Mrs. L. Templer

Office: I-323

Office Hours: M-W 1:00 – 3:00

T-TH 1:00 – 3:00

Or by appointment

Ph: 661-362-3375

Email: lea.templer@canyons.edu

SPRING 2012

Section 85470
ECONOMICS 202

Course Title: Microeconomics

Course Credit: 3 units

Student Learning Outcomes: Compare and contrast the decision making processes of the product and resource markets under different levels of competition.

This is a 100% online class – you will be working on your own – but there are deadlines. There will be no class meetings. All deadlines dates end at 11:55 pm. I will not accept any late assignments, papers, exams, quizzes or anything else. The exams will be online and timed. In case of an emergency, I will not reopen any exams or quizzes. You may occasionally go over the time limit – I will accept a quiz or exam if it is within a minute of the time limit. You will see (!) an exclamation point instead of a grade when you exceed the time limit. I will open your assignment and decide whether to accept it and give you a grade or not accept it and give you a zero.

You can always email me if you run into problems or questions about the class or the course material. I will try to email you back within 24 hours of receiving your email, most of the time it will be sooner than that. If you call me – there is a chance that I may not get the message in time to deal with your questions. As this is an 100% online class – I am on campus Monday through Thursday.

If you have technical problems, please contact our College Blackboard Administrator – his email is posted on the bb.canyons.edu log-in page. Here is the information again:

Student Tech Support:
Monday - Thursday 8:00 am - 8:00 pm, Friday 8:00 am - 1:00 pm, Saturday 9:00 am - 1:00 pm. Email will be replied to within 24 business hours. If you are having problems within your course with assignments, tests and the like, please contact your instructor.
Email: bbsupport@canyons.edu
Phone Number: 661-362-3344
If you are having problems within your course with assignments, tests and the like, please contact your instructor.

If you need help or answers about Blackboard see the web links listed below:

Helpful Links:
Instructor Orientation Letters
Blackboard Tutorial
Blackboard FAQ's

· Required: Register and Access to the Web site; Thinkwell’s Microeconomics with Steven Tomlinson

· MEETING DATES: There are no meeting dates

· WEB SITES

o Thinkwell’s web site: http://www.thinkwell.com

o Blackboard’s web site: http://bb9.canyons.edu

· REGISTERING IN THE BLACKBOARD WEB SITE to not be dropped from the class:

· To have access and register in the Blackboard web site, students need to follow these instructions:

The Blackboard web address is: http://bb9.canyons.edu
The student needs to go to Section 85470 - Econ 202sp2012 available in your course list when you log in.
Student usernames will be in the form of student’s first initial + student’s last initial + last five digits of student ID number.

For example:

First name: John

Last name: Doe

ID #: 0011223

Username: 0011223 (use your full ID number)

All student passwords are: “student” (If you are already registered in another Blackboard section – use the same password as in the other section)
To change your password – Go to Tools:

From Personal Information

Click on “Edit Personal Information” à enter the email address you will be using for this course.
Click on “Change Password” à change your password – you will be the only one to know this password! I will not have access to this information – write it down somewhere you can find it!

Go to Assignments: Follow the instructions for the first assignment.
This must be done by February 9^th and earn 5 bonus points.

· REGISTERING FOR THE THINKWELL WEB SITE – to not be dropped from the class:

· Thinkwell’s web site address: http://www.thinkwell.com – You can either go directly to the Thinkwell website - pay for the authorization to access the website and register as a student the class or buy the access code at the COC bookstore and then go the Thinkwell website and register for the class.

· Note: you do not need to pay twice! It is cheaper to go directly to the Thinkwell Website and pay for the authorization to access the class material. You do not need to buy the NOTES unless you want to! The NOTES are available on the website free of charge!

· Student needs to register and log in by February 9th to earn 5 bonus points.

· HINTS FOR SUCCEEDING IN A WEB-BASED COURSE:

1. Make time for watching the video lessons. It will take you a lot more time than you think to

finish.

