ECON 2010-100

Principles of Microeconomics

Department of Economics

Summer 2004

 

 

 

Instructor          : Denni P. Purbasari

Office               : ECON 401

Phone               : 303-492-7116

Email                : Denni.Purbasari@Colorado.EDU

Office hour       : TR 11:00-12:15 and by appointment

Class meeting    : MTWRF 09:15-10:50

Classroom         : EDUC 220

Class website    : http://www.colorado.edu/Economics/courses/summer04-2010-100.htm  

TA                   : Ulyses Balderas (MW 12:45-2:05)

               Molly Lipscomb (TR 11:00-12:20)

               Mei Yuan (TR 12:45-2:05)

 

 

Course Description

This course presents the basic topics in microeconomics. We will start by looking at the market system, emphasizing economic interactions among individuals, business firms, and government. Topics will include demand and supply, economic decision making, social efficiency, perfect and imperfect competition, input markets, and market failures. Issues such as the environment, taxation, and income distribution also will be addressed. Econ 2010 is taught at the introduction level and is appropriate for students who want to have first lecture in economics. Students will learn the key tools and principles economists apply to understand a wide range of phenomena, using graphical representations, little math, and plain logic to present the important ideas and solve basic microeconomic problems.

 

Special Note for Summer Semester

It is important to understand that summer class is not a fun class. Materials covered in summer class are the same as those in regular semester. Therefore, summer class is very intensive. The same standard of grading is applied as that in regular semester. No exception will be made. Students, therefore, are encouraged to review the lecture after each class meeting and discuss any problems about class-materials with instructor and or teaching assistants as soon as possible.

 

Text

Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Microeconomics, 3th edition, 2004, Thompson Southwestern Publishers.

 

Grading

Your course grade will be determined by your performance on two mid-term examinations and one mandatory final examination. In addition, there will be three problem sets to assist you in mastering the material. The final grade consists of the following scores:

(1)    Midterm 1                     25%

(2)    Midterm 2                     25%

(3)    Comprehensive Final     35%

(4)    3 Problem Sets              15%

 

Grading Scale

Your score                    Grade

92% to 100%                A

90% to 91%                  A-

88% to 89%                  B+

82% to 87%                  B

80% to 81%                  B-

78% to 79%                  C+

72% to 77%                  C

70% to 71%                  C-

68% to 69%                  D+

62% to 67%                  D

60% to 61%                  D-

Below 60%                   F

 

Special Note for Recitation in Summer Semester

In summer semester, problem set and exam will be given in almost every 10 days. Even though recitation has no direct contribution in class grade, attending the recitation will benefit students. In recitation, teaching assistant reviews some difficult topics, discuss some questions in the problem set that related to those, and give some additional exercises. In short, recitations give students the second chance to review materials that just been given by instructor.

 

Exams

All exams will be a combination of multiple choice questions and short-answer problems. Similar questions in the problem sets will be in the exams. All exams will be held in regular classroom. No make up exams for any reasons will be given.

 

Problem Sets

Each problem set will be assigned a week before each exam. Problem sets must be submitted on time during class meeting. The solutions of the problem sets will be posted on the same day on the web. No late work will be accepted.

 

Student with Disabilities

If you have specific disabilities that require accommodation, please let me know early in the semester so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. You will be required to provide documentation of your disability to the Disability Services Office in Willard 322 (telephone: 303-492-8671).

 

Other Information

This class is subject to The University of Colorado at Boulder Classroom Behavior Policy and Honor Code. For more information please visit:

http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html for Classroom Behavior, and http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/ for Honor Code.

 

Some Important Dates

May 31 : Dateline to withdraw without financial penalty

June 2   : Dateline to add your name to course waitlists

June 7   : Dateline to add courses, to drop courses and to change to pass/fail or no credit

June 14 : Dateline to drop without petitioning the dean


Tentative Schedule

 

Dates

Chapter

Topics

June 1

Chapter 1

7 Principles in Microeconomics

 

Chapter 2

Thinking Like an Economist

        2

Chapter 3

Trade

 

Chapter 4

Demand

        3

Chapter 4

Supply and Market Equilibrium

        4

Chapter 5

Price Elasticity and Total Revenue

        7

Chapter 5

Other Elasticity

        8

Review

Demand, Supply and Market Equilibrium

        9

Midterm Exam 1 (5 chapters)

      11

Chapter 7

Consumer and Producer Surplus

      10

Chapter 6

Efficiency in Price Controls

      14

Chapter 8

Efficiency in Taxation

      15

Chapter 9

Efficiency in Trade Policies

      16

Chapter 10

Efficiency in Externalities

      17

Chapter 11

Efficiency in Public Goods

      18

Review

Market Failures and Welfare Loss

      21

Midterm Exam 2 (6 chapters)

      22

Chapter 13

Total, Fixed and Variable Costs

      23

Chapter 13

Average and Marginal Costs

      24

Chapter 14

Perfectly Competitive Market: Short Run

      25

Chapter 14

Perfectly Competitive Market: Long Run

      28

Chapter 15

Monopoly

      29

Chapter 16/17

Monopolistic Competition and Oligopoly (briefly)

      30

Chapter 18

Input Markets

July    1

Review

Firm and Market Structure

        2

Final Exam (4 chapters + 2 summaries)