Bellevue Community College

ECON& 202 Macroeconomics

(This course was formerly known as:

ECON 200 Introduction to Economics: Macroeconomics)

Section information for an on-line course: Summer 2009

Credits: 5

Instructor: Marjolein van der Veen

Office hours: by appointment

Email: Mvanderv@bellevuecollege.edu

Phone: 425.564.5192

Communication with the Instructor:

If you want to email me, first use the email available within Vista. If this is not possible, you can email me at my Bellevue College address above. All Bellevue College students are also encouraged to get a Bellevue College email address (registration for BC email addresses is done at the N building).

I will usually log onto the course during business hours on weekdays (Monday – Fridays, 9am – 5pm), and will try to answer emails in a timely fashion. I tend not to log on to the course over the weekends. If you would like to speak with me over the phone, send me an email to arrange a phone appointment. If you would like to meet in-person for office hours, I will only be available a couple times over the course of the quarter, as I am currently living in Eastern Washington. I will be giving midterm and final exam review sessions (for those students living in the area who would like to have face-to-face review sessions).

Course Description

This course is designed to study the macroeconomy. We will examine why the economy fluctuates, how the nation’s economic output is measured, what determines the rate of unemployment, and what determines the rate of inflation. We will learn about economic instability and crisis, and analyze the fiscal and monetary policy tools that can be used to help stabilize the economy. We will also look at the factors that determine long-term growth. We will question the federal budget deficit and why it has risen. We will also study trade policies, trade imbalances, the trade deficit, and fluctuations in the value of currencies. We will learn about the major institutions involved in the economy, and the historical context that shaped the economy of today. We will explore the different perspectives from which macroeconomic theory and policy has been formulated, to gain a better understanding of the macroeconomy and become better able to critically evaluate economic events and policies.

Expected Course Outcomes (according to the Economics department and BC):

1. Analyze macroeconomic outcomes, such as inflation, unemployment, economic growth, and trade and payments balances, by identifying and evaluating explanations, interpretations, possible solutions, and reliable sources of analysis and data.

2. Use economic reasoning and principles to compare and evaluate possible causes of and solutions for macroeconomic instability.

3. Identify the influence and importance of value judgments with regard to macroeconomic problems such as stagnation, budget and trade deficits, or slow productivity growth.

4. Identify and describe the major institutions through which macroeconomic policies are implemented.

5. Identify, compare, and use key macroeconomic statistics; be able to distinguish between data and conclusions based on data; and be able to explain the methods used to gather reported statistics and identify the misuse of economic statistics.

6. Explain the evolution of U.S. capitalism from the Great Depression to the present and identify the major trends in economic policy.

7. Compare and contrast the major traditions of economic thought as they apply to macroeconomic theory and policy.

Prerequisites:

Recommended: 30 prior college credits. You should have a grasp of basic math skills, such as calculating averages, percentage change, graphing, setting up equations and solving for unknown variables, etc.

Texts and other Required Materials

Required: Goodwin et al., Macroeconomics In Context, 1^st edition, M.E. Sharpe, 2008.

ISBN: 978-0-7656-2297-6.

Supplementary materials (such as a student study guide) are available for free on the website, at:

http://www.ase.tufts.edu/gdae/publications/textbooks/macroeconomics.html

Aplia subscription: Aplia is an online learning tool for students, available at: www.aplia.com

Fee: $35.00

Course Key: t.b.a.

Grace Period: t.b.a.

Additional articles and handouts may be posted by the instructor.

Attendance

Students are expected to log into the course on a daily basis, and participate by posting onto the threaded bulletin board discussions. In this fashion, we will be creating a “virtual classroom.” Your postings will be an important component of the class requirements and your grade (see below).

Course Requirements

1. One midterm exam, which will be conducted on-line, and will comprise 20% of the grade. The midterm exam will be given half-way through the quarter, via the assessment tool.

2. A final exam, which will be a proctored, in-class exam, and will comprise 30% of the grade. The final exam will be held during the final exam period.

3. Discussion postings, which will comprise 25% of your grade. You are required to respond to the discussion questions posted every week, by providing a “substantive” post to each of the questions posted, and at least 2 replies to other students’ postings. By “substantive”, I mean providing a quality post, providing your own thoughts on the material and/or responding to your classmates with a post showing that you are engaging with the material and ideas being discussed. Each weekly discussion will be graded on a scale of 0-10, and then at the end of the quarter, averaged and expressed as a percentage. The lowest weekly discussion grade will be dropped.

4. Weekly homework assignments and aplia exercises, which will comprise 25% of your grade. Your weekly homework/aplia assignment will be graded on a scale of 0 - 10. Your final homework/aplia grade will be an average of your weekly scores and expressed as a percentage. The lowest weekly homework grade will be dropped. The homework assignments should be submitted through the assignment tool.

