Economics 53
Introduction to Macroeconomics
Spring 2013
Prof. Gary R. Evans
COURSE OUTLINE
Welcome to Economics 53, Introduction to Macroeconomics. Two years ago this course began at a time when we were recovering from a severe recession. Last year we are watching Europe struggle with an enormous sovereign debt problem and and wondering how that might affect us. This year, after a significant election the U.S. economy appears to be on a shaky course of recovery but likely to encounter many obstacles. This course is inherently topical. We will read talk about these subjects and many others that are related.
In this course we will study the economic topics that you often read about in the newspaper: inflation, interest rates, unemployment, international trade, the financial markets, business cycles, national production, taxes, and so forth. In a few words, we will investigate the American economy at an introductory level.
You are not required to purchase a textbook for this course. This course uses online reading material only. We will use five chapters from an internet-based macroeconomics modeling book written by me. These chapters are placed on the web site for this class in Adobe PDF format. This will enable you to display and print them as you need them. Many of the reading assignments for this course are drawn from U.S. government and other web sites. The reading assignments and the sources are found on the Course Calendar page.
Much of the material for this class, including a copy of this course outline and course calendar, and also many class assignments, will be made available on the web site for my classes, which is found at
http://www2.hmc.edu/~evans/hmcgre.html
Some homework information and important reminders are sent out to the class master list by email. Therefore, please make sure that you are on this list! If you are a Harvey Mudd student and you registered for the class last fall, you are already on the list. If you are a student from another campus or sign up for the class after registration, you probably are not subscribed. Early in the first week I will send out an email check to all of you after announcing it in class, so wait until I do that before you panic. If you are not on the list, then subscribe automatically by emailing to listkeeper@hmc.edu and in the main body of the text (not the subject line) write
subscribe econ-53-l@hmc.edu
COURSE OBJECTIVES: In this class I offer a general
overview of the U.S. economy. We explore
such topics as economic growth, business cycles, the structure of the economy,
employment and unemployment, inflation, and government monetary and fiscal
policy. To some extent I hope to show
you how economists identify and think about economic problems. There is some exposure to theory and modeling
in this class so you can see how we organize general economic concepts into
analytic models.
READING STRATEGY: It really helps if you read the assigned material before lectures on the subject (it helps me, actually). The reading sets the stage and in some cases eliminates my need to talk about certain things. Instead of a single expensive textbook, we are drawing our reading material from a variety of sources, all of which are free. You must try to discipline yourself to check the Course Calendar for the weekly or sectional reading assignments, to find them on the internet, to print them and to read them.
GRADES: Your grade will be based upon your total point accumulation at the end of the course. I will obtain a distribution for the class. Your placement in that distribution will determine your grade. You will take two examinations during the semester and a final. All exams are weighted equally. Because of the large enrollment in this class there are no assigned papers. I give essay exams.
You have the right to protest the grading of exams. If you are dissatisfied with a grade, submit your complaint to me in writing on an 8 ½ by 11 inch sheet of paper attached to the relevant exam. This request for reevaluation must be submitted to me within a week of the date on which I returned the exam to you.
Policy on Pass/No Pass: I automatically allow any student who wishes to
take the course on a P/NP basis to do so if the student is eligible. HOWEVER,
to receive a passing grade the student must have accumulated enough points
to receive the equivalent
C- or better! Prior to the final, do not ask me how many points
you must earn on the final to pass. I will not tell you because I will not
know. Your final grade will depend upon the final distribution after the
final has been taken. Also, if you are P/NP status, to earn a passing grade for
this class, regardless of your prior scores, you must pass the final exam. If you receive a score on the final exam
alone that I deem to be a failing grade, and you are registered as a P/NP
student, I will assign an F for the course. This policy does not apply to students taking the course for a
grade (because you are merely going to get a very low grade).
CLASS ATTENDANCE: I don't require students to
attend all of my classes - few teachers here do. However, please understand
that this is a lecture-based course. I pull a lot of
material together in the lectures. From years past I have noticed that
there is some correlation between class attendance and grades. Because many
students do miss class, I now impose certain rules. First, if you are absent
for any reason it is your responsibility to obtain the class material that you
missed, but given that all of it is online, including lecture slides, that
shouldn't be a problem. Finally, although I sometimes allow students to reschedule
exams for legitimate reasons (typically job interviews, clinic excursions, or
illness), I generally do not to this for students who miss class at lot and I
never do it because a student is behind in the work. And, alas, I cannot
reschedule exams for students who are overloaded with work. Please realize that
if you anticipate a heavy schedule around exam time, try to schedule your work
so that there is less of a crush.
VIDEO AND AUDIO: You are not allowed to use video or audio recording equipment in my classroom without my express written permission (permission by email constitutes written permission). If you have some reason to do it, you might ask and I might allow it. There are two reasons for this: (1) all of my material including oral presentations is my copyrighted material and I have the right to control it, and more important, (2) unauthorized recordings can have a stifling affect upon free and open speech. What goes on in the classroom is between you and me, not you and me and everyone who watches YouTube.
HOW TO CONTACT ME: Although I am often in my office, Parsons 1261, the best way to reach me is by appointment via email at garyrevans at gmail.com or to evans at g,hmc,edu. My formal office hours this semester are after this class, from 2:45 until 4:00 on Tuesday and Thursday.
Good luck! Let's learn a lot and have some fun.
Return to Courses Taught by Professor Evans or Prof. Evans's Home Page.