CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVER

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS

Economics 201 Dr. Paul L. Altieri

Principles of Economics II - Microeconomics Fall 2007

Office: DiLoreto Hall, Room 112 Phone: 832-2600

Office Hours: Please come to my office and I will meet with you if I am available. Otherwise you can make an appointment with my secretary in DiLoreto 112 or at 832-2600.

Textbook: McConnell, Campbell R., and Stanley L. Brue, Microeconomics, 16^th ed., (paper) New York, McGraw-Hill, 2005. Available at Another Bookstore.

All course materials are in Vista. You can get there through Campus Pipeline.

Course Outline

			Chapter	Pages
1.	Introduction
	a.	The Nature and Method of Economics	1	all
		Graphs and their meaning	1	Appendix
	b.	The Economizing Problem	2	22-4 34-6
	c.	Understanding Individual Markets: Demand and Supply	3	all

2.	Demand and Supply in More Detail
	a.	Demand and Supply: Elasticities and Applications	7	all
	b.	The Costs of Production	9	all

3.	Price and Output Determination Under Different Market Structures
	a.	American Businesses	5	76-9
	b.	Pure Competition	10	all
	c.	Pure Monopoly	11	all
	d.	Monopolistic Competition	12	216-22
	e.	Oligopoly	12	223-35

4.	Factor Pricing
	a.	Production and Demand for Resources	14	all
	b.	Wage Determination	15	all
	c.	Rent, Interest and Profit	16	all

Note: Some adjustments may be as the semester progresses due to time constraints and other factors.

Course Policies

Attendance

There will be penalties for missing class. You will be responsible for all material covered in class. If you are absent you will not be allowed to make-up some class exercises. You must be present and submit all assignments in person. If you are absent for more than 20% of the class meetings, I reserve the right to deny you the opportunity to take any of the hour exams or the final exam. Ten percent of your final grade will be subjective and I will consider your attendance in awarding points.

There will be no penalty for missing up to two weeks of classes. Beyond two weeks, one point will be subtracted from your course average for every hour of class you miss. This attendance policy can make a difference in your final course grade. If you are the type of student who regularly misses class for any reason, I suggest that you take this course with another instructor. If you miss a class, ask another student for notes, but don�t make a habit of this. Remember, learning is easier when you are there for every class. Save your cuts for emergencies; you will have them. When you know in advance that you will be absent, let me know.

Tentative Exam Dates

First Exam:	October 2
Second Exam:	October 25
Third Exam:	November 20
Final Exam:	Thursday, December 20, 2:00 p.m.

Make-up Policy

You are expected to take all announced exams at the scheduled times. If you cannot be present for an exam at the scheduled time, you must make arrangements prior to the time that the exam is given. See me in advance or speak to me on the phone on the day of the exam. An email or voice mail message is not acceptable. Failure to take an exam when scheduled or failure to make alternate arrangements will result in a reduction in your grade on the exam and in the course. There will be no make-up for an unannounced quiz. If we have graded homework assignments, a penalty will be assessed if they are submitted late.

Assignments

You are expected to do all work when assigned. This includes reading chapters in the text, completing homework assignments, study guide problems, computer exercises and end of chapter questions. An unannounced quiz may be given at any time on assignments and class material. There will be no individual extra credit assignments.

Grading

There will be three one-hour examinations and a final examination. The four exams will account for 90% of your final grade. The remaining 10% will be subjective, based on your attendance, class participation and how much interest you have shown for the course material. Excessive absences will hurt your grade. (See attendance policy above.) If there are quizzes, this formula will be adjusted.

Classroom Rules

1. No talking in class.

2. Be on time for class.

3. Be prepared for class.

4. Do not copy notes or do other assignments during class.

5. You may use a basic calculator during an exam. You may not use a programmable calculator during an exam.

6. Do not record lectures.

7. Turn off cell phones and beepers and keep them out of sight during class.

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medial information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements if the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment to talk with me as soon as possible. My office is downstairs in room 112.

Course Objectives

This course can be used to help fulfill Study Area II, Social Sciences, of the General Education requirements. The basic objective of this course is to provide the student with an understanding of how the functioning of the economy impacts on society and on our daily lives. The general objectives of the course are:

To introduce the student to the core principles of microeconomics, especially the concepts of opportunity cost, profit maximization, and the efficient use of resources.
To develop an understanding of the basic microeconomics concepts and to encourage their application to the analysis of economic problems.
To provide the student with a minimal level of functional economic literacy. That is, to integrate the core principles and concepts of microeconomics into the student�s thinking within a framework which will allow the student to evaluate contemporary economic problems and policies as citizens, consumers, and business decision-makers.
To make the student aware of the interdisciplinary character of the modern economy and of the need for an economic framework in approaching, analyzing, and understanding socioeconomic problems. The underlying objective will be to generate an interest in economics as a subject area with practical applications.