Intro. Microeconomic Theory
Prof. Frank Giarratani
ECON 0100
Spring Term 2012 (2124)
Lectures: L9 Clapp Hall MW 1:00 – 1:50 PM
Office hours: 4926 Posvar Hall, MW 10:00 – 11:30 AM
Course description: This course is designed to introduce students to the principles of microeconomics. It
focuses on the structure and functions of markets, by examining some of the basic economic decisions
made by consumers and firms. Students may use this course as a gateway to a wide variety of applied
economics courses and as a foundation for more advanced study. It also provides information that is
basic to inquiry in many other disciplines.
Course Web Site: The course web site provides complete information concerning examinations and
other required elements of the course. It is designed to assist you in organizing your work and keeping
track of your progress in the course. Use it to good advantage:
http://courseweb.pitt.edu
Required Textbook: N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Microeconomics, Sixth Edition (South-Western
CENGAGE Learning, 2012).
Prerequisites: The course presumes a good working knowledge of high-school algebra as well as the
ability to understand and use graphs. To gauge your ability in pre-requisite skills, read the Appendix
(Graphing: A Brief Review) in Chapter 2 of the required textbook.
Grading policy: Two mid-term exams and a final exam will be offered. The mid-term exams are not
cumulative. One part of the final exam is cumulative, and one part is not cumulative. There are two
scheduled quizzes in the course. One or more unannounced quizzes may be offered as extra credit
opportunities. The weights of exams and quizzes in the final course grade are as follows:
Component
Percentage Weight
Required Chapters
Mid-term Exam 1
25
CH 1 – 6
Mid-term Exam 2
25
CH 7 – 11
Scheduled Quizzes (2)
5
CH 13 – 14, CH 15 – 17
Final Exam – Part 1
30
CH 13 – 19
Final Exam – Part 2
15
CH 1 – 11, 13 – 19
Total
100
Make-up policy: Make-up exams are permitted only for documented illness or emergency. On-line
quizzes cannot be made up and must be taken on the day they are offered. For make-up exams, the
format and type of problems required may not be similar to those on the originally scheduled exam.
Homework: It is essential that students are adequately prepared for each lecture, and students are
expected to read assigned material in preparation for each lecture. Required homework includes the
multiple-choice problems for each chapter that are available in the Homework content area of the course
web site. The Homework content area also includes a set of problems that are drawn from the “Problems
and Applications” section at the end of each chapter in the textbook. These problems are highly
recommended and often are used in developing questions for the examinations.
Final Exam: Saturday, April 28, 2:00 – 3:50 PM
Intro. Microeconomic Theory
Prof. Frank Giarratani
ECON 0100
Fall Term 2011 (2121)
Lectures: 216 CL TH 2:30 – 3:45 PM
Office hours: 4926 Posvar Hall, TH 12:30 – 2:00 PM
Course description: This course is designed to introduce students to the principles of microeconomics. It
focuses on the structure and functions of markets, by examining some of the basic economic decisions
made by consumers and firms. Students may use this course as a gateway to a wide variety of applied
economics courses and as a foundation for more advanced study. It also provides information that is
basic to inquiry in many other disciplines.
Course Web Site: The course web site provides complete information concerning examinations and
other required elements of the course. It is designed to assist you in organizing your work and keeping
track of your progress in the course. Use it to good advantage:
http://courseweb.pitt.edu
Required Textbook: N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Microeconomics, Sixth Edition (South-Western
CENGAGE Learning, 2012).
Prerequisites: The course presumes a good working knowledge of high-school algebra as well as the
ability to understand and use graphs. A multiple-choice quiz that will test prerequisite skills is available in
the Homework content area of the course web site. Although your score on this quiz will not be included
in the calculation of your grade, all students must take the quiz before September 9, 2011, which is the
last day of the Add/Drop period. Students who fail to take the prerequisite quiz by the end of the Add/Drop
period will be penalized by a one-point reduction of their overall weighted average at the end of the term.
See also Chapter 2, Appendix, Graphing: A Brief Review.
Grading policy: Two mid-term exams and a final exam will be offered. The mid-term exams are not
cumulative. One part of the final exam is cumulative, and one part is not cumulative. There are three
essay assignments and two scheduled quizzes in the course. One or more unannounced quizzes may be
offered as extra credit opportunities. The weights of exams, quizzes, and essays in the final course grade
are as follows:
Component
Percentage Weight
Required Chapters
Mid-term Exam 1
25
CH 1 – 6
Mid-term Exam 2
25
CH 7 – 11
Essays (3)
10
All course material
Scheduled Quizzes (2)
5
CH 13 – 14, CH 15 – 16
Final Exam – Part 1
25
CH 13 – 19
Final Exam – Part 2
10
CH 2 – 11, 13 – 19
Total
100
Make-up policy: Make-ups are permitted only for documented illness or emergency. For make-up exams
and quizzes, the format and type of problems required may not be similar to those on the standard exam
or quiz.
Homework: It is essential that students are adequately prepared for each lecture, and students are
expected to read assigned material in preparation for each lecture. Required homework includes the
multiple-choice problems for each chapter that are available in the Homework content area of the course
web site. The Homework content area also includes a set of problems that are drawn from the “Problems
and Applications” section at the end of each chapter in the textbook. These problems are highly
recommended and are used in developing questions for the examinations.
1
ECON 0110 (11044): INTRODUCTORY MACROECONOMICS
T H 1:00 TO 1:50 LAWRN 121
FALL, 2011
TERM: 2121
AUG. 2011 – DEC. 2011
INSTRUCTOR:
TEXT:
DR. JAMES L. KENKEL
4709 WWPH
412-563-4128
[email protected]
Office Hours: TU & TH: 8 AM to 9:15 AM and 11 AM to 11:50 AM
Macroeconomics, A Contemporary Introduction, William A. McEachern,
9th Edition, Thompson – Southwestern.
The Study Guide is not required, but is recommended.
GRADING SYSTEM:
Mid-term exam 1:
Mid-term exam 2:
Final exam:
Total
250 points
250 points
500 points
____
1,000 points
GRADE SCALE:
A+: 975 TO 1000
A:
925 TO 974
A-:
900 TO 924
B+:
875 TO 899
B:
825 TO 874
B-:
800 TO 824
C+:
775 TO 799
C:
725 TO 774
C-:
700 TO 724
D+:
675 TO 699
D:
625 TO 674
D-:
600 TO 624
EXTRA CREDIT:
There is no extra credit available in this course.
STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE
Two hours of lecture and one hour of recitation per week.
Mid-term Test 1:
Approximately 25 multiple choice questions: 250 total points
Mid-term Test 2:
Approximately 25 multiple choice questions: 250 total points
Final exam:
Approximately 75 multiple choice questions: 500 total points
No quizzes or tests in recitations.
Your test and exam grades will be posted on Courseweb. After your grades have been
posted, you have 10 days to request a correction. Otherwise, your grade will
remain unchanged.
1
2
ECON 0110 (11044): INTRODUCTORY MACROECONOMICS
T H 1:00 TO 1:50 LAWRN 121
AUG. 2011 – DEC. 2011
INSTRUCTOR:
DR. JAMES L. KENKEL
4709 WWPH
412-563-4128
[email protected]
Office Hours: TU & TH 8:00 AM to 9:15 AM & 11:00 AM to 11:50 AM
SECRETARY:
LAUREE GRAHAM
4706 WWPH
[email protected]
412-648-8745
TEACHING ASSISTANTS:
Mr. Hansoo Choi 4909 WWPH
Mr. Jae Won Kang 4523 WWPH
Ms. Yue Li
4513 WWPH
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
412-648-1796
412-648-1766
412-648-2825
RECITATIONS:
1.
11954
2.
11590
3.
11592
4.
11140
5.
11139
6.
11046
7.
11045
8.
11591
FKART 203
FKART 203
WWPH 5200
WWPH 5200
CL 363
CL 363
CL 206
CL 206
Li
Li
Choi
Choi
Li
Li
Kang
Kang
TH
TH
F
F
F
F
F
F
4 PM
5 PM
10 AM
11 AM
11 AM
12 PM
12 PM
1 PM
2
3
SYLLABUS AND LECTURE NOTES ARE ON COURSEWEB
All class material is available on Courseweb. To get access to the material, proceed as
follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Log onto Courseweb at courseweb.pitt.edu
Click on the appropriate course.
Click on "Course Documents"
Under "1. All course documents" you should see all the course materials listed.
Click on any item and print out the material.
If you wish, you might want to reformat the lecture notes to condense them to save paper.
PEOPLESOFT NUMBER:
Your tests will be multiple choice and your answers will be recorded on scantrons. In
order for the computer to record your scores, you must fill in your PEOPLESOFT
NUMBER on the scantron. The following instructions show how to access your
PEOPLESOFT NUMBER.
HOW TO ACCESS YOUR PEOPLESOFT NUMBER
1.
Login to my.pitt.edu
2.
Login with your user name and password
3.
Click on the link “PittPAY Login” at the right of the screen
4.
Your seven-digit Peoplesoft ID number will appear directly next to your name at the top left
of the page (below the Pitt seal) in the gold band
If you cannot find your number, let me know because I have access to the numbers for all
students enrolled in the class.
3
4
WHAT IS MACROECONOMICS?
The course helps explain how the US economy works. Topics covered include factors
which influence the level of output and our standard of living in the economy; determinants
of the inflation rate & unemployment rate; the stock market, the bond market, the behavior
of interest rates, the social security system, the US tax system, theories which explain the
consumption and saving behavior of households, the behavior of business firms, how the
Federal government influences the economy, the deficit and national debt, the money
supply, the banking system, the Federal Reserve System, and how fiscal policy and
monetary policy influence the economy.
STUDY TIME REQUIREMENTS
There is a lot of material to be covered in this course. Be prepared to spend a couple of
hours per day reading the book or you will find yourself hopelessly behind at test or exam
time.
PREREQUISITES
No Economics prerequisites.
Good knowledge of college algebra.
Calculus is not required.
THE TEXTBOOK
Some lectures present material not covered in the book.
Syllabus shows what material will be covered in each lecture.
CLASS PREPARATION
Read the assigned sections of the text before coming to class. Many lectures cover topics
not covered in your book.
Take lots of notes.
COURSEWEB:
The syllabus, lecture notes, practice homeworks and practice tests are posted on
Courseweb. ALL the material is posted under Course Documents. That is, even the
syllabus is listed under Course Documents.
MISSING A TEST OR EXAM
Dates for the mid-term exams are tentative and may be moved back slightly depending on
how quickly we have covered the assigned material. The exact date for each test will be
announced in class at least one week in advance.
You need a valid reason to delay an exam, (serious illness, death in the family, etc.)
Contact me in class, by e-mail, or by phone BEFORE the exam, so we can discuss a
suitable arrangement for a make-up exam.
4
5
TESTS AND EXAMS ARE CLOSED BOOK:
You will need a calculator.
RECITATIONS
1.
The syllabus shows what will be covered during each recitation.
2.
TAs may cover new material not covered in class lectures.
3.
TAs will answer questions about the practice homework problems, if asked.
4.
No quizzes or tests will be given during recitations.
GETTING HELP
If you need help, first see me in the classroom just before or after class. Usually I can
answer your questions in a minute or two. Alternatively, for help, contact me or your TA
during our office hours, by telephone, by e-mail, or make an appointment.
ADD-DROP A COURSE:
Enrollment Forms and Drop Forms are available in the Registration Office, G-1 Thackeray
Hall.
COURSE WITHDRAWAL:
To withdraw from a course after the official end of the add/drop period, you must process
a “Monitored Withdrawal Request” form. It can be obtained through the dean’s office in
Thackeray Hall (412-624-6480). Approval for you to withdraw from a course is at the
discretion of the dean. There is no tuition reimbursement associated with a course
withdrawal.
W, G, AND I GRADES
INSTRUCTORS CANNOT GIVE W GRADES; YOU MUST SEE THE DEAN. The
University has cut-off dates for W grades.
G grades are given only when students who have been attending a course and have been
making regular progress are prevented by EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES (usually
illness) from completing the course after it is too late to withdraw. CAS requires that G
grades be completed within the next term.
I:
I grades are for graduate thesis research.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
It is your responsibility to do your own work. Do not look around during tests and keep
your work covered. Honest conduct means that one neither take credit for the work of
others nor knowingly allow others to do so. Cheating on exams and quizzes is forbidden,
and suspected violations will be dealt with in accordance with the University's Guidelines
on Academic Integrity.
5
6
ECON 0110 (11044): INTRODUCTORY MACROECONOMICS
T H 1:00 - 1:50 LAWRN 121
AUG. 2011 – DEC 2011
THE LISTED MID-TERM TEST DATES ARE TENTATIVE. THE ACTUAL DATES WILL
BE ANNOUNCED IN CLASS AT LEAST ONE WEEK IN ADVANCE.
DATE TUE TH
SUBJECT
AUG 30
1
INTRODUCTION, TOPICS STUDIED IN MACRO
CH 1, 2, 3, 5
NO RECITATION DURING FIRST WEEK
____________________________________________________________________
SEP 6
8
MACROECONOMIC POLICY GOALS, ECONOMIC FALLACIES,
TYPES OF ECONOMIC STATEMENTS
CH 1, 2, 3, 5
NO RECITATION THIS WEEK
____________________________________________________________________
SEP 13
15
PRODUCTION POSSIBILITY CURVE,
OPPORTUNITY COST
CH. 2, 7
RECITATION:
DIFFERENT ECONOMIC SYSTEMS
CH. 2
____________________________________________________________________
SEP 20
22
GAINS FROM TRADE, COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
CH. 2, 18
RECITATION:
SAME
____________________________________________________________________
SEP 27
29
LEGAL ORGANIZATION OF BUSINESS FIRMS, TAXES, STOCK
MARKET, BOND MARKET, PRESENT VALUE,
NOTES
PRODUCTION POSSIBILITY CURVE
RECITATION:
COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE
____________________________________________________________________
OCT 4
6
LEGAL ORGANIZATION OF BUSINESS FIRMS, TAXES, STOCK
MARKET, BOND MARKET, PRESENT VALUE, SOCIAL SECURITY,
U.S TAX SYSTEM
KENKEL NOTES
RECITATION:
MEASURING GDP CH. 7
____________________________________________________________________
OCT 11
NO LECTURE CLASS AND NO TUESDAY RECITATION
Monday recitation meets on Tuesday
OCT
13
MEASURING NOMINAL GDP BY THE EXPENDITURE APPROACH
REAL GDP
CH. 6
RECITATION:
SAME
____________________________________________________________________
OCT 18
20
EMPLOYMENT, UNEMPLOYMENT, INFLATION
CH. 7
RECITATION:
SAME
____________________________________________________________________
6
7
____________________________________________________________________
OCT 25
EMPLOYMENT, UNEMPLOYMENT, INFLATION
CH. 7
RECITATION:
SAME
OCT
27
MID-TERM EXAM 1
(DATE IS TENTATIVE)
ALL MATERIAL UP TO AND INCLUDING INFLATION
YOU WILL NEED A CALCULATOR
____________________________________________________________________
NOV 1
THE CONSUMPTION FUNCTION
CH. 9
RECITATION:
SAME
NOV
3
AGGREGATE EXPENDITURE AND EQUILIBRIUM OUTPUT
EXPENDITURE MULTIPLIERS
CH. 9, 10
____________________________________________________________________
NOV 5
AGGREGATE EXPENDITURE AND EQUILIBRIUM OUTPUT
EXPENDITURE MULTIPLIERS
CH. 9, 10
RECITATION:
SAME
NOV
7
THE FEDERAL BUDGET AND FISCAL POLICY
CH. 12, 13
EXPENDITURE MULTIPLIERS
RECITATION:
____________________________________________________________________
NOV 15
U.S. TAX SYSTEM KENKEL NOTES
RECITATION:
EXPENDITURE MULTIPLIERS
NOV
17
MID-TERM EXAM 2
(DATE IS TENTATIVE)
CUMULATIVE INCLUDING EXPENDITURE MULTIPLIERS
YOU WILL NEED A CALCULATOR
____________________________________________________________________
NOV 22
TIMING PROBLEMS WITH FISCAL POLICY, AUTOMATIC
STABILIZERS, REFINANCING THE DEBT, SUPPLY SIDE
ECONOMICS, THE LAFFER CURVE: KENKEL NOTES
NOV
24
THANKSGIVING, NO CLASS
NO RECITATIONS ON WED., THUR., OR FRIDAY
____________________________________________________________________
NOV 29
1
MONEY AND THE BANKING SYSTEM
CH. 14, 15
THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
CH. 14, 15
RECITATION: SAME
___________________________________________________________________
DEC 6
8
THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
CH. 14, 15
RECITATION: SAME
___________________________________________________________________
FINAL EXAM
NOTE THAT THE EXAM IS AT A SPECIAL TIME
SAT.
DEC. 17
10:00 AM TO 11:50 AM
REGULAR CLASSROOM
FINAL EXAM IS CUMULATIVE (APPROXIMATELY 60 TO 80 MULTIPLE CHOICE
QUESTIONS): YOU WILL NEED A CALCULATOR
(FINAL EXAM TOTAL = 500 POINTS)
7
University of Pittsburgh
Department of Economics
CRN: 11038
Econ 0100: Intro to Microeconomics
Syllabus
Lecturer: Svitlana Maksymenko, Ph.D.
Office: 4703 Posvar Hall
Tel: 412-383-8155
Fax: 412-648-1793
E-mail: [email protected]
Class meets Mondays and Wednesdays 12:00-12:50 pm at 120 Lawrence Hall.
Office hours
Mondays 1:45-2:45 pm. Additional hours are available by appointment and must be scheduled
at least a day in advance via e-mail.
Communication
E-mail is the preferred method of out-of-classroom communication. I will make every effort to
answer all e-mails within 24 hours. Please feel free to give me a call during my office hours, or
leave a message if I am not in.
I will employ a CourseWeb (http://courseweb.pitt.edu) email option to report grades, exam
statistics and notify students about changes in a course calendar (if any). It is a student’s
responsibility to check the University email account on a regular basis, and keep it under the
quota.
Help
The material of the course is highly cumulative. If you do not understand something, please
seek help immediately. You are welcome to come to my office with questions about a
theoretical material presented during my lectures. Teaching assistants are available during
their office hours to help you develop problem-solving skills required to complete homework
assignments and perform well during exams.
TA
Tekin Kose
E-mail
[email protected]
Phone
412-648-7039
Office
Posvar 4521
Ray Miller
[email protected]
412-648-1763
Posvar 4923
Course Description
Office hours
Thur 11:30-1:30
Fri 2:00-4:00
Tue 11:00-1:00
Wed 1:00-3:00
This course introduces students to the theory of microeconomics. Upon completion of this
course students will have a deep understanding of:
• What Microeconomics is about
• The economic problem and efficiency
• Laws of demand and supply
• Elasticity
• Organization of production and costs
• Structure of markets
• Economic models that explain firms’ decisions in perfectly competitive
environment, monopoly, monopolistic competition, and oligopolistic markets
• Factor markets
• Externalities and public goods
• Fundamentals of international trade
Prerequisites
Competence in basic algebra and geometry (graphing, linear equations, and slope of linear
graphs) and a willingness to work hard.
