone copy if you choose not to use MyEconLab. MyEconLab is an online assessment tool that will be used for optional weekly quizzes. It also contains various functionalities that will help students learn the material. You can purchase a copy of the textbook packaged with MyEconLab, or you can purchase access separately.

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The iClicker will be used for required in-class quizzes in each lecture. In each class there are a maximum of 5 marks available: 3 participation points for answering 75% of the questions asked; 1 performance point for each correctly answered question.

Evaluation: The final grade is assigned based on the best of the following two evaluation schemes. Scheme 1 contains an optional MyEconLab component worth 5% of the final grade, while Scheme 2 reallocates the MyEconLab component to the final exam. Thus, if a student performs better on the final exam than on the MyEconLab component, or if a student opts not to purchase MyEconLab at all, its weight is automatically transferred to the final exam. Component of Evaluation Best 15 clicker scores Best 8 of 9 MyEconLab Quizzes (optional) Term Test 1 Term Test 2 Final Exam

Scheme 1 5% 5% 20% 25% 45%

Scheme 2 5% 20% 25% 50%

Course Topics and Textbook Readings: TOPIC Measuring GDP and Economic Growth Monitoring Jobs and Inflation The Keynesian Fixed-Prices Macro Model Aggregate Supply and Aggregate Demand Finance, Saving, and Investment Money, the Price Level, and Inflation Monetary Policy Fiscal Policy The Exchange Rate and the Balance of Payments Economic Growth

TEXT CHAPTER Ch. 20 Ch. 21 Ch. 27 (p.647-660, 668-671) Ch. 26, Ch. 27 (p.661-667) Ch. 23 (p.548-561) Ch. 24 Ch. 30 Ch. 29 Ch. 25 Ch. 22

Schedule: Assessment Quiz 1 Quiz 2 Quiz 3 Midterm 1 Quiz 4 Quiz 5 Midterm 2 Quiz 6 Quiz 7 Quiz 8 Quiz 9

Due Date Tuesday, January 22 at 9:00 p.m. Friday, January 25 at 9:00 p.m. Friday, February 1 at 9:00 p.m. Friday, February 8 at 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Friday, February 15 at 9:00 p.m. Friday, March 1 at 9:00 p.m. Friday, March 8 at 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 15 at 9:00 p.m. Friday, March 22 at 9:00 p.m. Thursday, March 28 at 9:00 p.m. Friday, April 8 at 9:00 p.m. 2

Missed Tests, Exams, Clickers, and MyEconLab Quizzes: 1. Term Tests: There are no deferred term tests. Students who cannot write either (or both) of the term tests and have an acceptable excuse will have the corresponding weight(s) moved to their final exam. Students must submit documentation of illness, family emergency or other unavoidable & legitimate conflict to Ms. Leysa Ligaya in the Economics Office (P3082). Students who miss a term test without an acceptable excuse and documentation will be assigned a mark of zero for that test. 2. The Final Exam: Students who are unable to write the scheduled final exam for valid cause must submit a petition with supporting documentation to Ms.Lee Leeman in the SBE Petitions Office (SBE1256). Note that the Petitions Committee will not grant appeals from students who write a final exam and subsequently claim to have been ill or indisposed at the time of writing. 3. Clickers and MyEconLab: Only the best 15 clicker scores, and only the best 8 MyEconLab scores, count towards your final grade. They are structured this way to allow for student absence or illness without needing to provide a note. There will be no deferrals, extensions, or grade reweighting for these items. A grade of zero will be applied for missed clicker scores and missed MyEconLab quizzes.

Assistance with Course Material: Teaching Assistants: Teaching assistants (TAs) will be available to answer student questions regarding course material during their office hours, which will be held in P3117A. Office hour times will be posted outside P3117A and on the course website.

Accessible Learning: Students with disabilities or special needs are advised to contact the Accessible Learning Centre for information regarding its services and resources. Students are encouraged to review the Calendar for more information regarding all services available on campus.

Supplemental Instruction: This course is SI-supported. Each week, your SI Learning Assistant will facilitate learning groups where you and your peers will work together on learning the course content and preparing for tests. SI learning groups are free and voluntary. SI doesn’t replace lectures, labs, or tutorials. For more information visit us online at www.wlu.ca/study.

Academic Misconduct You are reminded that the University will levy sanctions on students who are found to have committed, or have attempted to commit, acts of academic or research misconduct. You are expected to know what constitutes an academic offense, to avoid committing such offenses, and to take responsibility for your academic actions. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalty, please consult the relevant section of the Undergraduate Academic Calendar. If you need clarification of aspects of University policy on Academic and Research Misconduct, please consult your instructor. 3

Plagiarism Wilfrid Laurier University uses software that can check for plagiarism. Students may be required to submit their written work in electronic form and have it checked for plagiarism.

Class Participation with iClickers Class Participation Marks: • • • • •

Students earn participation marks through the classroom use of iClickers and are responsible for bringing a clicker to each class and ensuring that the batteries work. You must register your clicker for this term; having registered it in a previous term (e.g., Fall, 2012) is not sufficient. Graded class participation will begin in the first class of week 2 (the week of January 14th) and continue over the term. Your final participation grade, worth 5% of your final course grade, will be the average of the best 15 scores. The lowest scores will not count to allow for absences from class due to illness, forgotten clickers, dead batteries etc. Your clicker grades will count if you attend a lecture section other than your own, but students will only receive credit for one lecture topic per week (i.e. you cannot attend Jefferson’s Monday lecture and Smith’s Tuesday lecture and get credit for both). We discourage students from attending sections other than your own, as space is often limited and it becomes difficult to track clicker scores. If the lecture halls fill to capacity, students who are not registered in that section will be asked to leave.

Clicker Registration • You are responsible for purchasing your clicker from the Laurier Bookstore. • You are required to register your clicker online via MyLearningSpace (https://mylearningspace.wlu.ca). When you login you will see a course called “Clicker Registration – Winter 2013”. To register your clicker, follow these steps: 1. Enter the “Clicker Registration – Winter 2013” course by clicking on the title 2. From the homepage, click on the “Click here to register your clicker” link 3. Begin the quiz by clicking the “Start Quiz” link 4. Enter your 8-character serial number (located on the back of your clicker) into the text box. SAVE YOUR ANSWER and click “Go To Submit Quiz” then click on “Submit Quiz.” Be VERY CAREFUL in entering the digits e.g. 0 (number) vs o (letter). • Please note: Failure to register your clicker in this way may result in loss of clicker marks. You MUST complete the quiz to have your clicker marks assigned to you. If you registered your clicker in previous terms, you MUST register it again for this term. • You will be able to confirm your clicker registration within the “Clicker Registration – Winter 2012” area in MyLearningSpace. Please watch the News for information on when and how to do this. • Please direct any questions about this process or about clickers in general to [email protected]. • A clicker troubleshooting station is available at the help desk in the library.

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