2. The textbook and the study guide that I use for the lecture-based classes, Arnold’s

Economics, 9^th Edition, is available to you in the Library at the reserve desk.

3. For those of you who are visual learners, you can print the script from the CD lessons.

4. The NOTES are also available on the Thinkwell website or at the bookstore – just be

careful if you choose to print it – you will use up the red ink in your color cartridge – print

in grey tones.

5. Make sure that your computer is up to snuff.

6. Be aware that your Internet access may not always be there when you want it. Company

servers sometimes crash too!

7. Be aware that during certain hours, the Internet is slower than other times.

8. When on the Blackboard website – taking exams – DO NOT SAVE – just hit “submit” once!

9. If you need to get in touch with the Thinkwell tech support – they are located in Houston, Texas – they are 2 hours ahead of us – just remember to take that into account.

· STUDENT EVALUATION:

Exams (3 @ 100 points each) 300 points

Final Exam 200 points

Homework (15 @ 10 points each) 150 points

Discussion Board

(8 assignments @ 20 points each) 160 points

Note: The total possible points shown here will not match the total points on Blackboard! There are bonus points available at the beginning of the semester – none at the end of the semester!

· The lowest exam score or one half of the FINAL EXAM SCORE may be dropped (You must complete the entire exam). If you miss an exam, then you have self selected the exam that you drop. Exams will not be individually rescheduled. There will be no make up exams. The final exam is required of everyone.

· The lowest two homework assignment scores will also be dropped. No time extensions will be available.

· GRADE EARNED:

A - 90% B - 80% C - 70% D - 60%

· CHEATING - Any student caught cheating on an exam receives a drop/fail for the class. No exceptions. See Policy at end of Syllabus.

· DROP DATE WITH A W - It is the student's responsibility to drop a class before, March 30th , otherwise it may lead to a failing grade for the class.

· ADD DEADLINE - The last day to add a class is February 21st.

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO FOR THIS CLASS? For due dates: you may work ahead within a unit, but the last day to the homework assignments, discussion board assignments, and exams are listed throughout the syllabus as well as on the calendar on page 10 of the syllabus

1. WATCH the Thinkwell videos on the Thinkwell website

2. EXERCISES: (available on the Thinkwell web site)

- These are available as practice questions for you. You may do the multiple choice questions

as many times as you wish. When you submit – you will get the answers.

- This is not an extra credit assignment!

- I will not be looking at your scores when calculating your grades

3. HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS: (available on the Blackboard website – click on Homework)

- These are weekly assignments worth 10 points each.

- You will be given a set of application problems/short essays to turn in by Thursday of

each week. (all assignments are due by 11:55 pm of the given date)

- See page 10 of the syllabus for homework assignments and their due dates

- I will grade them and give you feedback as soon as possible after the deadline – you click on

the grade to see my comments

4. DISCUSSION BOARD ASSIGNMENTS:

- For each section of the course, there will be one posted assignments on the Blackboard web site: Group à Discussion Board

- You will be assigned a group by February 6th for you to post your discussion board assignments.

- The due date will always be the first date for the answers to the questions and the next

day for your comment on two other students’ answers to the questions.

- The due dates are: (Mondays and Tuesdays)

DB #1 – by 2/13 for questions and by 2/14 for comments

DB #2 – by 2/20 for questions and by 2/21 for comments

DB #3 – by 3/5 for questions and by 3/6 for comments

DB #4 – by 3/12 for questions and 3/13 for comments

DB #5 – by 3/19 for questions and 3/20 for comments

DB #6 – by 4/16 for questions and 4/17 for comments

DB #7 – by 4/23 for questions and 4/24 for comments

DB #8 – by 5/14 for questions and 5/15 for comments

- You must post an answer, comment on the Questions using microeconomic analysis.

- Each participation will be worth up to 20 points.