Text and Instructional Support
Required:
Microeconomics (with Myeconlab website access code) by Michael Parkin, 10th ed, published
by Pearson, copyright 2011. ISBN: 978-013-273-5308. The Myeconlab access code (valid for a
semester) is required in order to access on-line homework assignments. The hardcopy
textbook (with Myeconlab access code) is available in the bookstore. The e-version of the text
is available through Myeconlab website. At this website, you can also purchase a new code
separately from the text for extra fee.
Recommended:
1. the Study Guide, 9th ed, by Mark Rush to accompany the text. Publisher: Pearson,
copyright 2009, ISBN: 0321-609-115.
2. the companion website for the text www.myeconlab.com gives access to practice quizzes,
chapter summaries, and answers to the end-of-chapter questions.
Class rules
Your presence in a lecture is required. You must arrive and be at your seat before class starts.
Please don’t come to the class late. If you face an emergency, notify your TA as soon as
possible by phone or e-mail. While in class, I will not allow students to make noise or
otherwise distract their classmates. If you want to ask a question, raise your hand and I will
call on you. The use of cellular phones, pagers, and other similar devices is prohibited.
Students with disabilities
Any student with a need for special accommodation due to disability should inform me of this.
The Disability Resources and Services Office (216 William Pitt Union, 412-624-7890) will
coordinate the needed accommodations.
2
Class cancellations
Any class cancellations due to bad weather are determined by the university administration
and are announced on the university web site.
Exams
Dates of exams are contained in the detailed plan below. Usually exams include multiple
choice questions, and a problem solving section. All exams are not cumulative. I will not offer
make-up exams, with one exception: if you notify me or the department secretary as soon as
possible of a serious reason (such as hospitalization) for missing an exam. This notification
should be given prior to the exam. In case of no notifications, the keys to the exam will be
posted on a CourseWeb an hour after the test, and no make-up will be allowed.
Assignments
All homework assignments are on-line assignments. Use the access code (in your textbook) to
register in my class at www.myeconlab.com. (Step-by-step instructions are posted on the
CourseWeb). The homework assignments are posted under Homeworks tab. You can work on
the assignment until you are happy with your score (for the questions you missed, click on the
link “try similar exercise”). After the due date, assignments are no longer accessible. I
recommend printing and reviewing assignments prior to exams. Students are encouraged to
study in groups: it will make studies productive and fun. However, remember: all assignments
must be submitted individually. In the very end of the course, I will transfer your Myeconlab
homework score to the Courseweb Gradebook, and will use it for computing final course
grade.
Academic Integrity
Students in this course are expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh’s Policy on
Academic Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation will be required to
participate in the procedures outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity.
Definition of plagiarism can be found on the University website.
Grading
Attendance of lectures and recitations is required. Remember: missing classes will seriously
compromise your performance in this course. Participation in problem solving sessions
during recitations will give you a chance to get a higher course grade if you end up on a
border. There will be no curving.
Your course grade will be computed with the following weights:
• Homework assignments
25 percent
• Exam 1:
25 percent
• Exam 2:
25 percent
• Exam 3:
25 percent
3
No letter grade will be given for tests. After each exam, I will post scores on a CourseWeb
Grade Book and provide students with test statistics (i.e. class average, class highest, and class
lowest scores).
The course letter grade will be determined as follows:
• after the final exam I will compute course scores incorporating scores earned on tests,
recitations, and group assignments weighted as indicated above
• a student fails the class if a so determined course score is below 60
• the rest are graded based on the following scale:
90-100
A range
80-89
B range
70-79
C range
60-69
D range
Course Calendar
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Dates
Aug 29
Aug 31
Sept 5
Sept 7
Sept 12
Sept 14
Sept 19
Sept 21
Sept 26
Sept 28
Oct 3
Oct 5
Oct 10
Oct 11
Oct 12
Oct 17
Oct 19
Oct 24
Oct 26
Oct 31
Nov 2
Nov 7
Nov 9
Nov 14
Nov 16
Nov 21
Nov 23
Nov 28
Lecture
Introduction
Ch 1: What is Microeconomics?
Labor day (University closed)
Ch 2: Production Possibilities Frontier (PPF).
Comparative Advantage
Ch 3: Demand and Supply
Market Equilibrium
Ch 4: Elasticity
Ch 5: Economic Efficiency
Ch 6: Government Actions in Markets
Homework Assignments of Ch 1-6 are due 11:59 am
Overview Ch 1-6
Exam 1
Fall Break (Monday classes meet Tuesday)
Ch 10: Organizing Production
Ch 11: Output and Costs
Ch 12: Firms in Perfectly Competitive Market
Ch 13: Monopoly
Ch 14: Monopolistic Competition
Ch 15: Oligopoly
Homework Assignments Ch 10-15 are due 11:59 am
Overview Ch 10-15
Exam 2
Ch 7: International Trade
Ch 16: Public Choices and Public Goods
Thanksgiving recess
Ch 17: Economics of the Environment
4
15
Nov 30
Dec 5
Dec 7
Final
exam
Thursday,
Dec 15
Ch 18: Factor Markets
Ch 18: Factor Markets (cont)
Homework Assignments Ch 7, 16-18 are due 11:59am
Overview Ch 7, 16-18
Study days
4:00-5:50pm
Room: TBA
5
Economics 0100—Spring Term 2124
Introduction to Microeconomic Theory
Professor:
Office:
Email:
Dr. Shirley Cassing
4915 WWPH
[email protected]
Telephone:
Office Hours:
Course Website:
(412)-648-1729
T 11-12, W 11-12
http://courseweb.pitt.edu
Textbook: Principles of Microeconomics, by N. Gregory Mankiw, 6th Edition, South-Western Cengage
Learning Publishers. You are strongly encouraged to read the textbook before coming to class.
Course Grade: Homework 20%; Three Exams 25% each; Paper 5%. Exams will be given in class.
Alternative scheduling of the exams will be provided only in the case of an emergency. In order to
schedule a makeup exam, you must submit the Missed Exam Form available on the Course Documents
content area of CourseWeb.
Homework: Nine of the eleven homework assignments will count toward your homework grade. The
homework sets are to be completed on CourseWeb. You will find the multiple-choice problems which
make up the homework for each week in the Homework content area of CourseWeb. These problems
are designed to help you learn to apply concepts presented in the textbook and lecture, and prepare
for exams. The graded homework sets have a firm due date and time listed in the Reading and
Homework Assignment Schedule which is on the second page of this syllabus.
Paper Assignment: The short paper will be no more than 500 words in length. You will be asked to use
a principle or principles from class to pose and answer a question about some event or behavior that
you have personally observed. The title of your paper must be a question. A paper assignment sheet
will be provided during the term.
Recitations: The best way to learn the principles of economics is to actively use them by solving
problems that both test and extend your understanding. In addition to the graded homework sets the
Course Outline & Review Sheet in the Course Documents content area on CourseWeb also
contains problem sets that are highly recommended and are used in developing questions for
the exams. The problem sets will not be collected and graded so your main source of feedback on them
will be provided in recitations. Your TA will discuss answers to the problem sets and offer suggestions
on how to set up and solve them. But, you should try to complete the problems yourself before
attending recitation because as you learn economics, you will find yourself capable of understanding an
explanation of how a problem is solved long before you can actually solve it yourself. So be careful: The
fact that your TA’s answers make sense to you is no proof that you are ready to solve the same kinds
of problems on an exam. The only way to acquire this ability is to attempt the problems before you see
the answers. But if you cannot solve the problem before recitation; you should return to it after
recitation and make sure that you can solve it on your own.
The Course Outline & Review Sheet also reviews core ideas and key terms covered in class.
This should be helpful in preparing for exams.
READING AND HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE:
WEEK DATES
TOPIC
READING
HOMEWORK
PART ONE: SUPPLY, DEMAND, PRICE DETERMINATION AND MARKETS
1
Jan 5
Introduction to Class
Ch 1
2
Jan 10
12
Jan 17
19
Jan 24
26
Jan 31
Feb 2
Introduction to Core Principles
Gains from Trade
Competitive Markets: The Demand and Supply Model
Elasticity
Government Policies: Price Controls and Taxes
Ch 2
Ch 3
Ch 4
Ch 5
Ch 6
HW1 complete by
Jan17, 10:00 am
HW2 complete by
Jan 24, 10:00 am
HW3 complete by
Jan 31, 10:00 am
How Markets Benefit Buyers and Sellers
Welfare Effects of Tax Policy
Using Demand and Supply: International Trade
Ch 7
Ch 8
Ch 9
Using Demand and Supply: Externalities
Using Demand and Supply: Public Goods
Paying for Government Intervention: Tax Policy
Ch 10
Ch 11
Ch 12
HW4 complete by
Feb 14, 10:00 am
HW5 complete by
Feb 21, 10:00 am
HW6 complete by
Feb 28, 10:00 am
3
4
5
Review
Exam 1, February 2
PART TWO: MARKET EFFICIENCY AND POLICY ANALYSIS
6
7
8
9
Feb 7
9
Feb 14
16
Feb 21
23
Feb 28
Mar 1
10
Exam 2, March 1
Spring Break Week – March 4-11
PART THREE: FIRM BEHAVIOR, MARKET STRUCTURE AND FACTOR MARKETS
11
12
13
14
15
16
Mar 13
15
Mar 20
22
Mar 27
29
Apr 3
5
Apr 10
12
Apr 17
19
Revisiting Supply: Production and Costs
Ch 13
Firms in Competitive Markets
Ch 14
Monopoly Firms
Ch 15
Firms in Monopolistically Competitive Markets
Oligopoly
Factor Markets
Ch 16
Ch 17
Ch 18
Using Demand and Supply: Explaining Wage Differentials
Review
Ch 19
HW7 complete by
Mar 20, 10:00 am
HW8 complete by
Mar 27, 10:00 am
HW9 complete by
Apr 3, 10:00 am
HW10 complete by
Apr 10, 10:00 am
HW11 complete by
Apr 19, 10:00 am
FINAL EXAM – SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2-3:50
University Policies:
We will adhere to the university’s Academic Integrity Policy in this class. See the University of
Pittsburgh’s Undergraduate Bulletin or the Guidelines on Academic Integrity: Student and Faculty
Obligations and Hearing Procedures at www.pitt.edu/~provost/ai1.html for full details on this.
The Office of Disability Resources and Services, 140 William Pitt Union (412)-624-7890 is available
for students who have or may request an accommodation for a disability. If needed, please contact
the office as early as possible in the term.
ECON 0100: Introduction to Microeconomic Theory
Spring 2012
Lecturer: Yilan Xu
Office: Posvar 4515
Phone: 412-648-1744
E-mail: [email protected] Please put ECON 0100 in the title of your email.
Office Hours: Wednesday 3-5pm or by appointment
Class : CL 208B, Wednesday 6-8:30pm
TEXTBOOK: Modern Principles: Microeconomics by Tyler Cowan and Alex Tabarrok. Worthand
Publishers, 1st edition.
Course Overview:
ECON 0100 is an introductory course in microeconomic theory for students with minimum
economics background. Microeconomics investigates how individual agents, such as consumers,
households and firms, make (rational) decisions. The aim of this course is to introduce the
student to the fundamental concepts in microeconomics and the basic tools economists use to
analyze individual decision-making and how these individual choices interact in markets to
determine the outcomes of the economy. Upon finishing the course, a student will be able to
9 Define and explain the basic concepts in microeconomics.
9 Analyze simple real-life economic situations using the tools introduced in the course.
9 Develop a better understanding of the role of economics in operation of the society.
Course Delivery:
The course will be taught through weekly 150-minute lectures. The lecture periods will be used
for exposition of the material and discussion of previous homework assignments. Specific
readings for each class are listed in the course schedule below. The lecturer will be available for
consultation during advertised office hours or by appointment.
1 Assessment:
The course will be assessed by three exams (25% for two midterms, 30% for the final), 10
homework assignments (20%).
You are expected to complete assignments and take examinations on the dates specified in the
course schedule below. Late submissions of work or resits of examinations are only acceptable
in extreme circumstances, such as severe illness/injury/death in immediate family/jury duty. A
health certificate from a doctor or other evidence will be required. If for any such reason you
cannot meet a deadline you must IMMEDIATELY inform the instructor by email BEFORE the
deadline to arrange make-up work. It is your responsibility to keep the instructor informed of
any problems you are having in meeting deadlines.
There is no schedule for the quizzes and make-ups are not allowed. You are advised to attend
every recitation.
Note: All work submitted for this course must be your own. Any evidence of cheating and/or
plagiarism in any exam or assignment will be dealt with as specified by the Academic Integrity
Policy, as discussed in the University’s Undergraduate Bulletin.
The Office of Disability Resources and Services (216 William Pitt Union, 412-624-7890) is
available for students who have requested or wish to request accommodation for a disability. If
needed please contact the office as early as possible in the term.
Grading Scale:
All grades will be given as percentages out of 100. Final average grades will be calculated by
weighting each score according to the weights indicated above and will be rounded to the nearest
integer.
98– 100:
92 – 97:
90 – 91:
88 – 89:
82 – 87:
80 – 81:
78 – 79:
72 – 77:
70 – 71:
68 – 69:
62 – 67:
60 – 61:
0 – 59:
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
2 Course Schedule
Week Date Topic
0
1/4
No class
1
1/11 Introduction to Class
Introduction to Economics (Ch. 1)
2
1/18 Competitive Market Model, Demand and Supply (Ch. 2)
Homework
3
1/25
HW 1 due at noon
4
2/1
5
2/8
6
2/15
7
2/22
Competitive Market Equilibrium (Ch. 3)
Elasticity of Demand and Supply (Ch. 4)
The Importance of Prices (Ch. 5)
Price Ceilings (Ch. 6) and Price Floors (Ch. 7)
Taxes and Subsidies (Ch. 7)
International Trade and Trade Protection (Ch. 8)
Review, HW 1-4
Midterm 1. You will need a calculator.
Costs and Economic Profit under Competition (Ch 10)
8
2/29
Long Run Decision under Competition (Ch. 10)
Monopoly (Ch. 11)
HW 5 due at noon
9
3/7
Spring Break
10
3/14
11
3/21
12
3/28
13
4/4
14
4/11
15
16
4/18
4/25
Price Discrimination (Ch. 12)
Cartels and Network Goods (Ch. 13)
Labor Market (Ch. 14)
Responding to Incentives (Ch. 15)
Review, HW 5-8
Midterm 2. You will need a calculator.
Externalities (Ch. 9)
Public Goods (Ch. 17)
Public Policy (Ch. 18)
Political Economy (Ch. 19)
Review
Final exam. You will need a calculator.
3 HW 2 due at noon
HW 3 due at noon
HW 4 due at noon
HW 6 due at noon
HW 7 due at noon
HW 8 due at noon
HW 9 due at noon
HW 10 due at noon
Economics 0100 – Introduction to Microeconomic Theory Monday & Wednesday 11am-­‐‑1:15pm Posvar Hall 4900 Summer 2012 (2nd 6-­‐‑week session) Instructor: Daniel Jones Email: [email protected] Office: Posvar Hall 4513 Office Hours: Thurs. 9:30-­‐‑11:30am TA: Siying Liu Email: [email protected] Office: Posvar Hall 4522 Office Hours: Thurs. 3-­‐‑5pm Textbook: Microeconomics, by Paul Krugman & Robin Wells, 3rd Edition. (But the 2nd edition is fine too…) Grades: -­‐ Homework – 20% -­‐ Quizzes – 15% -­‐ Test 1 (July 16) – 30% -­‐ Test 2 (August 1) – 35% Tests: Tests will be taken in class on the dates indicated above (and in the schedule below). Tests will consist of multiple choice questions and short answer questions. Test 2 (the “final”) will not be cumulative and will only test material covered after the first test. (However, concepts in this course build on each other throughout the semester, so knowledge of material from the first half of the class is necessary to do well on the second test.) Make-­‐‑up tests are only possible under very special circumstances. If a make-­‐‑up test is absolutely necessary, please get in touch with me at least one week prior to the test so that we can make alternative arrangements. Homework: There will be a total of four homework assignments – the due dates are indicated on the schedule below. You must submit each homework prior to 11am on the date indicated on the schedule. They will be completed and submitted online through Courseweb (http://courseweb.pitt.edu). The Courseweb system will not allow late homework assignments. Each assignment is broken up into sections corresponding to chapters from the textbook. You have two opportunities to complete each chapter’s section. Every student must submit their own homework assignment, but feel free to discuss the assignments and work together with your classmates. Given the short length of this class and the large amount of material we will cover each week, the homeworks will sometimes be lengthy; it would be a good idea to start these relatively early. Quizzes: There will be four quizzes. They will take place during recitations on the dates indicated below. The goal of these quizzes is simply to provide an additional way to check your understanding of the material between tests. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped – there will be no makeup quizzes. Recitations: This course includes a recitation that is scheduled for Mondays from 1:30-­‐‑2:50. Each week, we will assign an additional set of problems from the end of the relevant chapters of the textbook; the TA will go over the problems and answer any questions about them during recitation. These problems will not be turned in, have no impact on your grade, and are intended to provide you with additional practice. However, it is highly recommended that you work on these problems prior to recitation. The goal of the recitations is to make sure that you fully understand how to solve these problems (which is particularly important given that the problems discussed in recitation will be relatively similar to short answer test questions), so knowing in advance which concepts you are having trouble with make the recitations much more useful for you. Tentative schedule for the course: (Note that we may not follow this schedule exactly. However, dates for tests, quizzes, and homeworks are firm.) Week Dates June 25 1 June 27 Topics Intro to Class; Incentives, opportunity costs, production Chapters 1, 2 Supply & demand 3, 4 July 2 Price & quantity controls, Elasticity 5, 6 July 4 NO CLASS July 9 Taxes, International trade July 11 July 16 4 July 18 July 23 5 July 25 Decision making & consumers, Review for Test First Half: TEST 1 Second Half: Production Market structures Oligopolies, Externalities & non-­‐‑
private goods Economics of the Welfare State, Income distribution & factor markets July 30 Uncertainty & risk, Review Aug 1 TEST 2 7, 8 18, 19 20 6 HW 2 (ch 5-­‐‑8) 11, 12 14, 16, 17 9, 10 12, 13, 15 Quiz Dates HW 1 (ch 1-­‐‑4) 2 3 Homework Quiz 1 Quiz 2 (in class) HW 3 (ch 9-­‐‑15) HW 4 (ch 16-­‐‑20) Quiz 3 Quiz 4 Academic Integrity: Cheating/plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students suspected of violating the University of Pittsburgh Policy on Academic Integrity, from the February 1974 Senate Committee on Tenure and Academic Freedom reported to the Senate Council, will be required to participate in the outlined procedural process as initiated by the instructor. A minimum sanction of a zero score for the quiz or exam will be imposed. Disability Services: If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and the Office of Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union, 412-­‐‑648-­‐‑7890/412-­‐‑383-­‐‑7355 (TTY), as early as possible in the term. Disability Resources and Services will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course. Intro. Microeconomic Theory
Prof. Frank Giarratani
ECON 0100
Fall Term 2012 (2131)
Lectures: 363 CL MW 3:00 – 4:15 PM
Office hours: 4916 Posvar Hall, MW 1:00 – 2:30 PM
Course description: This course is designed to introduce students to the principles of microeconomics. It
focuses on the structure and functions of markets, by examining some of the basic economic decisions
made by consumers and firms. Students may use this course as a gateway to a wide variety of applied
economics courses and as a foundation for more advanced study. It also provides information that is
basic to inquiry in many other disciplines.