Grade overview:

Weekly homework and aplia exercises: 25%

Discussion postings: 25%

Midterm exam: 20%

Final exam: 30%

Total: 100%

The exams may include short essay questions, numerical problems and multiple choice questions. The exams will cover material presented during class and assigned readings in the text for that segment of the course. The exams are only comprehensive (or cumulative) in the sense that the material in the later chapters build on material in the earlier chapters. Make-up examinations will be given only if an emergency arises and if the student makes prior arrangements.

If you have medical information to share with me in the event of an emergency, please contact me via email or come to see me during office hours. If you need course modifications/adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, I can refer you to our Disabilities Resource Center (DRC). If you prefer, you may contact them directly by going to B132 or by calling 425.564.2498 or TTY 425.564.4110. Information is also available on their website at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/drc/

Other services you should be aware of include:

• for technical difficulties with the online aspects of the course: Liz Anderson with Distance Ed, Rm. A140, 425-564-2438.

• Financial Aid, B building, 1^st floor, 425-564-2227.

• Library Media Center, D126, 425-564-6161.

• Academic Tutoring Center, D204, 425-564-2468

• Social Sciences Advisor: Deanne Eschback, deschbac@bellevuecollege.edu, 425-564-2216.

• Counseling Center, B234, 425-564-2212.

Rules for in-class proctored final examination:

• Only non-programmable calculators and non-electronic dictionaries allowed.

• Once the exam has begun, students will not be permitted to leave the room until the exam has been turned in to the instructor. Hence, make sure you use the bathroom before coming to class to take the exam.

Cheating

Any student who is found cheating or engaging in plagiarism will receive no grade (i.e. a zero) for that exam or assignment.

Grading

The student’s grade will be determined by the total number of points earned during the course divided by the total possible points, which then establishes the student’s percentage.

Grading scale:

Remember: according to BCC,

A grades indicate outstanding achievement

B grades indicate high achievement

C grades indicate satisfactory achievement

D grades indicate poor achievement

F grades indicate unsatisfactory achievement.

Withdrawals

The last day to withdraw without a W is July 7, and the last day to withdraw with a W is July 31.

Class Schedule

Weekly reading assignments and topics covered	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
Week 1 Ch. 1, 2 Macro goals, the PPF	June 29 Classes begin	June 30	July 1	July 2	July 3 Discussion week 1 posting due	July 4	July 5
Week 2 Ch. 3, 4 Supply and Demand	July 6	July 7	July 8	July 9	July 10 Discussion week 1 replies due; Week 2 post due	July 11	July 12 Homework #1 due
Week 3 Ch. 5, 6 The GDP	July 13	July 14	July 15	July 16 On-campus Review session 5:30pm – 7:30pm, room TBA	July 17 Discussion week 2 replies due; week 3 post due	July 18	July 19 Homework #2 due
Week 4 Ch. 7 Unemployment (Ch. 8 optional), start Ch. 9	July 20	July 21	July 22	July 23 Homework #3 due Midterm exam issued	July 24 Discussion week 3 replies due; week 4 post due	July 25	July 26
Week 5 Ch. 9 Aggregate Demand, the Business Cycle, the Keynesian Model	July 27 Midterm exam due (covers chs. 1-7)	July 28	July 29	July 30	July 31 Discussion week 4 replies due; week 5 post due	Aug 1	Aug 2 Homework #4 due
Week 6 Ch. 10 Fiscal Policy, deficits and debt	Aug 3	Aug 4	Aug 5	Aug 6	Aug 7 Discussion week 5 replies due; week 6 post due *** Professional Development Day – no class	Aug 8	Aug 9 Homework #5 due
Week 7 Ch. 11 Monetary Policy	Aug 10	Aug 11	Aug 12	Aug 13	Aug 14 Discussion week 6 replies due; week 7 post due	Aug 15	Aug 16 Homework #6 due
Week 8 Ch. 12 ASR/ADE model, inflation	Aug 17	Aug 18	Aug 19	Aug 20	Aug 21 Discussion week 7 replies due; week 8 post due	Aug 22	Aug 23 Homework #7 due
Week 9 Ch. 13, 14, 15 The Global Economy, Economic Growth, and Challenges for the 21^st Century	Aug 24	Aug 25	Aug 26	Aug 27	Aug 28 Discussion week 8 replies due; week 9 post due	Aug 29	Aug 30 Homework #8 due
Week 10	Aug 31 Classes end * Week 9 replies due. * On campus final exam, 5:30pm – 7:30pm

ONLINE PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES

OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCE DIVISION

Revised Spring 2009

Bellevue Community College’s Affirmation of Inclusion

Bellevue Community College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free from harassment and discrimination. We value our different backgrounds at BCC, and students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and respect. The college’s “Affirmation of Inclusion” is in line with the principle of free speech in a free society: we have the right to express unpopular ideas as long as we don’t show disrespect for reasonable people who might believe otherwise. In an online course, you will be expressing ideas through the medium of the course site rather than face to face in the classroom. In that case, these expectations refer to the courtesy with which you communicate with one another through e-mails and e-discussions. Part of this respect involves professional behavior towards the instructor, colleagues, and the class itself.

