Online
Textbook Projects
Prof. Sproul
You
can earn up to 3 points by writing a 1-4 page explanation of selected economics
topics. You can only do one project. You must turn in 1 paper copy of the
project (Use staples). You must also email the file to me as an attachment.
Send it to msproul@csun.edu. The subject
line of your email should include your name and the chapter and section(s) that
you wrote about. Example: John Smith, 25a-c. The attachment itself should also
include your name, chapter, and section. The object of these projects is to
produce a free on-line economics textbook.
Go to the class web page and click on
“Online Textbook”—“Table of Contents” (http://www.csun.edu/~hceco008/tablecontents.htm).
You will find a table of contents that lists 300-some topics that are covered
in a typical textbook. Students can pick a topic or group of topics from the
list and write an explanation of the topic, keeping in mind that the object is
to produce a useful textbook. You can do topics not listed in the table of
contents, but they must be standard textbook topics. Consult me first. As
students submit their topics, I will add them as links to the table of
contents. As a rule, I would prefer that you choose topics that haven’t already
been done by someone else, but if you see an explanation that could be
improved, or if you think you could give a useful alternative explanation for a
topic that someone has already covered, then you’re welcome to submit it.
Plagiarized projects will get a zero, and your class grade will be reduced in
proportion to the severity of the offense. The deadline to submit projects is
Tuesday of the last week of class.
Guidelines:
1.
All projects should be typed in Microsoft Word and saved as a “.doc” file. (If
you don’t know what a “.doc” file is, don’t worry. Word saves files this way
automatically.) The type size should be 10-point, and the font should be “Times
New Roman” (Same size and font as this paper used.)
2. Graphs must all be in the same format.
Almost any economics graph should be exactly 2-5/8” high by 3-1/2” wide. When I
draw graphs, I exit Word and start Excel. Then I use the drawing tools in excel
to make the diagram, using text boxes to make labels. On a standard excel
worksheet, I make the graph 15 cells high by 5 cells wide. That gives the
2-5/8”x3-1/2” size mentioned above. When I’m done I use the arrow icon and
“select” the whole diagram. Then “edit”—“copy”, and exit excel. Go back into
word and hit “edit”—“paste special”. Then select “enhanced metafile” and the
diagram should show up in your word document. Doing a graph that is not quite
perfect is a sure way to lose a point on your project. The same goes for grammar
and spelling mistakes.
3.
Figure 23.a.1 shows how graphs should look. A few things to notice:
a) If you’re writing about
chapter 23, section a, then your diagrams should be numbered as 23.a.1, 23.a.2,
etc., and you should refer to the diagram by that number in your text.
b) The supply and demand curves
are 1-1/2 points wide and they use color.
c) When possible, avoid showing
prices and quantities as variables (
d) The lines dropping to 10 and
14 are dashed.
e) Colored areas are identified
with letters A, B, C, D, E and each area is briefly described IN THE DIAGRAM.
f)
The colors used to fill in the areas should be light—otherwise they
obscure the letters.
g) The font to use for diagram
labels is 10-point Arial.
h) Most diagrams should have
legends, as shown below. The legend should give a reasonably complete
description of what’s in the diagram.
4. A textbook also needs practice problems
(with answers), both at the end of the chapter and inside the chapter. Also,
there should be a couple of 10-question practice quizzes for each chapter. Your
project can include sample questions, or you can do a project consisting solely
of sample questions or practice quizzes.
5.
If you use text boxes in your project, and they are not part of a diagram
already, then the text boxes have to be pasted into your word document as an
“enhanced metafile”. Go ahead and type the text box in MS Word. Then “select”
the text box, “cut” it, then “edit”—“paste special”, and choose “enhanced
metafile”. Then use the arrow pointer to move the text box into position.
SAMPLE DIAGRAM AND LEGEND
