Principles of Macro

Fall 2002

Economics 2305: Principles of Macroeconomics

Section: 04254

General information

Class calendar

Homework - no homework for the last test.

Grades (tests ##1-5)

Exams (test #5 and the final).

Announcements

General information

LOCATION: MW 1:00-2:30 pm @106AH

INSTRUCTOR: Valery Lazarev
Office hours: MW 12 noon -1 pm, M234
E-mail: Valery.Lazarev@mail.uh.edu
Phone: (713) 743-3800, ext.

PREREQUSITE: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in Math 1310 or a higher math. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the necessary
prerequsite.

REQUIRED TEXT: Roy Ruffin and Paul Gregory, Principles of Macroeconomics, 7th edition (paperback) or
Roy Ruffin and Paul Gregory, Principles of Economics, 7th edition (hardcover)

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS AND LEARNING SUPPORT:

Textbook website at: http://occ.awlonline.com/bookbind/pubbooks/ruffin_awl/ This web site contains chapter summaries, sample exams, links to internet resources, and exercises. It is strongly recommended that you actively use this website.
The Study Guide by Jeffrey Parker. Also strongly recommended.
In addition, consider subscribing to an online study guide, called Econweb, at http://www.econweb.com. Six month subscription is $9.95.
Free drop-in tutorial services are available at the Department of Economics, Room 208, McElhinney bldg. A tutoring schedule will be posted about the third week of class.
You may also find UofH Learning Support Services helpful. Visit their website at http://las.uh.edu/lss for more information.

TESTING AND GRADING:

The overall grade consists of five mid-term exams (at the end of each three-week period), departmental final (comprehensive) exam, and (optional) homeworks.
Final exam is one third of the total grade.
You are required to take only four mid-term exams. The fifth exam (any of them) is a safety net: if you take all five midterms the lowest grade is dropped.
There will be no makeups for midterm exams.
About one quarter (or more) of the midterm questions will be on material covered only in class.
Final exam and most midterms will be multiple choice. Midterms may also include essay questions and problems.
All exams will be curved.
Homeworks given in the beginning of each three-week period and are due the day of a corresponding midterm exam. Homeworks are optional but they give you extra credit points to be added to your exam scores (after curving).
Active participation in class will also give you extra credit.

POLICIES:

Class attendance is not required but is highly recommended.
If you are late please wait outside the classroom till the next quarter or half of an hour.
Your results will be posted in this website (see link in the bottom of this page), identified by your 4-digit codes. Choose your code and email it to me before the first mideterm. Or, if you don't mind, I can assign you a code identical to the last four digits of your SSN. If you don't want your grades to be posted at all, please let me know.
Always write your code on your exams.
Copies of your exams will not be posted. Email me or see me in my office if you wish to discuss your exam.

Class calendar

Week starting	Monday	Wednesday
August 25	Introduction.	Basic concepts. Ch.2-3.
September 1	Labor day	Basic concepts contd.
September 8	Supply and demand. Ch. 4.	Supply and demand. Ch. 4-5.
September 15	First Exam. Chs. 1-5	Chs. 23-24.
September 22	Saving and investment. Ch. 25	Economic growth. Ch. 26.
September 29	Aggregate supply and aggregate demand. Ch. 27.	Ch. 27 contd.
October 6	Second Exam. Chs. 23-27	Money. Ch. 28.
October 13	Money; Banking Ch. 28-29.	Banking; Monetary policy. Ch. 29-30.
October 20	Monetary policy. Ch. 30.	Fiscal policy. Ch. 31.
October 27	Third Exam. Chs.28-31	Inflation. Ch. 32.
November 3	Unemployment. Ch. 33	Business cycle. Ch. 34.
November 10	Ch. 34 contd.	Ch. 34 contd.
November 17	Fourth exam. Chs.32-34	International trade, protection. Chs.35-36.
November 24	Chs.35-36 contd.	Thanksgiving holidays
December 1	International money. Ch. 37.	Review
December 8	Fifth exam. Chs.35-39	Examination period

See UofH Class Schedule for the deadlines to drop or withdraw.

DEPARTMENTAL FINAL EXAM: Saturday, December 14, 2:00-5:00 pm
(Note that this exam is not listed in the published UofH Class Schedule.)

Announcements

(September 4)

The Economics Club is organizing right now for this semester. The club is simply an informal gathering of undergraduate students, held on Wednesdays at noon. They have lunch and sometimes arrange for speakers to come and speak to the club on an irregular basis. The Economics Department gives the club a small budget for buying lunch and drinks when speakers are arranged. All students are welcome. If you have any interest in the economics club, drop an e-mail to Dr. Nat Wilcox at nwilcox@mail.uh.edu.

(September 9; updated September 15)

You are invited to use the tutoring center at the Department of Economics that opens on Tuesday, September 10.
Hours:
Monday: 9 am to 2 pm and 2:30 pm to 5 pm
Tuesday: 9 am to 5 pm
Wednesday: 9 am to 12:30 pm and 1pm to 5 pm
Thursday: 9 am to 5 pm
There is no tutoring on Friday. The last day of tutoring is the last day of classes, Monday December 9th.
The tutoring center will NOT be open on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Exams

Fifth exam. Monday, December 9.
Same room and time as usual.
Material covered: International Trade, Protection, International Monetary System (Chapters 35-37 of the texbook).
No homework accompanies this exam.

Final exam. Saturday, December 14. 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Room 101 @ Social Work building (that's the one were the university computer services are.)
Picture ID is required.
Material covered: Chapters 23-34 of the texbook (with the exception of the appendix on time series analysis).