- To earn the 20 points:

§ you need to first summarize the article then analyze its content as it pertains to specific concepts within the course material: 10 points

o You must then comment on two other students’ comments. You cannot just agree or disagree. You must evaluate and then give your reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with your fellow students’ comments – 5 points each

5. EXAMS:

· The exams are available online in EXAMS – you will have 4 days to do the exams

· The first 3 exams are worth 100 points: Part A: Multiple choice questions and part B: essays – You will have 1 hour and 20 minutes for the unit exams

· The first 3 exams are worth 100 points, the final exam is worth 200 points – it is a two part exam: exam on the last unit and exam covering the entire content of the course.

· Part A of the first 3 exam and the first half of the final will consist of 30 multiple choice questions worth 2 points each taken from the exercises and the material covered in the videos.

· Part B of the first 3 exam will consist of 4 short essays

· Part B for the final exam will consist of 4 short essays on the last unit and 4 larger essays that come either from the readings or applications of the material learned during the course

· You will have 2 hours to take the final exam

Video List

Ch. 1 Introduction to Economic Thinking

    1.1 Basic Economics Ideas
      1.1.1 Defining Economics (Disc 1, 6:36)
      1.1.2 Understanding the Concept of Value (Disc 1, 9:12)

Ch. 2 Understanding Markets

    2.1 Demand
      2.1.1 Understanding the Determinants of Demand (Disc 1)
      2.1.2 Understanding the Basics of Demand (Disc 1, 11:54)
      2.1.3 Analyzing Shifts in the Demand Curve (Disc 1, 8:13)
      2.1.4 Changing Other Demand Variables (Disc 1, 10:43)
      2.1.5 Deriving a Market Demand Curve (Disc 1, 9:16)

    2.2 Supply
      2.2.1 Understanding the Determinants of Supply (Disc 1, 6:00)
      2.2.2 Deriving a Supply Curve (Disc 1, 9:49)
     2.2.3 Understanding a Change in Supply versus a Change in Quantity Supplied                                                    (Disc 1, 6:52)
      2.2.4 Analyzing Changes in Other Supply Variables (Disc 1, 8:46)
      2.2.5 Deriving a Market Supply Curve from Individual Supply Curves (Disc 1, 7:16)

    2.3 Equilibrium
      2.3.1 Determining a Competitive Equilibrium (Disc 1, 16:03)
      2.3.2 Defining Comparative Statics (Disc 1, 7:02)
      2.3.3 Classifying Comparative Statics (Disc 1, 13:04)

    2.4 Elasticity
      2.4.1 Defining Elasticity (Disc 1, 4:57)
      2.4.2 Calculating Elasticity (Disc 1, 11:43)
      2.4.3 Applying the Concept of Elasticity (Disc 1, 8:42)
      2.4.4 Identifying the Determinants of Elasticity (Disc 1, 6:50)
      2.4.5 Understanding the Relationship between Total Revenue and Elasticity (Disc 1, 8:09)

    2.5 Interfering With Markets
      2.5.1 Understanding How Price Controls Damage Markets (Disc 1, 9:38)
      2.5.2 Understanding the Problem of Minimum Wages in Labor Markets (Disc 1, 14:47)
      2.5.3 Understanding How an Excise Tax Affects Equilibrium (Disc 1, 9:12)

    2.6 Agriculture Economics
      2.6.1 Examining Problems in Agricultural Economics (Disc 1)

Exam #1 – From February 24^th to February 28^th - 11:55 pm

Ch. 3 Consumer Choice and Household Behavior

    3.1 Utility Theory
      3.1.1 Understanding Utility Theory (Disc 1)
      3.1.2 Finding Consumer Equilibrium (Disc 1)

Ch. 4 Production and Costs

    4.1 The Basics of Production
      4.1.1 Understanding Output, Inputs, and the Short Run (Disc 1, 8:48)
      4.1.2 Explaining the Total Product Curve (Disc 1, 15:57)
      4.1.3 Drawing Marginal Product Curves (Disc 1, 7:22)
      4.1.4 Understanding Average Product (Disc 1, 10:32)
      4.1.5 Relating Costs to Productivity (Disc 1, 5:25)