Course Web Site: The course web site provides complete information concerning examinations and
other required elements of the course. It is designed to assist you in organizing your work and keeping
track of your progress in the course. Use it to good advantage:
http://courseweb.pitt.edu
Required Textbook: N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Microeconomics, Sixth Edition (South-Western
CENGAGE Learning, 2012).
Prerequisites: The course presumes a good working knowledge of high-school algebra as well as the
ability to understand and use graphs. See also Chapter 2, Appendix, Graphing: A Brief Review.
Grading policy: Two mid-term exams and a final exam will be offered. The mid-term exams are not
cumulative. One part of the final exam is cumulative, and one part is not cumulative. There are two essay
assignments and two scheduled quizzes in the course. The weights of exams, quizzes, and essays in the
final course grade are as follows:
Component
Percentage Weight
Required Chapters
Mid-term Exam 1
25
CH 1 – 6
Mid-term Exam 2
25
CH 7 – 11
Essays (2)
10
All course material
Scheduled Quizzes (2)
5
CH 13 – 14, CH 15 – 16
Final Exam – Part 1
25
CH 13 – 19
Final Exam – Part 2
10
CH 2 – 11, 13 – 19
Total
100
Make-up policy: Make-ups are permitted only for documented illness or emergency. For make-up exams
and quizzes, the format and type of problems required may not be similar to those on the standard exam
or quiz.
Homework: It is essential that students are adequately prepared for each lecture, and students are
expected to read assigned material in preparation for each lecture. Required homework includes the
multiple-choice problems for each chapter that are available in the Homework content area of the course
web site. The Homework content area also includes a set of problems that are drawn from the “Problems
and Applications” section at the end of each chapter in the textbook. These problems are highly
recommended and are used in developing questions for the examinations.
Economics 0100—Fall Term 2131
Introduction to Microeconomic Theory
Professor:
Office:
Email:
Dr. Shirley Cassing
4915 WWPH
[email protected]
Telephone:
Office Hours:
Course Website:
(412)-648-1729
T 11-12, W 11-12
http://courseweb.pitt.edu
Textbook: Microeconomics, 3rd edition by Paul Krugman and Robin Wells, Worth Publishers.
Course Grade: Homework 20%; Three Exams 25% each; Paper 5%. Exams will be given in class.
Alternative scheduling of the exams will be provided only in the case of an emergency. In order to
schedule a makeup exam, you must submit the Missed Exam Form available on the Course Documents
content area of CourseWeb.
Homework: Nine of the eleven homework sets assigned will count toward your homework grade. The
homework sets are to be completed on CourseWeb. You will find the multiple-choice problems which
make up the homework for each week in the Homework content area of CourseWeb. These problems
are designed to help you learn to apply concepts presented in the textbook and lecture, and prepare
for exams. The graded homework sets have a firm due date and time listed in the Reading and
Homework Assignment Schedule which is on the second page of this syllabus.
Paper Assignment: The short paper will be no more than 500 words in length. You will be asked to use
a principle or principles from class to pose and answer a question about some event or behavior that
you have personally observed. The title of your paper must be a question. A paper assignment sheet
will be provided during the term.
Recitations: The best way to learn the principles of economics is to actively use them by solving
problems that both test and extend your understanding. In addition to the graded homework sets the
Course Outline & Review Sheet in the Course Documents content area on CourseWeb also
contains problem sets that I highly recommend that you complete and will be used in developing
questions for the exams. The problem sets will not be collected and graded so your main source of
feedback on them will be provided in recitations. Your TA will discuss answers to the problem sets and
offer suggestions on how to set up and solve them. But, you should try to complete the problems
yourself before attending recitation because as you learn economics, you will find yourself capable of
understanding an explanation of how a problem is solved long before you can actually solve it yourself.
So be careful: The fact that your TA’s answers make sense to you is no proof that you are ready to
solve the same kinds of problems on an exam. The only way to acquire this ability is to attempt the
problems before you see the answers. But if you cannot solve the problem before recitation; you
should return to it after recitation and make sure that you can solve it on your own.
The Course Outline & Review Sheet also reviews core ideas and key terms covered in class.
This should be helpful in preparing for exams.
READING AND HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE
WEEK
DATES
TOPIC
READING
HOMEWORK
PART ONE: SUPPLY, DEMAND, PRICE DETERMINATION AND MARKETS
1
2
3
4
5
6
Aug 28
30
Sept 4
Sept 6
Sept 11
13
Sept 18
20
Sept 25
27
Oct 2
Oct 4
Introduction to Class
Introduction to Economics/Simple Economic Models
Production Possibilities Frontier (PPF) and Trade
Competitive Market Model (Demand and Supply)
Gains from Trade and Economic Efficiency
Government Policies: Price and Quantity Controls
Elasticity: Measuring the Response to Price Changes
Ch 1
Ch 2
Ch 2
Ch 3
Ch 4
Ch 5
Ch 6
Taxes
Ch 7
HW1 complete by
Sept 11, 10 am
HW2 complete by
Sept 18, 10 am
HW3 complete by
Sept 25, 10 am
HW4 complete by
Oct 2, 10 am
Review
EXAM 1, OCTOBER 4
PART TWO: MARKET STRUCTURE AND MARKETS
7
Oct 9
11
8
Oct 16
18
Oct 23
25
Oct 30
Nov 1
Nov 6
8
9
10
11
FALL BREAK – NO TUESDAY CLASS
Marginal Analysis and Making Decisions at the Margin
Behind the Supply Curve
Perfect Competition
Perfectly Competition (cont’d)
Monopoly
Monopolistic Competition
Oligopoly
Review
Ch 9
HW5 complete by
Oct 16, 10 am
Ch 11
Ch 12 (p. 345-360)
Ch 12 (p. 360-367)
Ch 13
Ch 15
Ch 14
HW6 complete by
Oct 23, 10 am
HW7 complete by
Oct 30, 10 am
HW8 complete by
Nov 6, 10 am
HW9 complete by
Nov 20, 10 am
HW10 complete
Nov 29, 10 am
EXAM 2, NOVEMBER 8
PART THREE: MARKETS AND GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION
12
13
14
15
Nov 13
15
Nov 20
22
International Trade
Ch 8
Externalities
Ch 16
Nov 27
29
Dec 4
6
Externalities (cont’d)
Public Goods and Goods with Special Characteristics
Factor Markets and Income Distribution
Review
Ch 16
Ch 17
Ch 19
THANKSGIVING BREAK
FINAL EXAM,
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15
HW11 complete
by Dec 6, 10 am
8:00-9:50 AM
University Policies:
We will adhere to the university’s Academic Integrity Policy in this class. See the University of
Pittsburgh’s Undergraduate Bulletin or the Guidelines on Academic Integrity: Student and Faculty
Obligations and Hearing Procedures at www.pitt.edu/~provost/ai1.html for full details on this.
The Office of Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union (412)-624-7890 is available
for students who have or may request an accommodation for a disability. If needed, please contact
the office as early as possible in the term.
University of Pittsburgh
Department of Economics
CRN: 11005, 11356
Econ 0100: Intro to Microeconomics
Syllabus
Lecturer: Svitlana Maksymenko, Ph.D.
Office: 4703 Posvar Hall
Tel: 412-383-8155
Fax: 412-648-1793
E-mail: [email protected]
Class meets Mondays and Wednesdays at 120 Lawrence Hall:
CRN11005
12:00-12:50pm
CRN11356
1:00-1:50pm
Office hours
Mondays and Wednesdays 2:00-2:45 pm. Additional hours are available by appointment and must be
scheduled at least a day in advance via e-mail.
Communication
I will employ a CourseWeb (http://courseweb.pitt.edu) email option to report grades, exam statistics
and notify students about changes in a course calendar (if any). It is a student’s responsibility to check
the University email account on a regular basis, and keep it under the quota.
Should you have any questions about this course, textbook, lecture material, or homework assignment,
e-mail your recitation instructor (my teaching assistant) (further in a text - TA) directly. The TA
contact information is presented in table below.
TA
Ho-Ching Mak
Elena Smirnova
Conor Lennon
Katie Jo Black
Siying Liu
E-mail
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Phone
412-648-5312
412-648-2822
412-648-1765
412-648-2822
412-648-7378
Office
Posvar 4520
Posvar 4518
Posvar 4911
Posvar 4518
Posvar 4931
Help
The material of the course is highly cumulative. If you do not understand something, please seek help
immediately. As the first step, read the chapter and visit your recitation instructor (TA) during his/her
office hours. The TAs will clarify lecture material. They will also help you to develop problem-solving
skills required to complete homework assignments and perform well during exams. If after a
consultation with my TAs you still do not feel solid with the course material, as the last resort, you are
welcome to come to my office and talk about the gaps in theoretical material you experience.
Course Description
This course introduces students to the theory of microeconomics. Upon completion of this course
students will have a deep understanding of:
• What Microeconomics is about
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The economic problem and efficiency
Laws of demand and supply
Elasticity
Organization of production and costs
Structure of markets
Economic models that explain firms’ decisions in perfectly competitive environment,
monopoly, monopolistic competition, and oligopolistic markets
Factor markets
Externalities and public goods
Fundamentals of international trade
Prerequisites
Competence in basic algebra and geometry (graphing, linear equations, and slope of linear graphs) and
a willingness to work hard.
Text and Instructional Support
Required:
Microeconomics (with Myeconlab website access code) by Michael Parkin, 10th ed, published by
Pearson, copyright 2011. ISBN: 978-013-273-5308. The Myeconlab access code (valid for a semester)
is required in order to access on-line homework assignments. The hardcopy textbook (with Myeconlab
access code) is available in the bookstore. The e-version of the text is available through Myeconlab
website. At this website, you can also purchase a new code separately from the text for extra fee.
Recommended:
1. the Study Guide, 9th ed, by Mark Rush to accompany the text. Publisher: Pearson, copyright 2009,
ISBN: 0321-609-115.
2. the companion website for the text www.myeconlab.com gives access to practice quizzes, chapter
summaries, and answers to the end-of-chapter questions.
Class rules
Your presence in a lecture is required. You must arrive and be at your seat before class starts. Please
don’t come to the class late. If you face an emergency, notify your TA as soon as possible by phone or email. While in class, I will not allow students to make noise or otherwise distract their classmates. If
you want to ask a question, raise your hand and I will call on you. The use of cellular phones, pagers,
and other similar devices is prohibited.
Students with disabilities
Any student with a need for special accommodation due to disability should inform me of this. The
Disability Resources and Services Office (216 William Pitt Union, 412-624-7890) will coordinate the
needed accommodations.
Class cancellations
Any class cancellations due to bad weather are determined by the university administration and are
announced on the university web site.
Exams
2
Dates of exams are contained in the detailed plan below. Usually exams include multiple choice
questions, and a problem solving section. All exams are not cumulative. I will not offer make-up
exams, with one exception: if you notify me or the department secretary as soon as possible of a
serious reason (such as hospitalization) for missing an exam. This notification should be given prior
to the exam. In case of no notifications, the keys to the exam will be posted on a CourseWeb an hour
after the test, and no make-up will be allowed.
Assignments
All homework assignments are on-line assignments. Use the access code (in your textbook) to register
in my class at www.myeconlab.com. (Step-by-step instructions are posted on the CourseWeb). The
homework assignments are posted under Homeworks tab. You can work on the assignment until you
are happy with your score (for the questions you missed, click on the link “try similar exercise”). After
the due date, assignments are no longer accessible. I recommend printing and reviewing assignments
prior to exams. You are encouraged to study in groups, yet remember to submit the assignment online individually. In the very end of the course, I will transfer your Myeconlab homework score to the
Courseweb Gradebook, and will use it for computing final course grade.
Academic Integrity
Students in this course are expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh’s Policy on Academic
Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation will be required to participate in the
procedures outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. Definition of plagiarism can
be found on the University website.
Grading
Attendance of lectures and recitations is required. Remember: missing classes will seriously
compromise your performance in this course. Participation in problem solving sessions during
recitations will give you a chance to get a higher course grade if you end up on a border. There will be
no curving.
Your course grade will be computed with the following weights:
• Homework assignments
• Exam 1:
• Exam 2:
• Exam 3:
25 percent
25 percent
25 percent
25 percent
No letter grade will be given for tests. After each exam, I will post scores on a CourseWeb Grade Book
and provide students with test statistics (i.e. class average, class highest, and class lowest scores).
The course letter grade will be determined as follows:
• after the final exam I will compute course scores incorporating scores earned on tests,
recitations, and group assignments weighted as indicated above
• a student fails the class if a so determined course score is below 60
• the rest are graded based on the following scale:
90-100
A range
80-89
B range
70-79
C range
60-69
D range
3
Course Calendar
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Dates
Aug 27
Aug 29
Sept 3
Sept 5
Sept 10
Sept 12
Sept 17
Sept 19
Sept 24
Sept 26
Oct 1
Oct 3
Oct 8
Oct 9
Oct 10
Oct 15
Oct 17
Oct 22
Oct 24
Oct 29
Oct 31
Nov 5
Nov 7
Nov 12
Nov 14
Nov 19
Nov 21
Nov 26
Nov 28
Dec 3
Dec 5
Sat, Dec 15
Lecture
Introduction
Ch 1: What is Microeconomics?
Labor day (University closed)
Ch 2: Production Possibilities Frontier
Advantage
Ch 3: Demand and Supply
Market Equilibrium
Ch 4: Elasticity
(PPF).
Comparative
Ch 5: Economic Efficiency
Ch 6: Government Actions in Markets
Overview Ch 1-6
Homework Assignments of Ch 1-6 are due at noon. Exam 1
Fall Break (Monday classes meet Tuesday)
Ch 10: Organizing Production
Ch 11: Output and Costs
Ch 12: Firms in Perfectly Competitive Market
Ch 13: Monopoly
Ch 14: Monopolistic Competition
Ch 15: Oligopoly
Overview Ch 10-15
Homework Assignments Ch 10-15 are due at noon. Exam 2
Ch 7: International Trade
Ch 16: Public Choices and Public Goods
Thanksgiving recess (no classes)
Ch 17: Economics of the Environment
Ch 18: Factor Markets
Ch 18: Factor Markets (cont)
Homework Assignments Ch 7, 16-18 are due noon
Overview Ch 7, 16-18
8:00-9:50am - final exam
Room: TBA
4
University of Pittsburgh
Department of Economics
CRN: 20122
Econ 0100: Intro to Microeconomics
Syllabus
Lecturer: Svitlana Maksymenko, Ph.D.
Office: 4703 Posvar Hall
Tel: 412-383-8155
Fax: 412-648-1793
E-mail: [email protected]
Class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:00-11:50am at 121 Lawrence Hall.
Office hours
Mondays and Wednesdays 2:00-2:45 pm. Additional hours are available by appointment and must be
scheduled at least a day in advance via e-mail.
Communication
I will employ a CourseWeb (http://courseweb.pitt.edu) email option to report grades, exam statistics
and notify students about changes in a course calendar (if any). It is a student’s responsibility to check
the University email account on a regular basis, and keep it under the quota.
Should you have any questions about this course, textbook, lecture material, or homework assignment,
e-mail your recitation instructor (my teaching assistant)(further in a text- TA) directly. The TA contact
information is presented in table below.
TA
Ho-Ching Mak
Elena Smirnova
Ray Miller
E-mail
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Phone
412-648-5312
412-648-2822
412-648-7378
Office
Posvar 4520
Posvar 4518
Posvar 4931
Help
The material of the course is highly cumulative. If you do not understand something, please seek help
immediately. As the first step, read the chapter and visit your recitation instructor (TA) during his/her
office hours. The TAs will clarify lecture material. They will also help you to develop problem-solving
skills required to complete homework assignments and perform well during exams. If after a
consultation with my TAs you still do not feel solid with the course material, as the last resort, you are
welcome to come to my office and talk about the gaps in theoretical material you experience.
Course Description
This course introduces students to the theory of microeconomics. Upon completion of this course
students will have a deep understanding of:
• What Microeconomics is about
• The economic problem and efficiency
• Laws of demand and supply
• Elasticity
•
•
•
•
•
•
Organization of production and costs
Structure of markets
Economic models that explain firms’ decisions in perfectly competitive environment,
monopoly, monopolistic competition, and oligopolistic markets
Factor markets
Externalities and public goods
Fundamentals of international trade
Prerequisites
Competence in basic algebra and geometry (graphing, linear equations, and slope of linear graphs) and
a willingness to work hard.
Text and Instructional Support
Required:
Microeconomics (with Myeconlab website access code) by Michael Parkin, 10th ed, published by
Pearson, copyright 2011. ISBN: 978-013-273-5308. The Myeconlab access code (valid for a semester)
is required in order to access on-line homework assignments. The hardcopy textbook (with Myeconlab
access code) is available in the bookstore. The e-version of the text is available through Myeconlab
website. At this website, you can also purchase a new code separately from the text for extra fee.
Recommended:
1. the Study Guide, 9th ed, by Mark Rush to accompany the text. Publisher: Pearson, copyright 2009,
ISBN: 0321-609-115.
2. the companion website for the text www.myeconlab.com gives access to practice quizzes, chapter
summaries, and answers to the end-of-chapter questions.
Class rules
Your presence in a lecture is required. You must arrive and be at your seat before class starts. Please
don’t come to the class late. If you face an emergency, notify your TA as soon as possible by phone or email. While in class, I will not allow students to make noise or otherwise distract their classmates. If
you want to ask a question, raise your hand and I will call on you. The use of cellular phones, pagers,
and other similar devices is prohibited.
Students with disabilities
Any student with a need for special accommodation due to disability should inform me of this. The
Disability Resources and Services Office (216 William Pitt Union, 412-624-7890) will coordinate the
needed accommodations.
Class cancellations
Any class cancellations due to bad weather are determined by the university administration and are
announced on the university web site.
Exams
Dates of exams are contained in the detailed plan below. Usually exams include multiple choice
questions, and a problem solving section. All exams are not cumulative. I will not offer make-up
exams, with one exception: if you notify me or the department secretary as soon as possible of a
serious reason (such as hospitalization) for missing an exam. This notification should be given prior
2
to the exam. In case of no notifications, the keys to the exam will be posted on a CourseWeb an hour
after the test, and no make-up will be allowed.
Assignments
All homework assignments are on-line assignments. Use the access code (in your textbook) to register
in my class at www.myeconlab.com. (Step-by-step instructions are posted on the CourseWeb). The
homework assignments are posted under Homeworks tab. You can work on the assignment until you
are happy with your score (for the questions you missed, click on the link “try similar exercise”). After
the due date, assignments are no longer accessible. I recommend printing and reviewing assignments
prior to exams. You are encouraged to study in groups, yet remember to submit the assignment online individually. In the very end of the course, I will transfer your Myeconlab homework score to the
Courseweb Gradebook, and will use it for computing final course grade.
Academic Integrity
Students in this course are expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh’s Policy on Academic
Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation will be required to participate in the
procedures outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. Definition of plagiarism can
be found on the University website.
Grading
Attendance of lectures and recitations is required. Remember: missing classes will seriously
compromise your performance in this course. Participation in problem solving sessions during
recitations will give you a chance to get a higher course grade if you end up on a border. There will be
no curving.
