COURSE INTRODUCTION:
INTRODUCTORY MACROECONOMICS 2305


Spring 2001

Text (Required): Ruffin, R. and P. Gregory, Principles of
Macroeconomics, 7th ed.

Study Guide (Recommended): Parker J, and J. Vahaly, Study Guide to
Accompany Ruffin and Gregory or
www.econoweb.com (subscribe $4.99 per month)
Course Requirements: 3 exams (20% each), 1 final (40%).

Professor T. Degregori
Office Hours: MW 2:30-4PM in Room 209D-M
EMAIL trdegreg@uh.edu
Homepage www.uh.edu/~trdegreg

Final Exam: To be announced

Welcome to economics! You will want to exploit the tutor center in 208-M,
which is free and available without appointment. The schedule will be
distributed shortly and then posted.

There will be three exams, the first is about the 1st week of October, the
second is about the first week of Novemeber and the third is just prior to
the end of the course. I will announce the dates as far in advance as
possible (and then post them). There are no makeup exams. If you miss an
exam, you will be given the average of the other two and your final will
count 60% of your grade. You cannot miss more than one exam or the final.

The following grades are automatic even if a disproportionately high number
of students fall into the higher averages: A+, A, A-, 90 to 100, B+, B, B-,
80 to 89, C+, C, C-, 70 to 79, D+, D, D-, 60 to 69. However, we will apply
some curve if there are not enough of the higher grades. We will tend to
weigh the later exam grades higher if the student's scores are rising. If
your grade on the final exam is one letter grade higher than your average
grade going into the final, we will give you that higher letter in some
form, probably with a minus after it. Fifty percent correct on an exam is
the minimal score for a passing grade whatever the curve.

We will as best as possible have complete course information on my web-site
so that you have access to it at all times. It is our intent to pass as
many students as possible provided that an acceptable level of learning is
achieved. We are here to help you learn. In addition to reading the book
and listening to the lectures in class, there are several other ways that
you can learn the material and improve your grade. You can make use of the
tutors. This is very strongly recommended particularly immediately
following an exam. The answers for each exam will be posted on the wall
outside the exam and electronically as soon as the last student finishes.
You are allowed to keep your exams but not the final. While taking the
exam, you should mark your answers on it, check the answers when they are
posted and then consult with the tutors as soon as possible to learn why
you missed the ones that you did. This is the best way to prepare for the
final. And of course, you can come and see me or my teaching assistant for
help outside of class. Complete information on the teaching assistant for
this class will be available shortly.

All the basic material for the course, syllabus, essay assignment etc. will
still be distributed in class and extra copies will be available as always
should you lose the original. In addition, we will be posting material on
the Economics Department website that applies to all sections of this
course so that it is available to you whenever you have access to an online
computer. From the Economics website, you can access my homepage (or do so
directly, www.uh.edu/~trdegreg) where we will post all information specific
to this class such as the date of each exam and chapters to be covered. The
answers for each exam and the curve and the test scores will be posted as
they are available. On the bottom of your first exam answer sheet, you can
create your own five digit combination of numbers and letters (1st digit
must be a letter) that will be your code for posting grades (if and only if
you wish to have them posted). We will do our best to return your exams the
class period following the test or have an explanation for you.

For the exam, please leave your beepers and cell phones at home, in your
car or turned off and out of sight. Any of these visible in class will be
grounds for taking up the exam and giving a grade of zero. Please see me
before the exam if this rule creates a problem for you. This is for your
benefit to protect the integrity of the exam and to make sure that you get
the grade that you deserve when an exam is curved. Your cooperation in this
matter is appreciated.

The best and most reliable way to reach me other than in class is by email.
You may of course call or come by the office but under no circumstance
should you call concerning posting of grades. Should you miss the final for
any reason, you will automatically be given an "I" if you are making a "D+"
or better. If you are in an accident in the hospital, you need not call
right away since an "I" is the best that I can do for you. You will be have
the opportunity to complete the course the next semester to remove the "I."

If you do call me for whatever reason and reach my voice mail, please begin
by clearly and slowly giving your name and the number at which you wish me
to reach you. Too often, I receive long complicated messages with a quick
and often garbled name and number at the end as the time expires. Whatever
your message, it is better that I am able to contact you than to try an
sort out all the details in one recording. As stated above, if possible, an
email is the best way to contact me.
Thank you and Good Luck!