    4.2 Variable Costs
      4.2.1 Defining Variable Costs (Disc 1, 4:23)
      4.2.2 Graphing Variable Costs (Disc 1, 4:57)
      4.2.3 Graphing Variable Costs Using a Geometric Trick (Disc 1, 5:03)

    4.3 Marginal Costs
      4.3.1 Defining Marginal Costs (Disc 1, 6:44)
      4.3.2 Deriving the Marginal Cost Curve (Disc 1, 10:59)
      4.3.3 Understanding the Mathematical Relationship between Marginal Cost and Marginal    Product (Disc 1, 10:26)

    4.4 Average Costs
      4.4.1 Defining Average Variable Costs (Disc 2, 5:37)
      4.4.2 Understanding the Relationship between Average Variable Cost and Average Product of Labor (Disc 2, 6:06)
      4.4.3 Understanding the Relationship between Marginal Cost and Average Variable Cost (Disc 2, 7:54)

    4.5 Total Costs
      4.5.1 Defining and Graphing Average Fixed Cost and Average Total Cost (Disc 2, 6:55)
      4.5.2 Calculating Average Total Cost (Disc 2, 4:51)
      4.5.3 Putting the Cost Curves Together (Disc 2, 10:09)

    4.6 Long-Run Production and Costs
      4.6.1 Defining the Long Run (Disc 2, 5:55)
      4.6.2 Determining a Firm's Return to Scale (Disc 2, 9:01)
      4.6.3 Understanding Short-Run and Long-Run Average Cost Curves (Disc 2, 15:06)
      4.6.4 Understanding the Difference between a Movement along a Cost Curve and a Shift

in a Cost Curve (Disc 2, 3:26)

Ch. 5 Perfect Competition

    5.1 The Basic Assumptions of Competitive Markets
      5.1.1 Understanding the Role of Price (Disc 2, 16:41)
      5.1.2 Understanding Market Structures (Disc 1)
      5.1.3 Finding Economic and Accounting Profit (Disc 1)

    5.2 Calculating Profit and Loss
      5.2.1 Finding the Firm's Profit-Maximizing Output Level (Disc 2, 14:24)
      5.2.2 Proving the Profit-Maximizing Rule (Disc 2, 4:20)
      5.2.3 Calculating Profit (Disc 2, 12:26)
      5.2.4 Calculating Loss (Disc 2, 9:13)
      5.2.5 Finding the Firm's Shut-Down Point (Disc 2, 8:34)

    5.3 Market Supply
      5.3.1 Deriving the Short-Run Market Supply Curve (Disc 2, 20:44)
      5.3.2 Relating the Individual Firm to the Market (Disc 2, 18:52)
      5.3.3 Examining Shifts in the Short-Run Market Supply Curve (Disc 2, 5:15)
      5.3.4 Deriving the Long-Run Market Supply Curve (Disc 2, 9:13)

5.4 Competitive Firms' Responses to Price Changes
5.4.1 Examining the Firm's Long-Run and Short-Run Adjustments to a Price Increase (Disc 2, 18:36)

Exam #2 – From March 23^rd to March 27^th – 11:55 pm

Ch. 6 Other Market Models

    6.1 Monopolies
      6.1.1 Defining Monopoly Power (Disc 2, 10:10)
      6.1.2 Defining Marginal Revenue for a Firm with Market Power (Disc 2, 12:43)
      6.1.3 Determining the Monopolist's Profit-Maximizing Output and Price (Disc 2, 14:18)
      6.1.4 Calculating a Monopolist's Profit and Loss (Disc 2, 6:24)
      6.1.5 Graphing the Relationship between Marginal Revenue and Elasticity (Disc 2, 15:06)