Your course grade will be computed with the following weights:
• Homework assignments
• Exam 1:
• Exam 2:
• Exam 3:
25 percent
25 percent
25 percent
25 percent
No letter grade will be given for tests. After each exam, I will post scores on a CourseWeb Grade Book
and provide students with test statistics (i.e. class average, class highest, and class lowest scores).
The course letter grade will be determined as follows:
• after the final exam I will compute course scores incorporating scores earned on tests,
recitations, and group assignments weighted as indicated above
• a student fails the class if a so determined course score is below 60
• the rest are graded based on the following scale:
90-100
A range
80-89
B range
70-79
C range
60-69
D range
3
Course Calendar
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Dates
Aug 28
Aug 30
Sept 4
Sept 6
Sept 11
Sept 13
Sept 18
Sept 20
Sept 25
Sept 27
Oct 2
Oct 4
Oct 9
Oct 11
Oct 16
Oct 18
Oct 23
Oct 25
Oct 30
Nov 1
Nov 6
Nov 8
Nov 13
Nov 15
Nov 20
Nov 22
Nov 27
Nov 29
Dec 4
Dec 6
Sat, Dec 15
Lecture
Introduction
Ch 1: What is Microeconomics?
Ch 2: Production Possibilities Frontier (PPF)
Gains from Trade and Comparative Advantage
Ch 3: Demand and Supply
Market Equilibrium
Ch 4: Elasticity
Ch 5: Economic Efficiency
Ch 6: Government Actions in Markets
Overview Ch 1-6
Homework Assignments of Ch 1-6 are due at noon. Exam 1
No class
Ch 10: Organizing Production. Ch 11: Output and Costs
Ch 12: Firms in Perfectly Competitive Market
Ch 13: Monopoly
Ch 14: Monopolistic Competition
Ch 15: Oligopoly
Overview Ch 10-15
Homework Assignments Ch 10-15 are due at noon. Exam 2
Ch 7: International Trade
Ch 16: Public Choices and Public Goods
Thanksgiving recess (no classes)
Ch 17: Economics of the Environment
Ch 18: Factor Markets
Ch 18: Factor Markets (cont)
Homework Assignments Ch 7, 16-18 are due noon
Overview Ch 7, 16-18
8:00-9:50am - final exam
Room: TBA
4
University of Pittsburgh
Department of Economics
CRN: 11005, 11356
Econ 0100: Intro to Microeconomics
Syllabus
Lecturer: Svitlana Maksymenko, Ph.D.
Office: 4703 Posvar Hall
Tel: 412-383-8155
Fax: 412-648-1793
E-mail: [email protected]
Class meets Mondays and Wednesdays at 120 Lawrence Hall:
CRN11005
12:00-12:50pm
CRN11356
1:00-1:50pm
Office hours
Mondays and Wednesdays 2:00-2:45 pm. Additional hours are available by appointment and must be
scheduled at least a day in advance via e-mail.
Communication
I will employ a CourseWeb (http://courseweb.pitt.edu) email option to report grades, exam statistics
and notify students about changes in a course calendar (if any). It is a student’s responsibility to check
the University email account on a regular basis, and keep it under the quota.
Should you have any questions about this course, textbook, lecture material, or homework assignment,
e-mail your recitation instructor (my teaching assistant) (further in a text - TA) directly. The TA
contact information is presented in table below.
TA
Ho-Ching Mak
Elena Smirnova
Conor Lennon
Katie Jo Black
Siying Liu
E-mail
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Phone
412-648-5312
412-648-2822
412-648-1765
412-648-2822
412-648-7378
Office
Posvar 4520
Posvar 4518
Posvar 4911
Posvar 4518
Posvar 4931
Help
The material of the course is highly cumulative. If you do not understand something, please seek help
immediately. As the first step, read the chapter and visit your recitation instructor (TA) during his/her
office hours. The TAs will clarify lecture material. They will also help you to develop problem-solving
skills required to complete homework assignments and perform well during exams. If after a
consultation with my TAs you still do not feel solid with the course material, as the last resort, you are
welcome to come to my office and talk about the gaps in theoretical material you experience.
Course Description
This course introduces students to the theory of microeconomics. Upon completion of this course
students will have a deep understanding of:
• What Microeconomics is about
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The economic problem and efficiency
Laws of demand and supply
Elasticity
Organization of production and costs
Structure of markets
Economic models that explain firms’ decisions in perfectly competitive environment,
monopoly, monopolistic competition, and oligopolistic markets
Factor markets
Externalities and public goods
Fundamentals of international trade
Prerequisites
Competence in basic algebra and geometry (graphing, linear equations, and slope of linear graphs) and
a willingness to work hard.
Text and Instructional Support
Required:
Microeconomics (with Myeconlab website access code) by Michael Parkin, 10th ed, published by
Pearson, copyright 2011. ISBN: 978-013-273-5308. The Myeconlab access code (valid for a semester)
is required in order to access on-line homework assignments. The hardcopy textbook (with Myeconlab
access code) is available in the bookstore. The e-version of the text is available through Myeconlab
website. At this website, you can also purchase a new code separately from the text for extra fee.
Recommended:
1. the Study Guide, 9th ed, by Mark Rush to accompany the text. Publisher: Pearson, copyright 2009,
ISBN: 0321-609-115.
2. the companion website for the text www.myeconlab.com gives access to practice quizzes, chapter
summaries, and answers to the end-of-chapter questions.
Class rules
Your presence in a lecture is required. You must arrive and be at your seat before class starts. Please
don’t come to the class late. If you face an emergency, notify your TA as soon as possible by phone or email. While in class, I will not allow students to make noise or otherwise distract their classmates. If
you want to ask a question, raise your hand and I will call on you. The use of cellular phones, pagers,
and other similar devices is prohibited.
Students with disabilities
Any student with a need for special accommodation due to disability should inform me of this. The
Disability Resources and Services Office (216 William Pitt Union, 412-624-7890) will coordinate the
needed accommodations.
Class cancellations
Any class cancellations due to bad weather are determined by the university administration and are
announced on the university web site.
Exams
2
Dates of exams are contained in the detailed plan below. Usually exams include multiple choice
questions, and a problem solving section. All exams are not cumulative. I will not offer make-up
exams, with one exception: if you notify me or the department secretary as soon as possible of a
serious reason (such as hospitalization) for missing an exam. This notification should be given prior
to the exam. In case of no notifications, the keys to the exam will be posted on a CourseWeb an hour
after the test, and no make-up will be allowed.
Assignments
All homework assignments are on-line assignments. Use the access code (in your textbook) to register
in my class at www.myeconlab.com. (Step-by-step instructions are posted on the CourseWeb). The
homework assignments are posted under Homeworks tab. You can work on the assignment until you
are happy with your score (for the questions you missed, click on the link “try similar exercise”). After
the due date, assignments are no longer accessible. I recommend printing and reviewing assignments
prior to exams. You are encouraged to study in groups, yet remember to submit the assignment online individually. In the very end of the course, I will transfer your Myeconlab homework score to the
Courseweb Gradebook, and will use it for computing final course grade.
Academic Integrity
Students in this course are expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh’s Policy on Academic
Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation will be required to participate in the
procedures outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. Definition of plagiarism can
be found on the University website.
Grading
Attendance of lectures and recitations is required. Remember: missing classes will seriously
compromise your performance in this course. Participation in problem solving sessions during
recitations will give you a chance to get a higher course grade if you end up on a border. There will be
no curving.
Your course grade will be computed with the following weights:
• Homework assignments
• Exam 1:
• Exam 2:
• Exam 3:
25 percent
25 percent
25 percent
25 percent
No letter grade will be given for tests. After each exam, I will post scores on a CourseWeb Grade Book
and provide students with test statistics (i.e. class average, class highest, and class lowest scores).
The course letter grade will be determined as follows:
• after the final exam I will compute course scores incorporating scores earned on tests,
recitations, and group assignments weighted as indicated above
• a student fails the class if a so determined course score is below 60
• the rest are graded based on the following scale:
90-100
A range
80-89
B range
70-79
C range
60-69
D range
3
Course Calendar
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Dates
Aug 27
Aug 29
Sept 3
Sept 5
Sept 10
Sept 12
Sept 17
Sept 19
Sept 24
Sept 26
Oct 1
Oct 3
Oct 8
Oct 9
Oct 10
Oct 15
Oct 17
Oct 22
Oct 24
Oct 29
Oct 31
Nov 5
Nov 7
Nov 12
Nov 14
Nov 19
Nov 21
Nov 26
Nov 28
Dec 3
Dec 5
Sat, Dec 15
Lecture
Introduction
Ch 1: What is Microeconomics?
Labor day (University closed)
Ch 2: Production Possibilities Frontier
Advantage
Ch 3: Demand and Supply
Market Equilibrium
Ch 4: Elasticity
(PPF).
Comparative
Ch 5: Economic Efficiency
Ch 6: Government Actions in Markets
Overview Ch 1-6
Homework Assignments of Ch 1-6 are due at noon. Exam 1
Fall Break (Monday classes meet Tuesday)
Ch 10: Organizing Production
Ch 11: Output and Costs
Ch 12: Firms in Perfectly Competitive Market
Ch 13: Monopoly
Ch 14: Monopolistic Competition
Ch 15: Oligopoly
Overview Ch 10-15
Homework Assignments Ch 10-15 are due at noon. Exam 2
Ch 7: International Trade
Ch 16: Public Choices and Public Goods
Thanksgiving recess (no classes)
Ch 17: Economics of the Environment
Ch 18: Factor Markets
Ch 18: Factor Markets (cont)
Homework Assignments Ch 7, 16-18 are due noon
Overview Ch 7, 16-18
8:00-9:50am - final exam
Room: TBA
4
Course Syllabus
Intro to Microeconomic Theory
University of Pittsburgh
Intro to Micro-ECON 0100
Spring Semester 2013
1
Professor: Ahmad Shahidi
[email protected] (email)
General Information
• Instructor: Ahmad Shahidi.
– Email: [email protected]
• Location and Time: Please pay attention to the time and location and try your best not to be
late.
Days
Class time
Location
Date Range
W
6:00-8:25 pm CL 242 Jan. 7, 2013 to April 27, 2013
• Text Book: The required text book for this course is
Mankiw, Gregory, Principles of Microeconomics Thomson Southwestern, 6th Edition (Fifth ed is okay
as well). (available at campus bookstore, or half.com, amazon.com, eBay, etc.)
• Office Hours:
– W: 5:00-6:00 pm
– Also by appointment.
• Attendance Policy: You should do your best to attend all the sessions of this course. I reserve the
right to check students attendance. If you are missing too many classes, this will reflect itself in your
class activity score. that Please do not be late as this will interrupt the class every time a
new latecomer enters the classroom.
• Laboratory Exercises: This course does not require a seperate lab.
2
Course Description
Microeconomics is the study of how individual consumers and businesses make decisions and interact in
markets, of how markets operate, and the welfare consequence of markets when then operate well and
when they dont operate so well. Microeconomic policy issues of international trade, monopolies, pollution,
and labor markets will be treated.
There are no specific course prerequisites; students are however expected to have a basic background
in high-school algebra. If you can handle the appendix to chapter one,you should have little difficulty
with the algebraic and graphical tools we will be using. The following web-site (http://www.math.com/
homeworkhelp/Algebra.html) dealing with basic algebra and graphs is an excellent source for review
material.
3
Course Objectives
The objectives of this course are
1. to familiarize the student with the basic concepts and methods of microeconomics opportunity cost,
comparative advantage, supply and demand, cost-benefit analysis and the logic of marginalism.
2. to enable the student to apply these concepts and methods to policy issues . One important set of
policy issues is whether, when and how markets may fail and whether, when they fail, government
intervention may be needed to correct those failures.
3. to lay the groundwork for future study for the study of macroeconomic issues such as unemployment,
inflation and long-run economic growth; and more generally for such courses as managerial accounting and management decision-making, as well as economics courses in finance, labor, international
economics and managerial economics, which require mastery of basic microeconomic concepts.
4
Course Assessment
• Examinations:
70% of final grade.
– First Midterm 15%
– Second Midterm 15%
– Final 40%
• On-Line quizzes:
Grade
Total score earned
5
30% of final grade
A
100-90
B
89-80
C
79-70
D
69-60
F
less than 59
Course Format
Students are expected to read assignments in advance and be ready to participate in class discussion.
Lectures are used to address concepts students identify as not clearly understood by them.
6
Disclaimer
The University and/or instructor reserve the right to amend any dates, topics, assignments or other planned
features of the proposed schedule. Any schedule change(s) will be announced. Students are expected to
be aware of these changes, and it is the responsibility of absent students to obtain this information.
7
Disability Statement
If you have a disability for which you are or will be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to
contact both your instructor, and the Office of Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union,
(412) 648-7890 / (412) 383-7355 (TTY) as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability
and determine appropriate accommodations for this course.
8
Academic Integrity Statement
Cheating/Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students suspected of violating the University of Pittsburgh
Policy on Academic Integrity, as stated in the February 1974 Senate Committee on Tenure and Academic
Freedom, will be required to participate in the outlined procedural process as initiated by the instructor.
A minimum sanction of a zero score for the quiz, homework, or exam will be imposed.
Econ 100: Introduction to Microeconomic Theory
Course Information
University of Pittsburgh
Spring 2013
Instructor: Dr. Erin Kaplan
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: Tues. 1:30 – 2:30pm
Thurs. 2:30 – 3:30pm
Or by appointment
Class Times: M/W 11:00 – 11:50
Location: Lawrence Hall 121
Office: Posvar Hall 4918A
Name: Quixin (Angelo) He
Email: [email protected]
Office: Posvar Hall 4909
Office Hours: Thurs. 2:45 – 4:45pm
Or by appointment
Name: Siying Liu
Email: [email protected]
Office: Posvar Hall 4522
Office Hours: TBD
Or by appointment
Teaching Assistants:
Course Description:
This course applies economic reasoning to the decisions of both consumers and producers
and examines the consequences of those decisions for society as a whole.
Student Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the semester students who successfully complete this course will be able to
1. Explain the economic behavior of individual consumers and individual firms.
2. Apply the principles of supply and demand to determine prices and identify the factors
that affect supply and demand in goods markets, labor markets, and financial capital
markets.
3. Describe and distinguish between various market structures such as perfect
competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition, and oligopoly.
4. Understand various forms of market failure and the policy options available to correct
for market failures.
Course Materials:
• i>Clicker 1st Generation – Required
• Principles of Microeconomics 2nd Ed. By Timothy Taylor – Required
• Study Guide featuring Problems & Solutions – Recommended
• CourseWeb – All assignments and announcements will be posted on CourseWeb, so
please check the course page frequently.
Course Policies
Attendance:
Attendance in both lecture and recitation is highly recommended, and participation
through use of clickers will factor directly into your grade (see below). If absent, you are
responsible for obtaining any material discussed or handed out.
Office Hours:
Students are strongly encouraged to attend office hours. The material covered in this
course is often challenging, and students should consider office hours an additional
resource to aid in their understanding. If you are unable to attend my scheduled office
hours or those of your TA, please contact us to schedule another time to meet.
Cheating and Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct includes the following examples as well as any other similar conduct
which is aimed at falsely representing a student's academic performance: cheating,
plagiarizing, unauthorized collaborating on course work, stealing course examinations or
materials, falsifying records or data, or intentionally assisting another individual in any of
the above.
If you are caught cheating on an exam or an assignment, you will receive a zero on the exam
or assignment. In addition, the event will be reported to the Office of Judicial Affairs and
may lead additional actions from the University.
Use of Cell Phones:
The use of cell phones during lectures is a disrespectful distraction to your instructor and
other classmates. Please turn your cell phone while you are in class. In emergency
situations, please discuss limited use of cell phone with me prior to the class during which
you would like to use your cell phone. Students are NOT allowed to use cell phones or any
internet capable devices during exams.
Email:
In general, email is the best way to get in contact with me. However, if you send me an
email within 24 hours of an exam or homework deadline, don't expect me to respond
before the exam/due date.
Disability Services:
If you have a disability, contact both your instructor and the Office of Disability Resources
and Services (DRS), 216 William Pitt Union, 412-648-7890/412-383-7355 (TTY) as early
as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable
accommodations for this course.
Course Grades
Participation (5%)
This portion of your grade will come from participation during lectures using your
i>clicker. In order to get credit you will need to register your clicker online at
www.iclicker.com/registration/. (For more information see the course materials handout.) I will
start collecting grades for participation on Monday, January 14th. You can earn 5 points during
each lecture using your i>clicker - 4 points just for answering the questions and 1 point for
answering the questions correctly.
Discussion Questions (10%)
Throughout the semester, I will post various articles on CourseWeb that are related to the
lecture material, along with some basic questions about the articles. You are encouraged to
read all of the articles, but you are required to turn in the posted discussion questions
for 5 of the topics in your recitation section the week that they are assigned. You must
attend class in order to receive credit for this assignment. Your answers should be short and
concise, your own work, and typed. These questions are meant to help you think critically
about the articles prior to recitation, so that you are able to effectively participate in the
discussion.
Homework (20%)
There will be 11 problem sets, each designed to help you practice applying the economic
methods taught in class to specific problems. Each assignment will be posted on
CourseWeb at least 1 week prior to the due date, and must be submitted online by 5pm EST
on Friday the week that it is due. Students may choose to work in groups on the problem
sets; however, each student is individually responsible for completing and turning in the
assigned work. I will drop the assignment with the lowest score, and consequently no late
work will be accepted.
Midterm Exams (40%)
There will be two multiple choice midterm exams, and each exam will be worth 20% of
your grade. The first exam is tentatively scheduled for February 18th, and the second exam
is scheduled for March 25th. There will be no make up exams.
Final Exam (25%)
The final exam will be held on Wednesday, April 24th from 12:00 – 1:50pm, as scheduled by
the Registrar’s Office. The final exam will be cumulative.
Tentative Schedule
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
Date
Jan. 7
Jan. 9
Jan. 14
Jan. 16
Jan. 21
Jan. 23
Jan. 28
Jan. 30
Feb. 4
Feb. 6
Feb. 11
Lectures
Topic
No Class: Out of Town
The Interconnected Economy
Choice in a World of Scarcity
No Class: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Interpersonal and International Trade
Demand and Supply
Elasticity
Household Decision Making
Feb. 13
Readings
Ch.
Pages
1
2
1-11
15-26
2
26-36
3
39-52, 57
4
4
7
7
8
59-74
74-84
127-137
137-145
149-159
8
159-167
9
169-184
10
10
HW1 Due
Topic 1
HW2 Due
Topic 2
HW3 Due
Topic 3
HW4 Due
Topic 4
HW5 Due
Topic 5
187-196
196-205
HW6 Due
Topic 6
11
-
209-222
Handout
HW7 Due
Topic 7
HW8 Due
Topic 8
HW9 Due
Topic 9
HW10 Due
Topic 10
Feb. 18
Feb. 20
Exam 1
Cost and Industry Structure
8
Feb. 25
Feb. 27
Competition
9
Mar. 4
Mar. 6
Monopoly
10
Mar. 11
Mar. 13
No Class: Spring Break
No Class: Spring Break
11
Mar. 18
Mar. 20
Monopolistic Competition
Oligopoly
12
12
225-233
233-238
12
Mar. 25
Mar. 27
Exam 2
Negative Externalities
13
14
259-268
Apr. 1
Apr. 3
Positive Externalities
Poverty and Economic Inequality
15
16
275-288
291-309
Apr. 8
Apr. 10
Apr. 15
Apr. 17
Apr. 24
Labor Markets
Issues in Labor Markets
Risk, Uncertainty, and Insurance
Review
Final Exam: 12:00-1:50
5
17
18
87-94
311-328
331-344
7
13
14
15
Monopoly
Assignments
Homework Discussion
HW11 Due
Economics 0100—Spring Term 2134
Introduction to Microeconomic Theory
Professor:
Office:
Email:
Dr. Shirley Cassing
4915 WWPH
[email protected]
Telephone:
Office Hours:
Course Website:
(412)-648-1729
T 11-12, W 10-11
http://courseweb.pitt.edu
Textbook: Microeconomics, 3rd edition by Paul Krugman and Robin Wells, Worth Publishers.
