ECO 1040: Citizens Guide to Economics

Spring 2010
Syllabus

Instructor: Katherine Sauer, Ph.D. (Dr. Katie)

Office: CN 312G
Phone: 303-556-3037
Email: ksauer5@mscd.edu

Office Hours: M&W 11:30 12:30 M&W 2:30 3:00 T&R 11:30 12:00 and by appointment
If you see me in my office at other times, feel free to ask if I am available to assist you.

Course Meetings:
Section 001 T&R 10am 11:15am
Section 003 M&W 1pm 2:15pm

Course Description:
This course introduces students to basic economic concepts and reasoning, the legal foundations of a
market-based economic system, the fundamentals of the macro-economy, and the foundations of the
global economy. Students will be exposed to measurements of a nations macro-economy, money and
banking, the role of government in the economy, the importance of the international economy, and
myths about markets. A key feature of this course is the application of economic reasoning to real world
problems.

This course counts for the General Studies - Level II, Social Sciences requirement.

Course Objectives:
At the end of this course, the successful student will be able to:
- define the concepts and vocabulary commonly used in basic economic theory
- explain, using examples, the concepts and vocabulary commonly used in basic economic theory
- apply economic reasoning to everyday, real world issues

Prerequisites:
None

Required Course Materials:

Textbook: Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan (2002) ISBN: 0-393-32486-9

Important Course Dates:

Section 001 T&R 10am 11:15am Section 003 M&W 1pm 2:15pm
2/4 Letter draft 1 Due 2/3 Letter draft 1 Due
2/18 Quiz 1 2/17 Quiz 1
3/4 Letter draft 2 Due 3/3 Letter draft 2 Due
3/18 Quiz 2 3/17 Quiz 2
3/22 3/26 Spring Break Week 3/22 3/26 Spring Break Week
4/8 Letter final draft Due 4/7 Letter final draft Due
4/22 Quiz 3 4/21 Quiz 3
5/10 5/15 Final Exam Week 5/10 5/15 Final Exam Week
Components of Course Grade:
Assignments 30%
Letter to Congress 20%
Quizzes 20%
Final Exam 30%

Assignments
Assignments will vary in nature. Some will be homework and some will be worked on in groups during
class time. No make ups are given. You are allowed to drop one homework grade and two in-class
assignment grades. No make ups are given.

Letter to Congress
During the term you will write an informed letter to Congress on an economic topic of your choice.
Your letter will follow the format of an op-ed piece. You will take a normative stance of your choice and
support it with positive analysis. You will NOT be graded on the normative stance that you take, only on
your ability to support it with accurate positive analysis. Detailed instructions will be discussed in class.
You are not required to mail your letter.

Late work is not accepted. Your letter must be turned in by you during class. Electronic submissions are
not accepted (except in the gravest of extenuating circumstances).

Quizzes
Quizzes will consist of multiple choice questions and some longer problems. Make ups are not given,
nor will quizzes be given early. If you miss any quiz for ANY REASON, then the final exam will be
weighted more heavily to compensate.

Final Exam
The final exam is cumulative. Sometimes it takes awhile to get economics and I like to reward
improvement. If you score higher on the final exam than your quiz average, I will count your final exam
grade for 50% of your course grade. If you miss a quiz, you are not eligible for this offer.

Course Policies:
Grade Dispute Policy
If you have a dispute/argument/disagreement with grading, please observe the following procedure:
1) You must wait 24 hours before bringing your argument/dispute/disagreement to my attention
(the cooling off period).
2) After the 24 hours, you may submit to me in writing an explanation of your argument/
dispute/disagreement.
3) I will review your case by the next school day and set up an appointment with you to
discuss my decision.

**If your only dispute is an incorrect calculation of your grade, let me know as soon as possible. A
submission in writing is not necessary.
Course Email Policy
Please use your @mscd email address when emailing me. If you do not, you run the risk of my email
filter program deciding that your message is spam. If I need to send an email to the class, I will be using
your @mscd email address.

Please email me at ksauer5@mscd.edu .

Disability, Religious Holidays, and NC Policies

Disability Accommodations
Any student eligible for and needing academic adjustments or accommodations because of a disability is
required to go to the Access Center Office in Auraria Library, Suite 116 by the end of the first week of class
so that such accommodations may be arranged. Their phone number is
303-556-8387, you can email them at mscd-accesscenter@mscd.edu , and you can find them online at
http://www.mscd.edu/~access/ .

Accommodations will not be granted prior to my receipt of your faculty notification letter from the
Access Center. Please note that accommodations are never provided retroactively (i.e., prior to the
receipt of your faculty notification letter.) Once I am in receipt of your official Access Center faculty
notification letter, I would be happy to meet with you to discuss your accommodations. All discussions
will remain confidential.

Religious Holidays
The college policy of observing all religious holidays will be abided by in this class. A prior indication of
any religious requirement is necessary.

NC Policy
During the first 10 weeks of class, you may opt for NC through MetroConnect online. You do not need a
signature from me. After the 10th week, I do not have authorization to grant you a NC. You will have to go
through a formal process of showing documentation of hardship (e.g. sudden medical reason, etc).

The Spring 2010 NC Deadline is Monday April 5th.

Student Code of Conduct

Metropolitan State College of Denver has a Student Conduct Code and every student is encourage to be
familiar with it particularly regarding the policy on cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic
dishonesty.
Available online:
http://www.mscd.edu/policies/student_code_of_conduct/student_conduct_code.shtml

______________________________________________________________________________
 Course Schedule
(subject to revision as necessary)

Week beginning: Topics Chapter Reminders

1/18 Thinking like an economist
1/25 Supply, Demand, and Markets 1
2/1 Supply, Demand, and Markets 1 Draft 1 Due
2/8 Incentives 2
2/15 Market Failure 3 Quiz 1
2/22 Government 4
3/1 Information Economics 5 Draft 2 Due
3/8 Productivity 6
3/15 Financial Markets 7 Quiz 2
3/22 Public Choice 8 NC deadline
3/29 no classes spring break
4/5 The National Economy 9 Final Draft Due
NC Deadline
4/12 The Federal Reserve 10
4/19 Trade and Globalization 11 Quiz 3
4/26 Trade and Globalization 11
5/3 Development Economics 12
5/10 5/15 FINAL EXAM WEEK TBA