INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS

ECON 3550.003/5030.001

DR. JEWELL

SPRING 2011

 

Office:             Hickory Hall 254D                

 

Phone:             (940) 565-3337                      

 

Email:              tjewell@unt.edu

 

Office Hours:  Monday 5:30 – 6:20pm and by appointment

The teaching assistant for this course, Mr. Adam Starr, will be available to answer questions in the Economics Help Lab, Hickory Hall 152, Monday 4:00 – 6:15pm.

 

Class Time:      Monday, 6:30 – 9:30pm in Chemistry 352

 

Text:                Landsburg, Steve. Price Theory and Applications, 8th edition

 

Description:     Microeconomics is a social science used to study individual and group behavior. In this course, you will learn the theoretical foundations of microeconomic analysis and apply this theory to “real-world” situations. In the first part of this course, we will concentrate on the demand-side of the market. In the second part of the course, we will concentrate on the supply-side of the market. In the third part of this course, we will apply consumer and producer theory. Thus, you will learn about consumer and producer behavior in response to changes in market conditions, in order to understand, explain, and predict consumer and producer behavior. The information in this course provides groundwork for your future study in microeconomic fields such as public economics, labor economics, sports economics, and urban economics.

 

Prerequisites:   As per the undergrad catalog (p. 430), students must have the following before taking this class: “ECON 1100 with a grade of A or B and any one of the following: MATH 1190, MATH 1400, or MATH 1710, with a grade of C or better.” You will be removed from this class without the prerequisites.

 

Schedule:        1/24     Introduction: Chapter 1

                        1/31     Consumer Choice: Chapter 3

                        2/7       Demand: Chapter 4

            2/14     Chapter 4 continued; review for exam

                        2/21     Exam #1: Chapters 1, 3, & 4

                        2/28     Theory of the Firm: Chapter 5           

3/7       Production and Cost: Chapter 6

                        3/14     Spring Break

                        3/21     Perfect Competition: Chapter 7

                        3/28     Chapter 7 continued; review for exam

                        4/4       Exam #2: Chapters 5, 6, & 7

                        4/11     Welfare Economics: Chapter 8

                        4/18     Market Power: Chapters 10 & 11

                        4/25     Factor Markets: Chapters 15 & 16

5/2       Game Theory: Chapter 12; review for exam

5/9       Final Exam: Chapters 1, 3–8, 10–12, 15, & 16

 

Homework:     Problem sets will be assigned throughout the semester. These homework sets are designed as study aids: They will give you examples of the types of questions that will come up on exams.

 

Quizzes:          Unannounced quizzes will be given throughout the semester. If a student is absent, he or she will be given a zero on that quiz. Students will be allowed to drop one quiz score during the semester.

 

Grading:          Your grade in the first half of this class will be based on the above mentioned homework and quizzes, two midterm exams, and a comprehensive final exam. The homework is worth 15% of your grade; the quizzes are worth 5% of your grade; the midterms are worth 25% each, for a total of 50% of your grade; the final exam is worth 30%. No late homework will be accepted, and no late quizzes or exams will be given. Any student caught cheating will be prosecuted to the fullest extent under UNT guidelines. (Refer to the attached departmental policy.)

                                                            Homework           15%

                                                            Quizzes                  5%

                                                            Exam #1               25%

                                                            Exam #2               25%

                                                            Final Exam           30%           

                                                            TOTAL              100%           

 

Attendance:    Class attendance is not mandatory (except when the exam is given), and none of your grade will be based on class participation. However, missing class will hurt your grade since the material discussed in class is the most important part of this course. In addition, missing class may result is a zero on an unannounced quiz. Students missing an exam will be given a zero except in the case of personal or family emergency. If you cannot make the exam due to an emergency, contact the instructor prior to the exam. Car problems, oversleeping, etc. are not valid excuses for missing exams: You must have a university excused absence.

 

A NOTE ON CLASSROOM COURTESY: It is the responsibility of the instructor to maintain a classroom environment that is conducive to learning for ALL students. To establish such an environment, students are asked to observe the following rules. The instructor will remove any student from class whose behavior is not consistent with a positive learning environment.

1)      Come to class on time.

2)      Do not talk to your neighbors during class.

3)      Turn off the sound on all electronic devices.

4)      Do not eat in class.

5)      Stay for the entire class period.