Course Grade: Homework 20%; Three Exams 25% each; Paper 5%. Exams will be given in class.
Alternative scheduling of the exams will be provided only in the case of an emergency. In order to
schedule a makeup exam, you must submit the Missed Exam Form available on the Course Documents
content area of CourseWeb.
Homework: Nine of the eleven homework sets assigned will count toward your homework grade. The
homework sets are to be completed on CourseWeb. You will find the multiple-choice problems which
make up the homework for each week in the Homework content area of CourseWeb. These problems
are designed to help you learn to apply concepts presented in the textbook and lecture, and prepare
for exams. The graded homework sets have a firm due date and time listed in the Reading and
Homework Assignment Schedule which is on the second page of this syllabus.
Paper Assignment: The short paper will be no more than 500 words in length. You will be asked to use
a principle or principles from class to pose and answer a question about some event or behavior that
you have personally observed. The title of your paper must be a question. The paper assignment sheet
will be provided during the term. The paper will be due by 5 pm on April 1.
Recitations: The best way to learn the principles of economics is to actively use them by solving
problems that both test and extend your understanding. In addition to the graded homework sets the
Course Outline & Review Sheet in the Course Documents content area on CourseWeb also
contains problem sets that I highly recommend that you complete and will be used in developing
questions for the exams. The problem sets will not be collected and graded so your main source of
feedback on them will be provided in recitations. Your TA will discuss answers to the problem sets and
offer suggestions on how to set up and solve the problems. But, you should try to complete the
problems yourself before attending recitation because as you learn economics, you will find yourself
capable of understanding an explanation of how a problem is solved long before you can actually solve it
yourself. So be careful: The fact that your TA’s answers make sense to you is no proof that you are
ready to solve the same kinds of problems on an exam. The only way to acquire this ability is to
attempt the problems before you see the answers. But if you cannot solve the problem before
recitation; you should return to it after recitation and make sure that you can solve it on your own.
The Course Outline & Review Sheet also reviews core ideas and key terms covered in class.
This should be helpful in preparing for exams.
READING AND HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE
WEEK
DATES
TOPIC
READING
HOMEWORK
PART ONE: SUPPLY, DEMAND, PRICE DETERMINATION AND MARKETS
1
2
3
4
5
6
Jan 7
9
Jan 14
16
Jan 21
23
Jan 28
30
Feb 4
6
Feb 11
13
Introduction to Class
Introduction to Economics/Simple Economic Models
Production Possibilities Frontier (PPF) and Trade
Competitive Market Model (Demand and Supply)
Martin Luther King Birthday observance – no class
Gains from Trade and Economic Efficiency
Government Policies: Price and Quantity Controls
Elasticity and Its Applications
Taxes
Ch 1
Ch 2
Ch 2
Ch 3
Ch 4
Ch 5
Ch 6
Ch 7
HW1 complete by
Jan 21, 10 am
HW2 complete by
Jan 28, 10 am
HW3 complete by
Feb 4, 10 am
HW4 complete by
Feb 11, 10 am
Review
EXAM 1, FEBRUARY 13
PART TWO: MARKET STRUCTURE AND MARKETS
7
8
9
Feb 18
20
Feb 25
27
Mar 4
6
10
11
Marginal Analysis and Making Decisions at the Margin
Production and Cost Theory
Perfect Competition
Ch 9
Ch 11
Ch 12
Monopoly Markets
Monopolistically Competitive Markets
Ch 13
Ch 15
HW5 complete by
Feb 25, 10 am
HW6 complete by
Mar 4, 10 am
HW7 complete by
Mar 19, 10 am
Spring Break Week
Mar 18
20
Review
EXAM 2, MARCH 20
PART THREE: MARKETS AND GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION
12
13
14
15
Mar 25
27
Apr 1
3
Apr 8
10
Apr 15
17
International Trade and Trade Protection
Ch 8
Externalities
Ch 16
Public Goods and Goods with Special Characteristics
Welfare State Economics
Factor Markets and Income Distribution
Review
Ch 17
Ch 18
Ch 19
FINAL EXAM,
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24
HW9 complete by
Apr 1, 10 am
HW10 complete
Apr 8, 10 am
HW11 complete by
Apr 17, 10 am
12-1:50 PM
University Policies:
We will adhere to the university’s Academic Integrity Policy in this class. See the University of
Pittsburgh’s Undergraduate Bulletin or the Guidelines on Academic Integrity: Student and Faculty
Obligations and Hearing Procedures at www.pitt.edu/~provost/ai1.html for full details on this.
The Office of Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union (412)-624-7890 is available
for students who have or may request an accommodation for a disability. If needed, please contact
the office as early as possible in the term.
Syllabus for Introduction to Microeconomic Theory
Summer 2013: M/W 11-1:15 WWPH 4900
Professor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Email:
Brian Beach
Posvar 4523
TH 10-12 or by appointment
[email protected]
TA:!
Siying Liu
Office Hours: Tuesday 1-3 Posvar 4524
Email:
[email protected]
Objective:
The objective of this course is to provide students with a basic understanding of economic
concepts such as opportunity cost, comparative advantage, elasticity, and externalities.
Students will learn how to depict a variety of economic scenarios with models. These models
will allow for an intuitive understanding of how markets work, the implications of government
policy, and the behavior of firms.
Textbook:
The textbook we will using is the 3rd edition of “Microeconomics” by Krugman and Wells;
however, the concepts covered in this class are not unique to this textbook and the homework
assignments do not require access to the book. As a result, earlier editions or other textbooks
can be used as a substitute. I recommend “Principles of Microeconomics” by Mankiw or
“Microeconomics” by Hubbard and O’Brien.
Grading:
• 30% - Homework
• 35% - Midterm
• 35% - Final
Homework: There will be a total of eight assignments (one assignment for each lecture). Each
assignment must be completed on Courseweb (courseweb.pitt.edu). You will have seven days,
starting at 11am on the day of the lecture, to complete each assignment. For example,
assignment one (covering chapters one and two) will be available from 11am on June 24th until
11am on July 1. I will not accept late assignments, but will instead drop everyone’s lowest
homework score. No further exceptions will be made.
Tests: Each test will be administered in class on the dates specified below. Make-up tests are
only possible under special circumstances and only if you contact me at least seven days before
the scheduled test. Under extreme circumstances (car accident, imprisonment, health related) a
doctor’s and/or sheriff’s note can be substituted for seven days notice.
Recitations:
Recitations will be held on Mondays from 1:30-2:45 in Posvar 4900. The best way to learn the
principles of economics is to use them! In recitation, your TA will set up and solve different types
of problems. The fact that your TA’s answers make sense to you is not proof that you are ready
for the exam. If you cannot solve the problem before recitation, you should return to it after
recitation and make sure that you can solve it on your own.
University Policies:
This class will adhere to the university’s Academic Integrity Policy. See the University of
Pittsburgh’s Undergraduate Bulletin or the Guidelines on Academic Integrity, Student and
Faculty Obligations, and Hearing Procedures at www.pitt.edu/~provost/ai1.html for full details.
The Office of Disability Resources and Services, 140 William Pitt Union (412)-624-7890 is
available for students who have or may request an accommodation for a disability. If needed,
please contact the office as early as possible in the term.
Tentative Course Schedule:
Week
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
5
5
6
6
Date
Topic
Reading
6/24/13
Core Principles
Ch. 1 and 2
6/26/13
Supply and Demand, Surplus, and Price Controls
Ch. 3, 4, and 5
7/1/13
Elasticity and Taxes
Ch. 6 and 7
7/3/13
International Trade, Rational Choice, and Review
Ch. 8 and 9
7/8/13
No Class
7/10/13
Midterm
7/15/13
Rational Decision Making and Production
Ch. 10 and 11
7/17/13 Perfect Competition, Monopoly and Monopolistic Competition Ch. 12, 13, and 15
7/22/13
Oligopoly, Externalities, and Public Goods
Ch. 14, 16, and 17
7/24/13
Factor Markets and Uncertainty
Ch. 19 and 20
7/29/13
Review
7/31/13
Final Exam
Economics 0100—Fall Term 2141
Introduction to Microeconomic Theory
Professor:
Office:
Email:
Dr. Shirley Cassing
4915 WWPH
[email protected]
Telephone:
Office Hours:
Course Website:
(412)-648-1729
T 2:30-3:30, W 2:30-3:30
http://courseweb.pitt.edu
Textbook: Microeconomics, 3rd edition by Paul Krugman and Robin Wells, Worth Publishers.
Course Grade: Homework 20%; Three Exams 25% each; Paper 5%. Exams will be given in class.
Alternative scheduling of the exams will be provided only in the case of an emergency. In order to
schedule a makeup exam, you must submit the Missed Exam Form available in the Course Documents
area of CourseWeb.
Homework: Nine of the eleven homework sets assigned will count toward your homework grade. The
homework sets are to be completed on CourseWeb. You will find the multiple-choice problems which
make up the homework for each week in the Homework content area of CourseWeb. These problems
are designed to help you learn to apply concepts presented in the textbook and lecture, and prepare
for exams. The graded homework sets have a firm due date and time listed in the Reading and
Homework Assignment Schedule which is on the second page of this syllabus. An answer key will be
available on CourseWeb shortly after the assignment is due.
Paper Assignment: The short paper will be no more than 500 words in length. You will be asked to use
a principle or principles from class to pose and answer a question about some event or behavior that
you have personally observed. The title of your paper must be a question. The paper assignment sheet
is available on the Course Documents area of CourseWeb.
Recitations: The purpose of recitation is to go over problems and provide you with the opportunity to
ask questions outside of the lecture setting. Of course, questions are welcome during lecture. In
addition to the graded online homework sets discussed above there will be weekly problem sets
available in the Recitation area on CourseWeb. The best way to learn the principles of economics (and
earn an A in this class) is to solve problems that both test and extend your understanding. These
problems will not count toward your course grade, but you should complete all the assigned problems as
they will help you understand and master the class material. Your TA will provide answers to the
problem sets in recitation and offer suggestions on how to set up and solve them. These questions will
be used in developing questions for the exams. You should try to complete the problems yourself
before attending recitation because as you learn economics, you will find yourself capable of
understanding an explanation of how a problem is solved long before you can actually solve it yourself.
So be careful: The fact that your TA’s answers make sense to you is no proof that you are able to
correctly answer the same kinds of problems on an exam. After attending recitation make sure that
you can solve the problems correctly on your own.
The Course Outline & Review Sheet reviews core ideas and key terms covered in class.
This should be helpful in preparing for exams. The Course Outline & Review Sheet is available in the
Course Documents area of CourseWeb.
READING AND HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE
WEEK
DATES
TOPIC
READING
HOMEWORK
PART ONE: SUPPLY, DEMAND, PRICE DETERMINATION AND MARKETS
1
2
3
4
5
6
Aug 27
29
Sept 3
Sept 5
Sept 10
12
Sept 17
19
Sept 24
26
Oct 1
Oct 3
Introduction to Class
Introduction to Economics/Simple Economic Models
Production Possibilities Frontier (PPF) and Trade
Competitive Market Model (Demand and Supply)
Gains from Trade and Economic Efficiency
Government Policies: Price and Quantity Controls
Elasticity: Measuring the Response to Price Changes
Ch 1
Ch 2
Ch 2
Ch 3
Ch 4
Ch 5
Ch 6
Taxes
Ch 7
HW1 complete by
Sept 10, 10 am
HW2 complete by
Sept 17, 10 am
HW3 complete by
Sept 24, 10 am
HW4 complete by
Oct 1, 10 am
Review
EXAM 1, OCTOBER 3
PART TWO: MARKET STRUCTURE AND MARKETS
7
8
9
10
11
Oct 8
10
Oct 15
17
Oct 22
24
Oct 29
31
Nov 5
7
Marginal Analysis and Making Decisions at the Margin
Behind the Supply Curve
FALL BREAK – NO TUESDAY CLASS
Perfect Competition
Perfectly Competition (cont’d)
Monopoly
Monopolistic Competition
Oligopoly
Review
Ch 9
Ch 11
Ch 12 (p. 345-360)
HW5 complete by
Oct 15, 10 am
HW6 complete by
Oct 22, 10 am
Ch
Ch
Ch
Ch
HW7 complete by
Oct 29, 10 am
HW8 complete by
Nov 5, 10 am
12 (p. 360-367)
13
15
14
EXAM 2, NOVEMBER 7
PART THREE: MARKETS AND GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION
12
Nov 12
14
Nov 19
21
International Trade
Ch 8
Externalities
Ch 16
14
Nov 26
28
Public Goods and Goods with Special Characteristics
Ch 17
15
Dec 3
5
Factor Markets and Income Distribution
Review
Ch 19
13
THANKSGIVING BREAK
FINAL EXAM,
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10
HW9 complete by
Nov 19, 10 am
HW10 complete
Nov 26, 10 am
HW11 complete
by Dec 5, 10 am
12:00-1:50 PM
University Policies:
We will adhere to the university’s Academic Integrity Policy in this class. See the University of
Pittsburgh’s Undergraduate Bulletin or the Guidelines on Academic Integrity: Student and Faculty
Obligations and Hearing Procedures at www.pitt.edu/~provost/ai1.html for full details on this.
The Office of Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union (412)-624-7890 is available
for students who have or may request an accommodation for a disability. If needed, please contact
the office as early as possible in the term.
University of Pittsburgh
Department of Economics
Econ 0100: Introduction to Microeconomic Theory (CN: 19379)
Course Syllabus
Lecturer: Soiliou Daw Namoro [email protected] 412-648- 2242 Posvar 4529
Fax: 412-648-1793
Class meets Tuesday and Thursday 11:00 AM-11:50 AM.
Office Hours: Thursday 1:00pm – 2:00PM
Teaching Assistants (TAs):
Mak, Angela
[email protected] 412-648-5312 Posvar 4520
Lame Sureda, Diego [email protected] 412-648-1795 Posvar 4512
Communication
I will use the CourseWeb (to be found at www.courseweb.pitt.edu) to make announcements pertaining
to the course, as well as to report grades, and changes that may occur in the course calendar.
Learning strategy
The material is highly cumulative. Students should seek help as soon as they experience difficulties
understanding a lecture or the course material. If you find yourself in that situation, the first step to take
is to identify the part of the corresponding chapter that you do not understand. The second step is to go to
the TA’s office hour to receive explanations. This should put you (back) on track and enhance the
problem-solving skills that you need to complete the homework assignment and to be successful in taking
the required exams.
Course Description
This is, as indicated in its title, an introductory course in microeconomics. Upon its completion, the
student will be prepared to take on more advanced levels of microeconomics. More specifically, students
sitting in this course will understand
− The principles of economics, how economists think and the motivations behind people’s
willingness to trade.
− The working of markets and its interference with government policy.
− How markets determines the welfare of their participants, with the related concept of efficiency.
− How production or consumption of some goods can generate so-called externalities and how
economists think about these goods, which the refer to as public goods or common resources.
− Different structures that markets can have (competitive market , monopoly, Monopolistic
Competition, Oligopoly) and their welfare implications.
−
The market for factors of production, in particular of labor.
Prerequisites
Students who will take this course are expected to have a good grasping of basic algebra and
geometry. In particular, they must be familiar with graphing, equations of straight lines and their
graphic representations.
Textbook
The course will be based on the book Principles of Microeconomics by N. Gregory Mankiw, 6-th
edition, ISBN: 978-0538453042, 2012. This book is edited by Cengage-Learning , which also hosts a
webpage that offers students online learning materials at cost.
Assignments
Homework assignments will be given each week. You are encouraged to study in group. Be aware,
however, that each student has to submit his or her copy individually. Late assignments are not
accepted.
Grading
Course and recitation attendance is mandatory. There is no curving of grades. The final grade is
made of homework assignments (25%), and 3 exams (25% each) . The overall letter grades are
determined according to the following scale:
90-100:
A-, A, A+ (A range)
80-89:
B-, B, B+ (B range)
70-79:
C-, C, C+ (C range)
60-69:
D-, D, D+ (D range)
Academic integrity
It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of the University of Pittsburgh's policy and student
obligations regarding academic integrity. This information is available at the address
http://www.bc.pitt.edu/policies/policy/02/02-03-02.html
Students with disabilities
Students who have disabilities for which they want to request accommodations are encouraged to
contact me and the Office of Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union, 412-6487890/412-383-7355 (TTY), as early as possible in the term. Disability Resources and Services will
verify each student's disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.
Course outline and Calendar
Week
Date
1
Aug. 27
Aug. 29
Topic
Introduction
Ch 1: Ten Principles of Economics
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Week of finals
Sept. 3
Sept. 5
Sept. 10
Sept. 12
Sept. 17
Sept. 19
Sept. 24
Sept. 26
Oct. 1
Oct. 3
Oct. 8
Oct. 10
Oct. 15
Oct. 17
Oct. 22
Oct. 24
Oct. 29
Oct. 31
Nov. 5
Nov. 7
Nov. 12
Nov. 14
Nov. 19
Nov. 21
Nov. 26
Nov. 28
Dec. 3
Dec. 5
Tue, Dec. 10
Ch 2:Thinking like an Economist
Thinking like an Economist (cont)
Ch3: Interdependence and the Gains to Trade
Interdependence and the Gains to Trade (cont)
Ch4: The market Forces of Supply and Demand
The market Forces of Supply and Demand (cont)
Ch5: Elasticity and Its Application
Elasticity and Its Application (cont)
Ch6: Supply, Demand, and Government Policies
Supply, Demand, and Government Policies (cont)
Overview of Ch 1-6
Exam 1
Monday Classes are meeting. No class that day.
Ch7: Consumers, producers, and the Efficiency of Markets
Consumers, producers, and the Efficiency of Markets (cont)
Ch8: Application: The Cost of Taxation
Ch9: Application: International Trade
Ch10: Externalities
Ch11: Public Goods and Common Resources
Ch 13: The Costs of Production
Overview of Ch 7-11, 13
Exam 2
Ch14: Firms in competitive Markets
Ch15: Monopolies
Ch16: Monopolistic Competition
Ch17: Oligopoly
Ch18: The Markets for the Factors of Production
Overview of Ch 15-18
Final Exam (12:00pm-1:50pm)
University of Pittsburgh
Department of Economics
CRN: 10976
Econ 0100: Intro to Microeconomics
Syllabus
Lecturer: Svitlana Maksymenko, Ph.D.