Cheating, Stealing, and Plagiarizing* and Inappropriate Behavior

Cheating, stealing and plagiarizing (using the ideas or words of another as one’s own without crediting the source) and inappropriate/disruptive behavior are violations of the Student Code of Conduct at Bellevue Community College. Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to: plagiarizing material from the Internet and posting rude or personal attacks in discussions. When you are in doubt about any behavior, please consult your instructor. In addition, you may wish to review the general applicable rules of cyberspace, such as in the Core Rules of Netiquette. The instructor reserves the right to remove posted messages, and downgrade assessments as a result of these types of behaviors. The instructor can refer any violation of the Student Code of Conduct to the Vice President of Student Services for possible probation or suspension from Bellevue Community College. Specific student rights, responsibilities and appeal procedures are listed in the Student Code of Conduct, available in the office of the Vice President of Student Services, link to Student Code.

Incomplete

If a student fails to complete all the required work for a course, an instructor may assign the grade of Incomplete (“I”). It is the student’s responsibility for maintaining contact and adhering to the agreed-upon actions. Vista class sites, and material, may not be directly accessible after the end of the quarter so it important to make arrangements before the quarter ends. The student must complete the coursework by the end of the next quarter, or receive the assigned letter grade (usually an “F”). There is a standard form that instructors have access to in their instructor’s grade briefcase.

F Grade

Students who fail a course will receive a letter grade of "F.”

Final Examination Schedule

Final examinations may involve proctored on-campus arranged exams or may be administrated completely online at the discretion of the instructor and in keeping with the stated policies provided in the course syllabus. Please refer to the syllabus at the start of the quarter for additional details and contact the instructor directly for any clarifications. A student who is not in compliance with the scheduled format may forfeit the right to make up the examination. If, for illness or some other circumstance beyond the student's control, the student is unable to be in compliance with any scheduled examination and has contacted the instructor on a timely basis, the student may be permitted to take such examination at a time designated by the instructor.

Withdrawal From Class

College policy states that students must formally withdraw from a class by the end of the seventh week of the quarter during the standard academic year (Registration Office, B125). If a student has not withdrawn by that date, an appropriate letter grade will be assigned for the course. Check Enrollment Calendar Deadlines, Refunds/Withdrawals, for additional details. As with most enrollment deadlines, it is the student’s responsibility to be aware of these dates and act accordingly.

Hardship Withdrawal (HW)

From page 9 of the current course catalog, 2008-2009 online catalog, HW indicates a withdrawal request made because of extenuating circumstances after the official withdrawal period is over. The student must contact the instructor to request this withdrawal option, or the faculty member may initiate the contact. No points are calculated into the grade-point average. Students may also contact the Enrollment Services office BEFORE grades are assigned in cases of hardship.

Students Who Require Disability Accommodations:

Students with disabilities who have accommodation needs are encouraged to contact the Disability Resource Centre (DRC) link to DRC. The office is located in B132 (telephone 425.564.2498 or TTY 425.564.4110, email drc@bellevuecollege.edu). Students will need to establish their eligibility for accommodation. The DRC office will provide each eligible student with an accommodation letter or contact your online instructor directly by email. Students who require accommodation in a course should review the DRC accommodation letter with each instructor during the first week of the quarter.

Distribution of Grades

Students should access their grades through the BCC Web site. Any returned material should be accessed prior to the end of the quarter. After the end of the quarter, Vista class sites may not be accessible by students. Individual instructors may use non-Vista tools for recording and maintaining the students’ progress. Questions about grades assigned should be initially directed to your instructor.

Submission and Returning of Papers, Assignments and Assessments:

Specific guidelines for taking exams and submitting assignments are published in the syllabus. Please contact instructor at the start of the quarter for any clarifications.

Technical Assistance

Vista-related or technical issues should be referred to Distance Education, link to Distance Education web resources. You may also email them at landerso@bellevuecollege.edu or call 425-564-2438 (1-877-641-2712). Vista tutorial help and basic instructions can be found at http://bellevuecollege.edu/distance/studentguide/

*If you are accused of cheating, stealing exams and/or plagiarism, there is a Bellevue Community College Student Discipline and Appeals Procedure (the right to due process) which you may pursue. Contact the office of Division Chair (D110), the Vice President of Student Services (B231A) or the Associated Student Body (C212) for information regarding the appeals process.