ECONOMICS 161 – MACROECONOMIC PRINCIPLES (13005)
Spring 2010
Professor Krol
Class Schedule: 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM, Tuesday and Thursday, Room JA 100
Office: BB 4252 (fourth floor, northeast wing)
Office Phone: 818-677-2430
email: robert.krol@csun.edu
Webpage: http://www.csun.edu/~hcecn001/
PREREQUISITES: ECON 160 and qualifying scores on ELM and EPT, or exemption, or satisfactory completion of appropriate developmental courses.
COURSE GOAL: This class provides students with the tools to understand economic growth and business cycles. Topics covered include unemployment, inflation, interest rates, exchange rates, and the Federal Reserve System.
OFFICE HOURS: Tuesday 1:45 PM – 2:45 PM, Thursday 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Friday 11:45 PM – 12:45 PM, and by appointment.
TEXTBOOKS: Principles of Macroeconomics (5th edition) by N. Gregory Mankiw (required) and Aplia
EXAMS AND GRADES: There are two exams during the semester each worth 100 points. The first exam is scheduled for Thursday 2/18/10 and the second for Thursday 3/25/10. A comprehensive final exam worth 100 points is scheduled for Thursday 5/13/10 (12:45 PM – 2:45 PM). All exams are multiple choice. You should bring an 882 Scantron and a #2 lead pencil to each exam. Calculators are not allowed. Your course grade is determined by weighted average of your exams and Aplia assignments. The formula to calculate your grade is .25(exam 1 score) + .25(exam 2 score) + .40(final exam score) + .10(average Aplia score). I drop your three lowest Aplia assignment scores. NO MAKEUP EXAMS ARE GIVEN. If a student misses one exam, the final exam weight is .65. If both exams are missed the final exam weight is .90. The grading scale is A: 85%-100%, B: 75%-84%, C: 65%-74%, D: 55%-64%, and F: 0%-54%. There is +/- grading. The last day to drop the class or change basis of grade is 2/5/10.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Cheating on exams will result in the student receiving an F in the course and a letter will be placed in your file at CSUN. For more information go to www.csun.edu/catalog/appendices.html#E2.
Other Rules: I expect you to be on time for class and to act professionally. If you have to leave early, sit at the end of a row so you minimize disturbing other students. Do not use your cell phone during class. They should always be turned off before you enter the classroom. You can use your laptop to take notes. However, if the laptop becomes a distraction to the class, I reserve the right to prevent you from using it in class. I expect you to do the reading and assigned problems before class.
TENTATIVE READING ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Introduction and Review: Chapter 1 (skim) and 4
(Key ideas – macroeconomics, microeconomics, demand vs. quantity demanded, supply vs. quantity supplied, factors that change supply and demand, comparative statics, and market equilibrium)
2. Macroeconomic Measurement: Chapters 10 and 11
(Key ideas – nominal & real gross domestic product, GDP deflator, consumer price index, and nominal & real interest rates
3. Labor Markets: Chapter 15
(Key Ideas – labor supply, labor demand, unemployment rate, cyclical unemployment, natural rate of unemployment, job search, and wage rigidity )
4. Economic Growth: Chapter 12
(Key ideas – aggregate production function, total factor productivity, physical capital, human capital, saving, investment, private property rights, education, free trade, and R & D)
5. Capital Markets: Chapters 13 and 14
(Key ideas – national saving, private saving, public saving, budget surplus, market for loanable funds, crowding-out effect, present value, risk, efficient markets)
6. Money, Financial Institutions, and Inflation: Chapters 16 and 17
(Key ideas – financial intermediation, functions of money, Federal Reserve System, money supply (M1 & M2), reserves, required reserves, monetary policy, fractional reserve banking, multiple deposit expansion, money multiplier, open-market operations, federal funds market, Taylor rule, inflation, quantity theory of money, velocity of money, equation of exchange, and Fisher effect)
7. International Finance: Chapter 18
(Key ideas – net exports (current account), net capital flows, nominal and real exchange rates, purchasing power parity, foreign exchange market)
8. Economic Fluctuations: Chapter 20
(Key ideas – business cycles (expansions & recessions), demand shocks, supply shocks, wage and price rigidities, imperfect information, stabilization policies)
APLIA: STUDENT REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS
In this course, you will use a textbook and Aplia's website. In most cases, you can save money if you buy Aplia and your textbook together. See payment options below. You will have access to a digital version of your textbook using Aplia.
Course Name: Principles of Macroeconomics, Spring 2010
Start Date: 01/19/2010
Instructor: Robert Krol
Course Key: 4AYM-AFF3-R38P
You can begin working on your homework as soon as you register!
Registration
If you have never used Aplia before...
1. Connect to http://www.aplia.com.
2. Click the Create a New Account link and choose Student Account. You will then enter your course key: 4AYM-AFF3-R38P. Continue following the instructions to complete your registration.
If you have used Aplia before...
1. Connect to http://www.aplia.com.
2. Sign in with your usual e-mail address and password and enter your Course Key when prompted: 4AYM-AFF3-R38P. If you are not prompted for a new Course Key, click the Enroll in a New Course button at the top of your My Courses page to enroll in a new Aplia course. Enter your Course Key when you are prompted.
NOTE: You will have different payment options after you register for your course. If you choose to pay later, you can use Aplia without paying until 11:59 PM on 02/08/2010.
Payment
Option 1: Digital Textbook with Aplia Access
From Aplia: Purchase access to your course from Aplia's website for $80.00 USD.
From Bookstore: Purchase an Aplia Access Card from your campus bookstore.
Option 2: Physical Textbook with Aplia Access (also includes digital textbook)
From Aplia: Purchase access to your course for $80.00 USD and a physical book for $54.00 USD from Aplia's website.
From Bookstore: Purchase an Aplia Access Card and a physical book together as a bundle from your campus bookstore.
NOTES: If you purchased an Aplia Access Card from a bookstore, enter the Access Card's payment code on Aplia's website as payment for your Aplia course.
You will have access to your digital textbook up until the end of this course.