Office: 4703 Posvar Hall
Tel: 412-383-8155
Fax: 412-648-1793
Teaching assistants (TAs):
Conor Lennon
Office: 4911 Posvar
412-648-1765
[email protected]
Eric Duerr
Office: Posvar 4911
412-648-1765
[email protected]
Justin Stewart
Office: Posvar 4515
412-648-1744
[email protected]
Class meets Mondays and Wednesdays in 120 Lawrence Hall:
CRN 10976
12:00-12:50pm
CRN 11303
1:00-1:50pm
Office hours
Mondays and Wednesdays 2:00-2:45 pm. Additional hours are available by appointment and must be
scheduled at least a day in advance via e-mail.
Communication
I will employ a CourseWeb (http://courseweb.pitt.edu) email option to report grades, exam statistics
and notify students about changes in a course calendar (if any). It is a student’s responsibility to check
the University email account on a regular basis, and keep it under the quota.
Should you have any questions about this course, textbook, lecture material, or homework assignment,
e-mail your recitation TA directly. The TA contact information is above.
Help
The material of the course is highly cumulative. If you do not understand something, please seek help
immediately. As the first step, read the chapter and visit your recitation instructor (TA) during his/her
office hours. The TAs will clarify lecture material. They will also help you to develop problem-solving
skills required to complete homework assignments and to perform well during exams. If after a
consultation with my TAs you still do not feel solid with the course material, as the last resort, you are
welcome to come to my office and talk about the gaps in theoretical material you experience.
Course Description
This course introduces students to the theory of microeconomics. Upon completion of this course
students will have a deep understanding of:
• What Microeconomics is about
• The economic problem and efficiency
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Laws of demand and supply
Elasticity
Organization of production and costs
Structure of markets
Economic models that explain firms’ decisions in perfectly competitive environment,
monopoly, monopolistic competition, and oligopolistic markets
Factor markets
Externalities and public goods
Fundamentals of international trade
Prerequisites
Competence in basic algebra and geometry (graphing, linear equations, and slope of linear graphs) and
a willingness to work hard.
Text and Instructional Support
Required:
Microeconomics (with Myeconlab website access code) by Michael Parkin, 11th ed, published by
Pearson, copyright 2013, ISBN: 9780133423907. The Myeconlab access code (valid for a semester)
is required in order to access on-line homework assignments. This website code also gives access to
sample quizzes, chapter summaries, and answers to the end-of-chapter questions. The hardcopy 11e
textbook (packaged with Myeconlab access code) is available in the bookstore. If you prefer e-version
of the text, it is available for purchase through Myeconlab website. At this website, you can also
purchase a new access code separately from the text, in case you own a used or older edition textbook.
Class rules
Your presence in a lecture is required. You must arrive and be at your seat before class starts. Please
don’t come to the class late. If you face an emergency, notify your TA as soon as possible by phone or email. While in class, I will not allow students to make noise or otherwise distract their classmates. If
you want to ask a question, raise your hand and I will call on you. The use of cellular phones, pagers,
and other similar devices is prohibited.
Students with disabilities
Any student with a need for special accommodation due to disability should inform me of this. The
Disability Resources and Services Office (216 William Pitt Union, 412-624-7890) will coordinate the
needed accommodations.
Class cancellations
Any class cancellations due to bad weather are determined by the university administration and are
announced on the university web site.
Exams
Dates of exams are contained in the detailed plan below. Usually exams include multiple choice
questions, and a problem solving section. All exams are not cumulative. I will not offer make-up
exams, with one exception: if you notify me or the department secretary as soon as possible of a
serious reason (such as hospitalization) for missing an exam. This notification should be given prior
2
to the exam. In case of no notifications, the keys to the exam will be posted on a CourseWeb an hour
after the test, and no make-up will be allowed.
Assignments
All homework assignments are on-line assignments posted on Myeconlab website. Use the access code
(packaged with your textbook) to register at www.myeconlab.com. Step-by-step instructions are
posted on the CourseWeb. The homework assignments are under Homeworks tab. You can work on
the assignment until you are happy with your score. For the questions you missed, click on the tab “try
similar exercise” and the system will generate you another question to practice. After the due date,
assignments are no longer accessible. You are encouraged to study in groups, however each student
has to submit the assignment on-line individually. During the week of final exams, I will transfer your
Myeconlab homework score to the Courseweb Gradebook, and will use it for computing final course
grade.
Academic Integrity
Students in this course are expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh’s Policy on Academic
Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation will be required to participate in the
procedures outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. Definition of plagiarism can
be found on the University website.
Grading
Attendance of lectures and recitations is required. Remember: missing classes will seriously
compromise your performance in this course. Participation in problem solving sessions during
recitations will give you a chance to get a higher course grade if you end up on a border. There will be
no curving.
Your course grade will be computed with the following weights:
• Homework assignments
• Exam 1:
• Exam 2:
• Exam 3:
25 percent
25 percent
25 percent
25 percent
No letter grade will be given for tests. After each exam, I will post scores on a CourseWeb Grade Book
and provide students with test statistics (i.e. class average, class highest, and class lowest scores).
The course letter grade will be determined as follows:
• after the final exam I will compute course scores incorporating scores earned on tests,
recitations, and group assignments weighted as indicated above
• a student fails the class if a so determined course score is below 60
• the letter graded are assigned on the following scale:
90-100
A-, A, A+
80-89
B-, B, B+
70-79
C-, C, C+
60-69
D-, D, D+
Course Calendar
Week
1
Dates
Aug 26
Aug 28
Lecture
Introduction
Ch 1: What is Microeconomics?
3
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Week of
finals
Sept 2
Sept 4
Sept 9
Sept 11
Sept 16
Sept 18
Sept 23
Sept 25
Sept 30
Oct 2
Oct 7
Oct 9
Oct 14
Oct 15
Oct 16
Oct 21
Oct 23
Oct 28
Oct 30
Nov 4
Nov 6
Nov 11
Nov 13
Nov 18
Nov 20
Nov 25
Nov 27
Dec 2
Dec 4
Tue, Dec 10
Labor day (University closed)
Ch 2: Production Possibilities Frontier (PPF)
Application of PPF: Comparative Advantage and Gains from Trade
Ch 3: Demand and Supply
Market Equilibrium
Ch 4: Elasticity
Elasticity (cont)
Ch 5: Economic Efficiency
Ch 6: Government Actions in Markets
Overview Ch 1-6
Homework Assignments of Ch 1-6 are due at noon. Exam 1
Fall Break (Monday classes meet Tuesday)
Ch 10: Organizing Production
Ch 11: Output and Costs
Ch 12: Firms in Perfectly Competitive Market
Ch 13: Monopoly
Ch 14: Monopolistic Competition
Ch 15: Oligopoly
Overview Ch 10-15
Homework Assignments Ch 10-15 are due at noon. Exam 2
Ch 7: International Trade
Ch 16: Public Choices and Public Goods
Thanksgiving recess (no classes)
Ch 17: Economics of the Environment
Homework Assignments Ch 7, 16-17 are due noon
Overview Ch 7, 16-17
12:00-1:50pm - final exam
4
Economics 0100—Spring Term 2144
Introduction to Microeconomic Theory
Professor:
Office:
Email:
Dr. Shirley Cassing
4915 WWPH
[email protected]
Telephone:
Office Hours:
Course Website:
(412)-648-1729
T 1-2, W 11-12
http://courseweb.pitt.edu
Textbook: Microeconomics, 3rd edition by Paul Krugman and Robin Wells, Worth Publishers.
Course Grade: Homework 20%; Three Exams 25% each; Paper 5%. Exams will be given in class.
Alternative scheduling of the exams will be provided only in the case of an emergency. In order to
schedule a makeup exam, you must submit the Missed Exam Form available on the Course Documents
content area of CourseWeb.
Homework: Eight of the ten homework sets assigned will count toward your homework grade. The
homework sets are to be completed on CourseWeb. The multiple-choice problems which make up the
homework for each week are available in the Homework content area of CourseWeb. These problems
are selected to help you learn to apply concepts presented in the textbook and lecture, and prepare
for exams. The graded homework sets have a firm due date and time listed in the Reading and
Homework Assignment Schedule which is on the second page of this syllabus.
Paper Assignment: The short paper will be no more than 500 words in length. You will be asked to use
a principle or principles from class to pose and answer a question about some event or behavior that
you have personally observed. The title of your paper must be a question. The paper assignment sheet
is available on CourseWeb. The paper will be due by 5 pm on April 4.
Recitations: The purpose of recitation is to go over problems and provide you with the opportunity to
ask questions outside of the lecture setting. Of course, questions are welcome during lecture. In
addition to the graded online homework sets mentioned above there will be weekly problem sets
available in the Recitation area on CourseWeb. The best way to learn the principles of economics is to
solve problems that both test and extend your understanding. These problems do not count toward
your course grade, but you should complete all the assigned problems as they will help you understand
and master the class material. Your TA will provide answers to the problem sets in recitation and
offer suggestions on how to set up and solve the problems. You should try to answer the questions
before attending recitation, and then attend recitation to confirm that you have answered the
problems correctly. If you could not answer the questions before hand or incorrectly answered them,
your TA will clear up any questions you have. But be careful: The fact that your TA’s answers make
sense to you is no proof that you are ready to solve the same kinds of problems on an exam. So you
should return to the problem set after recitation and make sure that you can now solve the questions
on your own.
The Course Outline & Review Sheet also reviews core ideas and key terms covered in class.
This should be helpful in preparing for exams. This should be helpful in preparing for exams. The
Course Outline & Review Sheet is available in the Course Documents area of CourseWeb.
READING AND HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE
WEEK
DATES
TOPIC
READING
HOMEWORK
PART ONE: SUPPLY, DEMAND, PRICE DETERMINATION AND MARKETS
1
2
3
4
5
6
Jan 6
8
Jan 13
15
Jan 20
22
Jan 27
29
Feb 3
5
Feb 10
12
Introduction to Class
Introduction to Economics/Simple Economic Models
Production Possibilities Frontier (PPF) and Trade
Competitive Market Model (Demand and Supply)
Martin Luther King Birthday observance – no class
Gains from Trade and Economic Efficiency
Government Policies: Price and Quantity Controls
Elasticity and Its Applications
Taxes
Ch 1
Ch 2
Ch 2
Ch 3
Ch 4
Ch 5
Ch 6
Ch 7
HW1 complete by
Jan 20, 10 am
HW2 complete by
Jan 27, 10 am
HW3 complete by
Feb 3, 10 am
HW4 complete by
Feb 10, 10 am
Review
EXAM 1, FEBRUARY 12
PART TWO: MARKET STRUCTURE AND MARKETS
7
8
9
10
11
Feb 17
19
Feb 24
26
Mar 3
5
Mar 9-16
Mar 17
19
Marginal Analysis and Making Decisions at the Margin
Production and Cost Theory
Perfect Competition
Ch 9
Ch 11
Ch 12
Monopoly Markets
Monopolistically Competitive Markets
Ch 13
Ch 15
HW5 complete by
Feb 24, 10 am
HW6 complete by
Mar 3, 10 am
HW7 complete by
Mar 18, 10 am
Spring Break Week
Review
EXAM 2, MARCH 19
PART THREE: MARKETS AND GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION
12
13
14
15
Mar 24
26
Mar 31
Apr 2
Apr 7
9
Apr 14
16
International Trade and Trade Protection
Ch 8
Factor Markets and Income Distribution
Ch 19
Externalities
Ch 16
Public Goods and Goods with Special Characteristics
Review
Ch 17
FINAL EXAM,
FRIDAY, APRIL 25
HW8 complete by
Mar 31, 10 am
HW9 complete by
Apr 7, 10 am
HW10 complete by
Apr 16, 10 am
10-11:50 AM
University Policies:
We will adhere to the university’s Academic Integrity Policy in this class. See the University of
Pittsburgh’s Undergraduate Bulletin or the Guidelines on Academic Integrity: Student and Faculty
Obligations and Hearing Procedures at www.pitt.edu/~provost/ai1.html for full details on this.
The Office of Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union (412)-624-7890 is available
for students who have or may request an accommodation for a disability. If needed, please contact
the office as early as possible in the term.
Syllabus for Introduction to Microeconomic Theory!
Summer 2014: M/W 11-1:15 WWPH 4900!
Professor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Email:
Brian Beach!
Posvar 4523!
M/W 10-11 or by appointment!
[email protected]
TA:!
Office:! !
Office Hours:
Email:
Yingjun Su!
Posvar 4910!
Tuesdays 9:30-11:30!
[email protected]
Objective:!
The objective of this course is to provide students with a basic understanding of economic
concepts such as opportunity cost, comparative advantage, elasticity, and externalities.
Students will learn how to depict a variety of economic scenarios with models. These models
will allow for an intuitive understanding of how markets work, the implications of government
policy, and the behavior of firms.!
!
Textbook:!
The textbook we will use is the 3rd edition of “Microeconomics” by Krugman and Wells;
however, the concepts covered in this class are not unique to this textbook and the homework
assignments do not require access to the book. As a result, earlier editions or other textbooks
can be used as a substitute. I recommend “Principles of Microeconomics” by Mankiw or
“Microeconomics” by Hubbard and O’Brien.!
!
Grading:!
!
• 30% - Homework!
• 35% - Midterm!
• 35% - Final!
Homework: There will be a total of eight assignments (one assignment for each lecture). Each
assignment must be completed on Courseweb (courseweb.pitt.edu) and will be available for
seven days. For example, assignment one will be available from 1pm on June 23rd until 1pm on
June 30th. The goal of these assignments is to reinforce the concepts learned in class.
Accordingly, assignments can be completed as many times as desired, and I will only keep your
highest score. Because this design provides the time and opportunity for you to receive the
grade you desire, late assignments will not be accepted.!
!
Tests: Each test will be administered in class on the dates specified below. Make-up tests are
only possible under special circumstances and only if you contact me at least seven days before
the test. Under extreme circumstances (car accident, imprisonment, health related) a doctor’s
and/or sheriff’s note can be substituted for seven days notice.!
!
Recitations:!
Recitations will be held on Mondays from 1:30-2:50 in Posvar 4900. The best way to learn the
principles of economics is to use them! In recitation, your TA will set up and solve different types
of problems. The fact that your TA’s answers make sense to you is not proof that you are ready
for the exam. If you cannot solve the problem before recitation, you should return to it after
recitation and make sure that you can solve it on your own.!
University Policies:!
This class will adhere to the university’s Academic Integrity Policy. See the University of
Pittsburgh’s Undergraduate Bulletin or the Guidelines on Academic Integrity, Student and
Faculty Obligations, and Hearing Procedures at www.pitt.edu/~provost/ai1.html for full details.!
The Office of Disability Resources and Services, 140 William Pitt Union (412)-624-7890 is
available for students who have or may request an accommodation for a disability. If needed,
please contact the office as early as possible in the term.!
Tentative Course Schedule:!
Week
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
5
5
6
6
!
Date
6/23
6/25
6/30
7/2
7/7
7/9
7/14
7/16
7/21
7/23
7/28
7/30
Topic
Reading
Core Principles
Ch. 1 and 2
Supply and Demand, Surplus, and Price Controls
Ch. 3, 4, and 5
Elasticity and Taxes
Ch. 6 and 7
International Trade and Rational Choice
Ch. 8 and 9
Review
Midterm
Rational Decision Making and Production
Ch. 10 and 11
Perfect Competition, Monopoly and Monopolistic Competition Ch. 12, 13, and 15
Oligopoly, Externalities, and Public Goods
Ch. 14, 16, and 17
Factor Markets and Uncertainty
Ch. 19 and 20
Review
Final Exam
Introduction to Microeconomic Theory (Econ 0100)
Summer 2014 (6-week 1)
Instructor
Lily Ling Yang
Office: 4520 W.W. Posvar Hall
Teaching Assistant
Zeynep Kabukcuoglu
Office: 4923 W.W. Posvar Hall
TuTh 11:00-13:15
4716 W.W. Posvar Hall
[email protected]
Office Hours: Th 15:00-17:00
[email protected]
Office Hours: M 15:00-17:00
Recitation: Tu 13:30-14:55
Course Description
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of microeconomics. The emphasis in this course is on
reasoning and understanding rather than memorizing. After completing this course students will be able
to understand consumer and firm behaviors; to analyze different types of market structures; and to use
basic economic principles to analyze economic policies.
Textbook
Microeconomics, 3rd Edition by Paul Krugman and Robin Wells, Worth Publishers
Lectures will not strictly follow this text (or any other). All homeworks, assignments, exams, and graded
material will come from material covered in lecture.
Homework, Exams, and Grading:
There will be two examinations in this course, one midterm and a final examination. In addition there will
be five homework assignments. Your grade for the course will be determined as follows:
Homework Assignments
Midterm Examination
Final Examination
25%
25%
50%
Miscellany:
Students with disabilities are responsible for notifying me at the start of a course and for requesting
accommodations for that disability.
All students are expected to abide by the University of Pittsburgh's policy on academic integrity. Please
familiarize yourself with this policy if you have not already done so.
I will provide make-up examinations only to those who missed an examination because of an unforeseen
event, e.g. a medical emergency, the death of a family member, etc. Written confirmation will be
required. Poorly made travel arrangements do not qualify. Late homeworks are not accepted. There is no
extra credit.
Tentative Topics and Schedule
13 Introduction
Ch. 1
20 Market & Welfare
Ch. 4 & 5
HW 1 Due
27 Topic I: International Trade
Ch. 2 &8
HW 2 Due
3
Economic Decisions II
Ch. 10
HW 3 Due
10 Market Structure
Ch. 12 & 13
HW 4 Due
17 Topic III: Uncertainty
Ch. 20 & Review
HW 5 Due
15 Supply & Demand
Ch. 3
HW 1
22 Elasticity & Taxes
Ch. 6 & 7
HW 2
29 Economic Decisions I
Ch. 9, MIDTERM
HW 3
5 Economic Decisions III
Ch. 11
HW 4
12 Topic II: Externalities
Ch. 16 & 17
HW 5
19 Final Exam
ECON 0100 - Summer 2014
Introduction to Microeconomic Theory
Instructor: Yang Song
E-mail: [email protected]
Office: 4522 Posvar Hall
Office Phone: (412)-648-5717
Lectures: Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:00am - 1:15pm, 4940 Posvar Hall
Office Hours: Wednesdays 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Teaching Assistant: Eric Duerr
E-mail: [email protected]
Recitations: Mondays, 1:30pm-2:55pm, 4940 Posvar Hall
Office Hours: TBD
Textbook:
Microeconomics, 3rd edition by Paul Krugman and Robin Wells, Worth Publishers.
Course Grade:
Homework 20%; Essay 10%; Midterm 30%; Final exam 40%.
Homework sets with multiple-choice questions are to be completed on
CourseWeb. There will be four of them and each is worth 5% of the final grade.
They will be posted Wednesday after the lecture and due a week later. They are
designed to help you learn to apply concepts presented in the textbook and lecture,
and prepare for exams. No late homework will be accepted.
Essay Assignment asks you to use a principle or principles from class to pose
and answer a question about some event or behavior that you have personally
observed. The essay assignment guideline is available on the Course Documents
area of CourseWeb. It describes the requirements. The essay is due at the
beginning of the last lecture, June 16th 11am. You can turn in the essay at any time
before the deadline. No late essay will be accepted.
Both midterm and final exams will be given in class. Time schedule is specified
on the next page. Both exams will have multiple choice questions and problem
solving questions. Final exam is accumulative. Alternative scheduling of the exams
will only be arranged in case of emergency and the student must provide
supporting documents.