    6.2 The Social Cost of Monopoly
      6.2.1 Determining the Social Cost of Monopoly (Disc 2, 12:22)
      6.2.2 Calculating Deadweight Loss (Disc 2, 15:23)
      6.2.3 Understanding Monopoly Regulation (Disc 2, 13:06)

    6.3 Oligopoly
      6.3.1 Introducing Oligopoly and the Prisoner's Dilemma (Disc 2, 16:25)
      6.3.2 Understanding a Cartel As a Prisoner's Dilemma (Disc 2, 10:47)
      6.3.3 Understanding the Kinked-Demand Curve Model (Disc 1)

6.4 Monopolistic Competition
      6.4.1 Defining Monopolistic Competition (Disc 2, 7:00)
      6.4.2 Understanding Pricing and Output under Monopolistic Competition (Disc 2, 8:58)
      6.4.3 Understanding Monopolistic Competition As a Prisoner's Dilemma (Disc 2, 6:44)

Ch. 7 Resource Markets

    7.1 The Derived Demand for Labor
      7.1.1 Deriving the Factor Demand Curve (Disc 1)
      7.1.2 Deriving the Least-Cost Rule (Disc 1)
      7.1.3 Analyzing the Labor Market (Disc 1)

    7.2 Monopsony
      7.2.1 Understanding Labor Market Power and Marginal Factor Cost (Disc 1)

    7.3 Capital Markets
      7.3.1 Analyzing Capital Markets (Disc 1)

Exam #3 – From April 27^th to May 1^st – 11:55 pm

Ch. 8 Market Failures

    8.1 Overview of Market Failures
      8.1.1 Understanding Market Failures (Disc 2, 17:50)

    8.2 Public Goods and Public Choice
      8.2.1 Defining Public Goods (Disc 1)
      8.2.2 Analyzing the Tax System (Disc 1)
      8.2.3 Understanding Public Choice (Disc 1)

Ch. 9 International Trade

    9.1 The Basics of Open Economies
      9.1.1 Determining the Difference between a Closed Economy and an Open Economy (Disc 1, 8:56)
      9.1.2 Understanding Exports in an Open Economy (Disc 1, 5:23)
      9.1.3 Analyzing a Change in Equilibrium in an Open Economy (Disc 1, 4:03)

Ch. 10 Evaluating Market Outcomes

    10.1 Consumer and Producer Surplus
        10.1.1 Understanding Producer and Consumer Surplus (Disc 3, 6:36)
        10.1.2 Calculating Total Economic Value (Disc 3, 6:26)

     10.2 Market Interference and Economic Value
        10.2.1 Understanding the Effects of Price Controls (Disc 3, 6:31)
        10.2.2 Understanding How Price Controls Destroy Economic Value (Disc 3, 7:28)
        10.2.3 Evaluating the Effects of an Excise Tax (Disc 3, 9:12)
        10.2.4 Assessing the Effect of an Excise Tax on Economic Value (Disc 3, 4:53)
        10.2.5 Understanding How a Tax Can Create Deadweight Loss (Disc 3, 2:08)

    10.3 International Trade and Economic Value
        10.3.1 Evaluating the Gains from International Trade (Disc 3, 7:55)
        10.3.2 Understanding the Effects of Tariffs on Consumer and Producer Surplus (Disc 3, 10:50)

Final Exam – From May 25^th to May 29^th – 11:55 pm

CLASS CALENDAR

You may work ahead but all deadlines are set at 11:55 PM on the Blackboard Website

FEBRUARY:

6^th – Class starts

9^th – Introduce yourself – found by clicking on Discussion Board button – Bonus

9^th – last day to Register for Blackboard and Thinkwell – Bonus

9^th – Homework #1 – Video sections 1.1 – 2.1

10^th - Bonus Syllabus quiz – found in Exam section

13^th – Discussion Board #1 – answers

14^th – Discussion Board #1 – comments

16^th – Homework #2 – Video sections 2.2 - 2.3

20^th – Discussion Board #2 – answers

21^st - Discussion Board #2 – comments

21^st – Last day to add any class and pay for the class

23^rd – Homework #3 – Video section 2.4 – 2.6

From February 24^th – February 28^th – Exam #1 available

MARCH:

1^st – Homework #4 – Video Sections 3.1-4.1

5^th - Discussion Board #3 – answers

6^th – Discussion Board #3 – comments

8^th - Homework #5 – Video Sections 4.2-4.3-4.4

12^th - Discussion Board #4 – answers

13^th – Discussion Board #4 – comments

15^th – Homework #6 – Video Sections 4.5-4.6

19^th - Discussion Board #5 – answers

20^th – Discussion Board #5 – comments

22^nd – Homework # 7 – Video Sections 5.1-5.4

From March 23th – March 27th – Exam #2 available

29^th – Homework #8 – Video Lessons 6.1 – 6.2

30^th – last day to drop class with a W

APRIL: 2^nd – 6^th Spring Break – no assignments

12^th – Homework #9 – Video Sections 6.3 – 6.4

16^th – Discussion Board #6 – answers

17^th – Discussion Board #6 – comments

19^th - Homework #10 – Video Sections 7.1

23^rd – Discussion Board #7 – answers

24^th – Discussion Board #7 – comments

26^th – Homework #11 – video Sections 7.2 – 7.3

From April 27^th – May 1^st – Exam #3 available

MAY:

3^rd – Homework #12 – Video Sections 8.1 – 8.2

10^th – Homework #13 – Video Sections 9.1 – 10.1

14^th – Discussion Board #8 – answers

15^th – Discussion Board #8 – comments

17^th – Homework #14 - Video Sections 10.2-10.3

24^th – Homework #15 – Comprehensive assignment

From May 25^th – May 30^th – Final Exam available

COC Statement and Policy on Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

Approved by Academic Senate in May, 2010

Statement on Academic Integrity at College of the Canyons

Students are expected to do their own work as assigned. At College of the Canyons, we believe that academic integrity and honesty are some of the most important qualities college students need to develop and maintain. To facilitate a culture of academic integrity, College of the Canyons has defined plagiarism and academic dishonesty. Due process procedures have been established when plagiarism or academic dishonesty is suspected.

At COC, we define plagiarism as follows: Plagiarism is the submission of someone else’s work or ideas as one’s own, without adequate attribution. When a student submits work for a class assignment that includes the words, ideas or data of others, without acknowledging the source of the information through complete, accurate, and specific references, plagiarism is involved. This may include dual submissions of a similar work for credit for more than one class, without the current instructor’s knowledge and approval.

To be specific, below are some of the situations that will be considered plagiarism at COC:

· Use information from any source, online or in print, in one’s own writing without acknowledging the source in the content and in the reference page of the assignment;

· Simply list the sources in the reference page, without parenthetical citations in the body of the essay;

· Take more than one printed line of words consecutively from the source without putting quotation marks around them, even though the student has put the author’s name in the parentheses or in the reference page;

· Turn in work done for other classes, regardless how big or small the assignment may be, without the current instructor’s approval—this is considered “self-plagiarism,” which is a form of academic dishonesty; or,

· Turn in work by another student, even by accident.

In addition, COC has strict rules against using electronic devices during exams without the instructor’s approval. To be specific, absolutely no cell phones or any electronic devices can be on the desk or in sight during test or exam without the instructor’s approval. The presence of electronic devices in sight during exams may be considered as intention to cheat and will be processed as a form of academic dishonesty.

Cases of alleged academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism or cheating, will be referred to the Dean of Student Services for investigation. See your syllabus for course specific policies, rules, and guidelines on plagiarism and academic dishonesty.