EC 110 Section 901: Prin Of Microeconomics

 

Instructor Name: Dr. Harold Elder
Office Location: 232 Alston Hall
Phone: 205-348-8976
Virtual Office Hours: Office hours will be held regularly on Wednesdays from 8:00 -10:00 pm CT. This is accessed via the Chat Tool on the Course Tools menu. In addition, Live Classroom office hours will begin during the semester. You will be notified via an announcement when these will begin. This will be accessed through the Virtual Office Hours link on the course home page.
Email: helder@bama.ua.edu or eLearning Mail. (Responses to email will be provided within 36 hours during weekdays.)
NOTE:  Students are encouraged to send messages to the bama email address, and it helps if the subject line includes the word "ONLINE."  This will distinguish the message from others sent by on-campus students. This email address is used exclusively for student questions.

 Microeconomics focuses on the allocation of resources and the decisions made regarding these resources in the face of scarcity.  The course will examine the application of economic reasoning to address a range of issues and to provide a decision-making tool. The primary focus is on the market system and the behavior of consumers and firms in this system. After learning the economic fundamentals of demand and supply analysis and the forces that impact markets, the student will be able to analyze consumer behavior and business models.

This course provides the basis for you to gain the skills to use economic reasoning to address problems and to develop critical thinking skills. The course will focus on the operation of the market system and you will learn about the foundations of consumer and producer behavior in markets.

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Describe scarcity and trade-offs.
• Use demand and supply analysis to understand and predict changes in market prices and outputs.
• Use cost and revenue information to understand the behavior of firms, including the determination of profit maximizing output levels and prices.  These skills will apply to a range of market structures.
• Explain the tradeoffs between efficiency and equity.

 

The content for this course is organized in a modular format. Each module contains different types of materials that allow the students to develop their understanding of the material in an incremental way. Keyed to the topics is a set of module exams that students should take upon completion of the material in that module. With the exception of Module 4, each module contains 3-4 chapters. Module 3 focuses on 2 chapters as it develops what economists call the “theory of the firm.”

 

See the Course Schedule for the fixed Aplia assignment due dates and suggested exam dates.

Electronic Submission of Assignments

All work is submitted online, unless otherwise noted by the professor or for special accommodations. As described before, students will complete Aplia assignments following a predetermined schedule for each module. In addition, students will complete practice exams and module exams for each module. These two types of exams are found by clicking on Assessments in the Course Tools menu.

 

Student Assessment. Each module contains these forms of evaluation: Aplia assignments, module discussions, a Practice Exam, and a Module Exam. Aplia assignments are completed on the Aplia web site. Both the Practice Exams and the Module Exams are comprised of 50 multiple choice questions randomly chosen from a test bank. Students will also be required to make at least one post to the course Discussion Board for each module.

Here is a summary of the requirements for each module.

1. Complete all required Aplia assignments by the due date listed for that assignment. There is at least one required assignment for each chapter of the textbook.
2. Complete a Post to the Discussion Board for each Learning Module. Posts to the discussion board can be made for each topical article. Discussion posts will be graded according to their quality and appropriateness to the topic, following this grading rubric.

Although not required, it's recommended to respond to at least one other classmate's posting.

3. Complete the Practice Exam for each module. You may make two attempts at a quiz. Your higher score will be recorded. Quizzes are timed for 60 minutes, simulating the Module Exam, and are not proctored. You may take this Practice Exam on any computer of your choosing. The practice exams are excellent preparation for the Module Exams and can be used to assess your readiness to take the Module Exam.
4. Complete the Module Exam. Module exams are proctored and are either taken on campus or in a secure proctored test environment. Students who are on campus at the University of Alabama and those who live within a 50-mile radius of the campus are required to take these exams in the Testlab operated by the Department of Economics, Finance and Legal Studies (EFLS LAB.)  Students who live outside of this area are responsible for making the necessary arrangements for proctoring the exams. See the Proctoring Information below for more information.

 

Grading Procedures

Here is the weighting for each component of the course:

 

Grades will be determined following the grading scale shown below and is set in accordance with the policies of The University of Alabama. The ranges detailed below will be followed.

Grade Determination:There is no set distribution of grades for this course. My goal is for you to receive the highest grade that you can earn. The table above details a guaranteed range, but actual grade ranges are usually flexible downward, though this tends to vary by letter grade. However, in no case will the lower bound on D (or D-) grades fall below 50%. Final grades will follow the +/- grade policy in assigning final course grades.

If you are registered with the Office of Disability Services, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible to discuss any course accommodations that may be necessary. If you have a disability, but have not contacted the Office of Disability Services, please call 348-4285 or visit 133-B Martha Parham Hall East to register for services. Students who may need course adaptations because of a disability are welcome to make an appointment to see me during office hours. Students with disabilities must be registered with the Office of Disability Services, 133-B Martha Parham Hall East, before receiving academic adjustments.

All students in attendance at the University of Alabama are expected to be honorable and to observe standards of conduct appropriate to a community of scholars. The University expects from its students a higher standard of conduct than the minimum required to avoid discipline. Academic misconduct includes all acts of dishonesty in any academically related matter and any knowing or intentional help or attempt to help, or conspiracy to help, another student.

The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event of academic misconduct.

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• Weather advisory posted on the UA homepage
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• Weather advisory broadcast over Alabama Public Radio (WUAL) at 91.5 FM
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