University Policies:
We will adhere to the university’s Academic Integrity Policy in this class. See the
University of Pittsburgh’s Undergraduate Bulletin or the Guidelines on Academic
Integrity: Student and Faculty Obligations and Hearing Procedures for full details
on this at www.pitt.edu/~provost/ai1.html. The Office of Disability Resources and
Services, 216 William Pitt Union (412)-624-7890 is available for students who have
or may request an accommodation for a disability. If needed, please contact the
office as early as possible in the term.
Course Schedule
Week
Date
Topic
Reading
5.12 Mon
Introduction, Trade-Offs and
Comparative Advantage,
Production Possibility Frontier
Ch 1, 2
5.14 Wed
Supply and Demand,
Consumer and Producer Surplus
Ch 3, 4
5.19 Mon
Price Controls and Quotas,
Elasticity,
Tax
Ch 5, 6, 7
5.21 Wed
International Trade,
Review
Ch 8
5.26 Mon
Memorial Day. No class.
5.28 Wed
Midterm Exam
6.2 Mon
Decision Making,
Rational Choice
Ch 9, 10
6.4 Wed
Production,
Perfect Competition
Ch 11, 12
6.9 Mon
Monopoly, Oligopoly,
Monopolistic Competition
Ch 13, 14,
15
6.11 Wed
Externality
Public Goods
Ch 16, 17
6.16 Mon
Factor Market and Risk,
Review
Ch 19, 20
6.18 Wed
Final Exam
Week 1
Week 2
Homework
Due
5.21 Wed
11:00am
5.28 Wed
11:00am
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
6.11 Wed
11:00am
6.18 Wed
11:00am
Essay Due:
6.16 Mon
11:00am
Intro. Microeconomic Theory
Prof. Frank Giarratani
ECON 0100
Fall Term 2014 (2151)
Lectures: 3415 WWPH MW 3:00 – 4:15 PM
Office hours: 4916 Posvar Hall, MW 1:00 – 2:30 PM
Course description: This course is designed to introduce students to the principles of microeconomics. It
focuses on the structure and functions of markets, by examining some of the basic economic decisions
made by consumers and firms. Students may use this course as a gateway to a wide variety of applied
economics courses and as a foundation for more advanced study. It also provides information that is
basic to inquiry in many other disciplines.
Course Web Site: The course website provides complete information concerning examinations and other
important elements of the course. It is designed to assist you in organizing your work and keeping track of
your progress in the course. Use it to good advantage:
http://courseweb.pitt.edu
Required Textbook: N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Microeconomics, Seventh Edition or Sixth Edition
(South-Western CENGAGE Learning).
Prerequisites: The course presumes a good working knowledge of high-school algebra as well as the
ability to understand and use graphs. See also Chapter 2, Appendix, Graphing: A Brief Review.
Grading policy: Course grades are based on three examinations and scheduled quizzes for selected
chapters, Examinations consist of fifty multiple choice questions and two analytical problems. Scheduled
quizzes, which are offered on-line, consist of 10 True/False questions. The weights of exams and quizzes
in the final course grade are as follows:
Component
Percentage Weight
Required Chapters
Exam 1
25
CH 1 – 6
Exam 2
25
CH 7 – 11
Exam 3
40
CH 13 – 19
Scheduled Quizzes
10
See course web site
Total
100
Please note that the weight of each exam in determining the final course grade is proportional to the
number of lectures in the corresponding section of the course. See the course calendar.
Make-up policy: Make-up exams are permitted only for documented illness or emergency. Scheduled
quizzes are available on-line for one day only (24 hours), and make-ups for scheduled quizzes are not
permitted. However, for purposes of computing final course grades, only the best five quiz (of seven)
grades will be used in determining each student's weighted average.
Homework: It is essential that students are adequately prepared for each lecture, and students are
expected to read assigned material in preparation for class. In addition to this reading, recommended
homework also includes the multiple-choice problems for each chapter that are available in the
Homework content area of the course web site. The Homework content area also includes a set of
problems that are drawn from the “Problems and Applications” section at the end of each chapter in the
textbook. These problems are highly recommended because they often are used in developing questions
for the examinations.
Economics 0100—Fall Term 2151
Introduction to Microeconomic Theory
Professor:
Office:
Email:
Dr. Shirley Cassing
4915 WWPH
[email protected]
Telephone:
Office Hours:
Course Website:
(412)-648-1729
W 2:30-3:30, TH 10:30-11:30
http://courseweb.pitt.edu
Textbook: Microeconomics, 3rd edition by Paul Krugman and Robin Wells, Worth Publishers.
Course Grade: Homework 20%; Three Exams 25% each; Paper 5%. Exams will be given in class.
Alternative scheduling of the exams will be provided only in the case of an emergency. In order to
schedule a makeup exam, you must submit the Missed Exam Form available in the Course Documents
area of CourseWeb.
Homework: Nine of the eleven homework sets assigned will count toward your homework grade. The
homework sets are to be completed on CourseWeb. You will find the multiple-choice problems which
make up the homework for each week in the Homework content area of CourseWeb. These problems
are designed to help you learn to apply concepts presented in the textbook and lecture, and prepare
for exams. The graded homework sets have a firm due date and time listed in the Reading and
Homework Assignment Schedule which is on the second page of this syllabus. The answers will be
available on CourseWeb shortly after the assignment is due.
Paper Assignment: The short paper will be no more than 500 words in length. You will be asked to use
a principle or principles from class to pose and answer a question about some event or behavior that
you have personally observed. The title of your paper must be a question. The paper assignment sheet
is available on the Course Documents area of CourseWeb. The paper is due by 5 pm on November 14.
Recitations: The purpose of recitation is to go over problems and provide you with the opportunity to
ask questions outside of the lecture setting. Of course, questions are welcome during lecture. In
addition to the graded online homework sets discussed above there will be weekly problem sets
available in the Recitation area on CourseWeb. The best way to learn the principles of economics (and
get an A in this class) is to solve problems that both test and extend your understanding. These
problems will not count toward your course grade directly, but you should complete all the assigned
problems as they will help you understand and master the class material. Your TA will provide answers
to the problem sets in recitation and offer suggestions on how to set up and solve them. These
questions will be used in developing questions for the exams. You should try to complete the problems
yourself before attending recitation because as you learn economics, you will find yourself capable of
understanding an explanation of how a problem is solved long before you can actually solve it yourself.
So be careful: The fact that your TA’s answers make sense to you is no proof that you are able to
correctly answer the same kinds of problems on an exam. After attending recitation make sure that
you can solve the problems correctly on your own.
The Course Outline & Review Sheet reviews core ideas and key terms covered in class.
This should be helpful in preparing for exams. The Course Outline & Review Sheet is available in the
Course Documents area of CourseWeb.
READING AND HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE
WEEK
DATES
TOPIC
READING
HOMEWORK
PART ONE: SUPPLY, DEMAND, PRICE DETERMINATION AND MARKETS
1
2
3
4
5
6
Aug 26
28
Sept 2
Sept 4
Sept 9
11
Sept 16
18
Sept 23
25
Sept 30
Oct 2
Introduction to Class
Introduction to Economics/Simple Economic Models
Production Possibilities Frontier (PPF) and Trade
Competitive Market Model (Demand and Supply)
Gains from Trade and Economic Efficiency
Government Policies: Price and Quantity Controls
Elasticity: Measuring the Response to Price Changes
Ch 1
Ch 2
Ch 2
Ch 3
Ch 4
Ch 5
Ch 6
Taxes
Ch 7
HW1 complete by
Sept 7, 10 pm
HW2 complete by
Sept 14, 10 pm
HW3 complete by
Sept 21, 10 pm
HW4 complete by
Sept 28, 10 pm
EXAM 1, SEPTEMBER 30
NO CLASS OCT 2 AND NO RECITATIONS THIS
WEEK
PART TWO: MARKET STRUCTURE AND MARKETS
7
8
9
10
11
Oct 7
9
Oct 14
16
Oct 21
23
Oct 28
30
Nov 4
6
Marginal Analysis and Making Decisions at the Margin
Behind the Supply Curve
FALL BREAK – NO TUESDAY CLASS
Perfect Competition
Perfectly Competition (cont’d)
Monopoly
Monopolistic Competition
Oligopoly
Review
Ch 9
Ch 11
Ch 12 (p. 345-360)
HW5 complete by
Oct 12, 10 pm
HW6 complete by
Oct 19, 10 pm
Ch 12 (p. 360-367)
Ch 13
Ch 15
Ch 14
HW7 complete by
Oct 26, 10 pm
HW8 complete by
Nov 2, 10 pm
HW9 complete by
Nov 16, 10 pm
HW10 complete
Nov 23, 10 pm
EXAM 2, NOVEMBER 6
PART THREE: MARKETS AND GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION
12
Nov 11
13
Nov 18
20
International Trade
Ch 8
Externalities
Ch 16
14
Nov 25
27
Public Goods and Goods with Special Characteristics
Ch 17
15
Dec 2
4
Factor Markets and Income Distribution
Review
Ch 19
13
THANKSGIVING BREAK
FINAL EXAM,
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12
HW11 complete
by Dec 5, 10 pm
8:00-9:50 AM
University Policies:
We will adhere to the Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences’ Academic Integrity Policy in this class.
These policies and procedures are outlined at the following web site:
www.as.pitt.edu/fac/policies/academic-integrity.
The Office of Disability Resources and Services in the William Pitt Union (412)-624-7890 is available
for students who have or may request an accommodation for a disability. If needed, please contact
the office as early as possible in the term.
University of Pittsburgh
Department of Economics
Econ 0100: Introduction to Microeconomic Theory
Course Syllabus
Lecturer: Soiliou Daw Namoro [email protected]
412-648- 2242 Posvar 4529
Fax: 412-648-1793
Class
Days & Times
ECON 0100-1400 MoWe 9:00AM
(10868)
- 9:50AM
ECON 0100-1600 MoWe 1:00PM
(11175)
- 1:50PM
Room
7th Fl Auditorium Alumni
Hall
7th Fl Auditorium Alumni
Hall
Class Dates
Aug 25, 2014-5-Dec14
Aug 25, 2014-5-Dec14
Teaching Assistants (TAs): TBA
TAs’ names and office hours will be provided during or after the first day of class.
Communication
Although the course will use the Mindtap Interactive Online Courseware (see the textbook part), I will
also use the CourseWeb (to be found at www.courseweb.pitt.edu) to make announcements pertaining
to the course. Precisions about these announces will be provided as needed in class.
Course Description
This is, as indicated in its title, an introductory course in microeconomics. Upon its completion, the
student will be prepared to take on more advanced levels of microeconomics. More specifically,
students sitting in this course will understand
 The principles of economics, how economists think and the motivations behind people’s
willingness to trade.
 The working of markets and its interference with government policy.
 How markets determine the welfare of their participants, with the related concept of efficiency.
 How production or consumption of some goods can generate so-called externalities and how
economists think about these goods, which they refer to as public goods or common resources.
 Different structures that markets can have (competitive market, monopoly, Monopolistic
Competition, Oligopoly) and their welfare implications.

The market for factors of production, in particular of labor.
Prerequisites
Students who will take this course are expected to have a good grasping of basic algebra and
geometry. In particular, they must be familiar with graphing, equations of straight lines and their
graphic representations.
Textbook
The required Material is the
Mindtap Interactive Online Courseware: Homework exercises, quizzes, study tools (it includes an
ebook). The e-book is the textbook for this class: N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Microeconomics
7/e.
You can also, for your own convenience, optionally acquire a bundle of the print text with
Mindtap Access code.
Note, however, that having the print text is not necessary for success in the course.
The material can be picked up at the BookCenter or directly through the publisher
at: http://www.cengagebrain.com/micro/namoro
Assignments
At least one online homework assignment will be given each week. Be aware that waiting the last
minute to do the assignment may result in a bad performance. For each assignment, you have an
unlimited number of attempts, but with no feedback hints to your mistakes. The Mindtap system
gives you the possibility to review every concept and solve related problem. Learning to identify and
correct your own mistakes is part of the class duties. Your official score on each assignment is the
one you obtain on your last attempt. You are encouraged to study in group.
Grading
Course and recitation attendance is mandatory. There is no curving of grades. The final grade is
made of homework assignments (25%), and 3 exams (25% each). The overall letter grades are
determined according to the following scale:
90-100:
A-, A, A+ (A range)
80-89:
B-, B, B+ (B range)
70-79:
C-, C, C+ (C range)
60-69:
D-, D, D+ (D range)
Academic integrity
It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of the University of Pittsburgh's policy and student
obligations regarding academic integrity. This information is available at the address
http://www.bc.pitt.edu/policies/policy/02/02-03-02.html
Students with disabilities
Students who have disabilities for which they want to request accommodations are encouraged to
contact me and the Office of Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union, 412-6487890/412-383-7355 (TTY), as early as possible in the term. Disability Resources and Services will
verify each student's disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.
Tentative Course outline and Calendar
Week
Date
Topic
1
Aug. 25
Introduction
Aug. 27
Ch 1: Ten Principles of Economics
2
Sept. 1
No class (Labor Day: University closd)
Sept. 3
Ch 2:Thinking like an Economist
3
Sept. 8
Sept. 10
Ch3: Interdependence and the Gains to Trade
Interdependence and the Gains to Trade (cont)
4
Sept. 15
Sept. 17
Ch4: The market Forces of Supply and Demand
The market Forces of Supply and Demand (cont)
5
Sept. 22
Sept. 24
Sept. 29
Oct. 1
Oct. 6
Oct. 8
6
7
8
Ch5: Elasticity and Its Application
Elasticity and its Applications (cont.)
Ch6: Supply, Demand, and Government Policies
Supply, Demand, and Government Policies (cont)
Overview of Ch 1-6
Exam 1*. No Cell Phone allowed. Only simple calculators
are. Chapters 1-6.
Oct. 13 Fall break for student (No classes that day). Classes will be on the
next day (Oct 14)
Oct. 14
Ch7: Consumers, producers, and the Efficiency of Markets
Oct. 15
Consumers, producers, and the Efficiency of Markets (cont)
9
Oct. 20
Oct. 22
Ch8: Application: The Cost of Taxation
Ch9: Application: International Trade
10
Oct. 27
Ch10: Externalities
Oct. 29
Ch11: Public Goods and Common Resources
11
Nov. 3
Nov. 5
Ch 13: The Costs of Production
Overview of Ch 7-11, 13
12
Nov. 10
Nov. 12
Exam 2*. No Cell Phone allowed. Only simple calculators
are. Chapters 7-11 and 13.
Ch14: Firms in competitive Markets
13
Nov. 17
Nov. 19
Ch15: Monopolies
Ch16: Monopolistic Competition
14
Nov. 24
Ch17: Oligopoly
15
Dec. 1
Dec. 3
Ch18: The Markets for the Factors of Production
Overview of Ch 14-18
Final Exam *
Week of finals

None of the exams is cumulative. The final exam is not different from the previous two exams.
Only its duration will be longer. The final exam will be based solely on the material covered in
class after the second exam (but it has many more questions than exams 1 and 2).
University of Pittsburgh
Department of Economics
CRN: 10891
Econ 0100: Intro to Microeconomics
Syllabus
Lecturer:
Svitlana V Maksymenko, Ph.D.
Office: 4703 Posvar Hall
Tel: 412-383-8155
Recitation Instructors (TAs):
Felipe Augusto de Araujo
Office: Posvar 4513
Tel: 412-648-2825
E-mail: [email protected]
Angelo Qixin He
Office: Posvar 4909
Tel: 412-648-1796
E-mail: [email protected]
Office hours: Tuesdays 2-5pm
and Wednesdays 9am- 12pm
Office hours: Tuesdays 2-5pm and
Thursdays 9am-12pm
Class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at Bellfield Auditorium 1:00-1:50pm
Communication and Help
Should you have any questions about this course, the textbook, lecture material, or homework
assignment, please contact your recitation instructor (TA) directly. Your TA is your primary contact
and source of information in the course.
The material of Microeconomics course is highly cumulative. If you do not understand something,
please seek help immediately. As the first step, read the textbook carefully and visit your recitation
instructor (TA) during his/her office hours. The TA will clarify lecture material, targeting it specifically
for you. The TA will also help you to develop problem-solving skills required to complete homework
assignments and to perform well during exams, on individual basis. If after consultations with TAs
you still do not feel comfortable with the course material, feel free to come to my office and talk about
the knowledge gaps you experience. My office hours during the Fall semester are Tuesdays and
Thursdays 2:00-3:45pm. Additional hours are available by appointment.
I will employ a CourseWeb (http://courseweb.pitt.edu) email option to report grades, exam statistics
and notify students about changes in a course calendar (if any). It is a student’s responsibility to check
the University email account on a regular basis, and keep it under the quota.
Course Description
This course introduces students to the theory of microeconomics. Upon completion of this course
students will have a deep understanding of:
• What Microeconomics is about
• The economic problem and efficiency
• Laws of demand and supply
• Elasticity
• Organization of production and costs
•
•
•
•
•
Structure of markets
Economic models that explain firms’ decisions in perfectly competitive environment,
monopoly, monopolistic competition, and oligopolistic markets
Factor markets
Externalities and public goods
Fundamentals of international trade
Prerequisites
Competence in basic algebra and geometry (graphing, linear equations, and slope of linear graphs) and
a willingness to work hard.
Text and Instructional Support
Required:
Microeconomics (with Myeconlab website access code) by Michael Parkin, 11th ed, published by
Pearson, copyright 2013, ISBN: 9780133423907. The Myeconlab access code (valid for a semester
and bundled with a brand new text) is required in order to access on-line homework assignments. The
website also gives access to sample quizzes, chapter summaries, and answers to the end-of-chapter
questions. The hardcopy 11e textbook (packaged with Myeconlab access code) is available in the
bookstore. If you prefer e-version of the text, it is available for purchase through Myeconlab website.
At this website, you can also purchase a new access code separately from the text, in case you own a
used or older edition textbook.
Class rules
Your presence in a lecture is required. You must arrive and be at your seat before class starts. Please
don’t come to the class late. If you face an emergency, notify your TA as soon as possible by phone or email. While in class, I will not allow students to make noise or otherwise distract their classmates. If
you want to ask a question, raise your hand and I will call on you. The use of cellular phones, pagers,
and other similar devices is prohibited.
Students with disabilities
Any student with a need for special accommodation due to disability should inform me of this. The
Disability Resources and Services Office (216 William Pitt Union, 412-624-7890) will coordinate the
needed accommodations.
Class cancellations
Any class cancellations due to bad weather are determined by the university administration and are
announced on the university web site.
Exams
Dates of exams are contained in the detailed plan below. Usually exams include multiple choice
questions, and a problem solving section. All exams are not cumulative. I will not offer make-up
exams, with the only one exception: if you notify me or the TA as soon as possible of a serious reason
(such as hospitalization) for missing an exam. This notification should be given prior to the exam. In
case of no notifications, the keys to the exam will be posted on a CourseWeb an hour after the test, and
no make-up will be allowed.
2
Assignments
All homework assignments are on-line assignments posted on Myeconlab website. Use the access code
(packaged with your textbook) to register at www.myeconlab.com. Step-by-step instructions are
posted on the CourseWeb. The homework assignments can be found under Homeworks tab. You can
work on the assignment until you are happy with your score. For the questions you missed, click on the
tab “try similar exercise” and the system will generate another similar question for you to practice.
After the due date, assignments are no longer accessible. You are encouraged to study in groups;
however each student has to submit the assignment on-line individually. During the week of finals, I
will transfer your Myeconlab homework score to the Courseweb Gradebook, and will use it for
computing final course grade.
Academic Integrity
Students in this course are expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh’s Policy on Academic
Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation will be required to participate in the
procedures outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. Definition of plagiarism can
be found on the University website.
Grading
Attendance of lectures and recitations is required. Remember: missing classes will seriously
compromise your performance in this course. Active participation in problem solving sessions during
recitations and positive recommendations from my TAs will give you a chance to get a higher course
grade if you end up on a border. There will be no curving.
Your course grade will be computed with the following weights:
• Recitation participation
• Homework assignments
• Exam 1:
• Exam 2:
• Exam 3:
5 percent
20 percent
25 percent
25 percent
25 percent
No letter grade will be given for tests. After each exam, I will post scores on a CourseWeb Grade Book
and provide students with test statistics (i.e. class average, class highest, and class lowest scores).
The course letter grade will be determined as follows:
• after the final exam I will compute course scores incorporating scores earned on tests,
recitations, and group assignments weighted as indicated above
• a student fails the class if a so determined course score is below 60
• the letter graded are assigned on the following scale:
90-100
A-, A, A+
80-89
B-, B, B+
70-79
C-, C, C+
60-69
D-, D, D+
3
Course Calendar
Week
1
Dates
Lecture
Aug 26
Introduction
Aug 28
Ch 1: What is Microeconomics?
2
Sept 2
Ch 2: Production Possibilities Frontier (PPF)
Sept 4
Application of PPF: Comparative Advantage and Gains from Trade
3
Sept 9
Ch 3: Demand and Supply
Sept 11
4
Sept 16
Ch 4: Elasticity
Sept 18
5
Sept 23
Ch 5: Economic Efficiency
Sept 25
6
Sept 30
Ch 6: Government Actions in Markets
Oct 2
7
Oct 7
Overview Ch 1-6
Oct 9
Homework Assignments of Ch 1-6 are due at 1pm. Exam 1
8
Oct 14
No class
Oct 16
Ch 10: Organizing Production
9
Oct 21
Ch 11: Output and Costs
Oct 23
10
Oct 28
Ch 12: Firms in Perfectly Competitive Market
Oct 30
11
Nov 4
Ch 13: Monopoly
Nov 6
12
Nov 11
Ch 14: Monopolistic Competition
Nov 13
Ch 15: Oligopoly
13
Nov 18
Overview Ch 10-15
Nov 20
Homework Assignments Ch 10-15 are due at 1pm. Exam 2
14
Nov 25
Ch 7: International Trade
Nov 27
Thanksgiving recess (no classes)
Please take time to fill in my Teaching Evaluation survey on-line!
It is very important for me to have your feedback and to know how you enjoyed the class. Thank
you!
Ch 16: Public Choices and Public Goods
15
Dec 2
Ch 17: Economics of the Environment. Overview of CH7, 16-17
Dec 4
Homework Assignments Ch 7, 16-17 are due 1pm
Dec 6
Myeconlab HW score is transferred to Courseweb
Week of
Fri, Dec 12
8:00-9:50am Exam 3
finals
4
Economics 0100—Fall Term 2161
Introduction to Microeconomic Theory
Professor:
Office:
Email:
Dr. Shirley Cassing
4915 WWPH
[email protected]
Telephone:
Office Hours:
Course Website:
(412)-648-1729
W 2:30-3:30, TH 10:30-11:30
http://courseweb.pitt.edu
Textbook: Microeconomics, 4th edition by Paul Krugman and Robin Wells, Worth Publishers.
Course Grade: Homework 20%; Three Exams 25% each; Paper 5%. Exams will be given in class.
Alternative scheduling of the exams will be provided only in the case of an emergency. In order to
schedule a makeup exam, you must submit the Missed Exam Form available in the Course Documents
area of CourseWeb.
Homework: Nine of the eleven homework sets assigned will count toward your homework grade. The
homework sets are to be completed on CourseWeb. You will find the multiple-choice problems which
make up the homework for each week in the Homework content area of CourseWeb. These problems
are designed to help you learn to apply concepts presented in the textbook and lecture, and prepare
for exams. The graded homework sets have a firm due date and time listed in the Reading and
Homework Assignment Schedule which is on the second page of this syllabus. The answers will be
available on CourseWeb shortly after the assignment is due.
Paper Assignment: The short paper will be no more than 500 words in length. You will be asked to use
a principle or principles from class to pose and answer a question about some event or behavior that
you have personally observed. The title of your paper must be a question. The paper assignment sheet
is available on the Course Documents area of CourseWeb. The paper is due by 5 pm on November 13.
Recitations: The purpose of recitation is to go over problems and provide you with the opportunity to
ask questions outside of the lecture setting. Of course, questions are welcome during lecture. In
addition to the graded online homework sets discussed above there will be weekly problem sets
available in the Recitation area on CourseWeb. The best way to learn the principles of economics (and
get an A in this class) is to solve problems that both test and extend your understanding. These
problems will not count toward your course grade directly, but you should complete all the assigned
problems as they will help you understand and master the class material. Your TA will provide answers
to the problem sets in recitation and offer suggestions on how to set up and solve them. These
questions will be used in developing questions for the exams. You should try to complete the problems
yourself before attending recitation because as you learn economics, you will find yourself capable of
understanding an explanation of how a problem is solved long before you can actually solve it yourself.
So be careful: The fact that your TA’s answers make sense to you is no proof that you are able to
correctly answer the same kinds of problems on an exam. After attending recitation make sure that
you can solve the problems correctly on your own.
The Course Outline & Review Sheet reviews core ideas and key terms covered in class.
This should be helpful in preparing for exams. The Course Outline & Review Sheet is available in the
Course Documents area of CourseWeb.
READING AND HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE
WEEK
DATES
TOPIC
READING
HOMEWORK
PART ONE: SUPPLY, DEMAND, PRICE DETERMINATION AND MARKETS
1
2
3
4
5
6
Sept 1
3
Sept 8
10
Sept 15
17
Sept 22
24
Sept 29
Oct 1
Oct 6
Oct 8
Introduction to Class
Introduction to Economics/Simple Economic Models
Production Possibilities Frontier (PPF) and Trade
Competitive Market Model (Demand and Supply)
Gains from Trade and Economic Efficiency
Government Policies: Price and Quantity Controls
Elasticity: Measuring the Response to Price Changes
Ch 1
Ch 2
Ch 2
Ch 3
Ch 4
Ch 5
Ch 6
Taxes
Ch 7
HW1 complete by
24:00 Sept 13
HW2 complete by
24:00 Sept 20
HW3 complete by
24:00 Sept 27
HW4 complete by
24:00 Oct 4
Review
EXAM 1, OCTOBER 8
PART TWO: MARKET STRUCTURE AND MARKETS
7
8
9
10
11
Oct 13
15
Oct 20
22
Oct 27
29
Nov 3
5
Nov 10
12
Marginal Analysis and Making Decisions at the Margin
Behind the Supply Curve
FALL BREAK – NO TUESDAY CLASS
Perfect Competition
Perfectly Competition (cont’d)
Monopoly
Monopolistic Competition
Oligopoly
Review
Ch 9
Ch 11
Ch 12 (p. 345-360)
HW5 complete by
24:00 Oct 18
HW6 complete by
24:00 Oct 25
Ch 12 (p. 360-367)
Ch 13
Ch 15
Ch 14
HW7 complete by
24:00 Nov 1
HW8 complete by
24:00 Nov 8
HW9 complete by
24:00 Nov 22
EXAM 2, NOVEMBER 12
PART THREE: MARKETS AND GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION
12
13
14
15
Nov 17
19
Nov 24
26
International Trade and Trade Protection
Ch 8
Externalities (Part I)
Ch 16
Dec 1
3
Dec 8
10
Externalities (Part II)
Public Goods and goods with Special Characteristics
Factor Markets and Income Distribution
Review
Ch 16
Ch 17
Ch 19
THANKSGIVING BREAK
FINAL EXAM,
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18
HW10 complete
by 24:00 Dec 6
HW11 complete
by 24:00 Dec 13
8:00-9:50 AM
University Policies:
We will adhere to the Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences’ Academic Integrity Policy in this class.
These policies and procedures are outlined at the following web site:
www.as.pitt.edu/fac/policies/academic-integrity.
The Office of Disability Resources and Services in the William Pitt Union (412)-624-7890 is available
for students who have or may request an accommodation for a disability. If needed, please contact
the office as early as possible in the term.
University of Pittsburgh
Department of Economics
Econ 0100: Introduction to Microeconomic Theory
Course Syllabus
Lecturer: Soiliou Daw Namoro [email protected]
412-648- 2242 Posvar 4529
Fax: 412-648-1793
Office hours: MW 10:00 am -11:30 am
Class
Days & Times
Room
Class Dates
ECON 0100-1600
(11135)
MoWe 1:00PM 1:50PM
120 Lawrence Hall
Aug 31, 2015Dec 11, 2015
Teaching Assistants (TAs) & Office Hours
Name
Email
Office Hour
Mark Azic
[email protected]
Katie Black
[email protected]
Li Sijie
[email protected]
Qixin He
[email protected]
Tue 1:00pm-3:00
pm
M 9:30 am- 11:30
am
Tue 11:00 am 1:00 pm
Wed 2:00 pm 4:00 pm
FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE
Exam Date
Exam Time
FRI DEC 18
800 AM _
9:50 AM
Exam Room
TBA
1
Office: WWPH Phone ext.
or number
4518 WWPH
8-2822
4523 WWPH
8-1766
4519 WWPH
8-2824
4909 WWPH
412-8975184
Course Description
This is, as indicated in its title, an introductory course in microeconomics. Upon its completion, the
student will be prepared to take on more advanced levels of microeconomics. More specifically,
students sitting in this course will understand
 The meaning of Economics and the economic problem.
 Demand and Supply
 How markets determine the welfare of their participants, with the related concept of efficiency
and equity.
 How production or consumption of some goods can generate so-called externalities and how
economists think about these goods, which they refer to as public goods or common resources.
 Government actions in markets.
 The motivations behind and the mechanisms of trades that take place between countries.
 Different structures that markets can have (competitive market, monopoly, Monopolistic
Competition, Oligopoly) and their welfare implications.
Prerequisites
Students who will take this course are expected to have a good grasping of basic algebra and geometry.
In particular, they must be familiar with graphing, equations of straight lines and their graphic
representations.
Textbook
Access to the MyEconLab Interactive Online system is required for this course. This system contains the
electronic version of the textbook by Michael Parkin, Microeconomics 12th Edition.
Access to MyEconlab can be purchased online at myeconlab.com (Please do not make a purchase of an
access key to MyEconlab from any other site). If you follow the directions on registering for MyEconlab,
your options will be laid out for you including free temporary 14 day access.
If, for your convenience, you also want to have the printed version of the textbook, the least expensive
option is to purchase it from the University bookstore, with the access key to MyEconlab system
included into it.
Recitations
There will be a recitation session every week. The TA will discuss with you the details of the organization
of the sessions.
Assignments
At least one online homework assignment will be given each week and is available for about 7 days.
Waiting until the last minute to do the assignment may result in a bad performance. For each
assignment, you have an unlimited number of attempts, but with no feedback hints to your mistakes.
Your official score on each assignment is the score you obtain on your last attempt. You are encouraged
to study in group.
2
Exams
There will be 3 exams. None of these exams is cumulative (not even the final exam). The exam dates are
shown below in the course outline.
Grading
Course and recitation attendance is mandatory. There is no curving of grades. The final grade is made of
homework assignments (25%), and 3 exams (25% each). The overall letter grades are determined
according to the following scale:
90-100: A-, A, A+ (A range)
80-89: B-, B, B+ (B range)
70-79: C-, C, C+ (C range)
60-69: D-, D, D+ (D range)
HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR GRADE
1. Every homework (HW) assignment is over 20. Convert the average HW score to a score over 25 (by
dividing it by 20 and multiplying the result by 25)
2. Convert each of the 3 exam scores to a score over 25.
3. Add up the 4 over-25 scores.
4. Refer to the letter grade ranges.
Academic integrity
It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of the University of Pittsburgh's policy and student
obligations regarding academic integrity. This information is available at the address
http://www.bc.pitt.edu/policies/policy/02/02-03-02.html
Students with disabilities
Students who have disabilities for which they want to request accommodations are encouraged to
contact me and the Office of Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union, 412-6487890/412-383-7355 (TTY), as early as possible in the term. Disability Resources and Services will verify
each student's disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.
Tentative Course outline and Calendar
Week
1
Aug 31
Introduction
2
Sept 2
Sept 7
Ch 1: What is Economics?
No class (Labor Day: University closed
Sept 9
Ch1: What is economics?
Sept 14
Ch 2: The economic Problem
3
Date
Topic
3
Sept 16
Ch 2: The economic Problem
Sept 21
Ch 3: Demand and Supply
Sept 23
Ch 3: Demand and Supply
5
Sept 28
Ch 4: Elasticity
6
Sept 30
Oct 5
Ch 5 : Efficiency and Equity
Ch 5: Efficiency and Equity; Ch 6: Government Actions in Markets.
4
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Oct 7
Ch 6 : Government Actions in Markets
Oct 12
Review of Chapters 1-6
Oct 14
Exam 1*. No Cell Phone. Based on Chapters 1-6.
Focus now on Exam 2. Recall that exams are not cumulative
Oct 19
Fall break for students (no classes)
Oct 20
Ch 7: Global Markets in Action
Oct 21
Ch 7: : Global Markets in Action
Oct 26
Ch 16: Public Choices and Public Goods
Oct 28
Ch 16: Public Choices and Public Goods
Nov 2
Ch 17: Externalities and the Environment
Nov 4
Ch 11: Output and costs
Nov 9
Ch 11: Output and costs
Nov 11
Review of Chapters 7, 11, 16, 17
Nov 16
Exam 2*. No Cell Phone. Based on Chs 7, 11, 16, and 17.
Nov 18
Ch 12 Perfect competition
Focus now on the final. Recall that exams are not cumulative
Nov 23
Ch 12 Perfect competition; Ch 13 Monopoly
Nov 25-Nov 29
Thanksgiving Recess
Nov 30
Ch 13 Monopoly; Ch 15 Oligopoly
Dec 2
Ch 15 Oligopoly; CH 14 Monopolistic competition
15
Dec 7
Ch 14 Monopolistic competiton
Dec 9
Review of Chapters 12, 13, 14, and 15
Dec 14 –Dec 19 Final exam Period. See Page 1.
*Notes



A student who shows up at an exam, 20 or more minutes after the exam has started, is not allowed to
take the exam.
A well-documented excuse is necessary for any make-up exam.
Homework assignments are available for about 7 days. Make-up HWs are not available.
4
University of Pittsburgh
Department of Economics
Fall 2015
CRN: 18285
Econ 0100: Intro to Microeconomics
Syllabus
Lecturer:
Svitlana V Maksymenko, Ph.D.
Office: 4703 Posvar Hall
Tel: 412-383-8155
Class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at 120 Lawrence hall.
Recitation Instructors (TAs):
Hao Feng
Office: Posvar 4910
Tel: 412-648-1792
E-mail: [email protected]
Yi Han
Office: Posvar 4513
Tel: 412-648-2825
E-mail: [email protected]
Office hours: Wednesdays
and Thursdays 1:30-4:30 pm
Office hours: Mondays 9am-12pm
and 1-4pm
Communication and Help
Your recitation instructor (TA) is your primary contact in the course. Should you have any questions
about this course, the textbook, lecture material, or homework assignment, do not hesitate to contact
your TA.
The material of Microeconomics course is highly cumulative. If you do not understand something,
please seek help immediately. As the first step, read the textbook carefully and visit your recitation
instructor (TA) during his/her office hours. The TA will clarify all lecture material, targeting it
specifically for you. The TA will also help you to develop problem-solving skills required to complete
homework assignments and to perform well during exams, on individual basis. If after consultations
with TAs you still do not feel comfortable with the course material, feel free to come to my office and
talk about the knowledge gaps you experience. My office hours during the Fall semester are Tuesdays
and Thursdays 1:00-2:15pm. I could also offer additional hours by appointment.
I will employ a CourseWeb (http://courseweb.pitt.edu) email option to report grades, exam statistics
and notify students about changes in a course calendar (if any). It is a student’s responsibility to check
the University email account on a regular basis, and keep it under the quota.
Course Description
This course introduces students to the theory of microeconomics. Upon completion of this course
students will have a deep understanding of:
• What Microeconomics is about
• The economic problem and efficiency
• Laws of demand and supply
• Elasticity
•
•
•
•
•
•
Organization of production and costs
Structure of markets
Economic models that explain firms’ decisions in perfectly competitive environment,
monopoly, monopolistic competition, and oligopolistic markets
Factor markets
Externalities and public goods
Fundamentals of international trade
Prerequisites
Competence in basic algebra and geometry (graphing, linear equations, and slopes of linear graphs)
and a willingness to work hard.
Text and Instructional Support
Microeconomics (with Myeconlab website access code) by Michael Parkin, 12th ed, published by
Pearson, copyright 2015, ISBN: 9780134004686. The Myeconlab access code (valid for a semester
and bundled with a brand new text) is required in order to access on-line homework assignments. The
website also gives access to sample quizzes, chapter summaries, and answers to the end-of-chapter
questions. The hardcopy 12e textbook (packaged with Myeconlab access code) is available in the
bookstore. If you prefer e-version of the text, it is available for purchase through Myeconlab website.
At this website, you can also purchase a new access code separately from the text, in case you own a
used or older edition textbook.
Class rules
Your presence in a lecture is required. You must arrive and be at your seat before class starts. Please
don’t come to the class late. If you face an emergency, notify your TA as soon as possible by phone or email. While in class, I will not allow students to make noise or otherwise distract their classmates. If
you want to ask a question, raise your hand and I will call on you. The use of cellular phones, pagers,
and other similar devices is prohibited.
Students with disabilities
Any student with a need for special accommodation due to disability should inform me of this. The
Disability Resources and Services Office (216 William Pitt Union, 412-624-7890) will coordinate the
needed accommodations.
Class cancellations
Any class cancellations due to bad weather are determined by the university administration and are
announced on the university web site.
Exams
Dates of exams are contained in the detailed plan below. Usually exams include multiple choice
questions, and a problem solving section. All exams are not cumulative. I will not offer make-up
exams, with the only one exception: if you notify me or the TA as soon as possible of a serious reason
(such as hospitalization) for missing an exam. This notification should be given prior to the exam. In
case of no notifications, the keys to the exam will be posted on a CourseWeb an hour after the test, and
no make-up will be allowed.
2
Assignments
All homework assignments are on-line assignments posted on Myeconlab website. Use the access code
(packaged with your textbook) to register at www.myeconlab.com. Step-by-step instructions are
posted on the CourseWeb. The homework assignments can be found under Homeworks tab. You can
work on the assignment until you are happy with your score. For the questions you missed, click on the
tab “try similar exercise” and the system will generate another similar question for you to practice.
After the due date, assignments are no longer accessible. You are encouraged to study in groups;
however each student has to submit the assignment on-line individually. During the week of finals, I
will transfer your Myeconlab homework score to the Courseweb Gradebook, and will use it for
computing final course grade.
Academic Integrity
Students in this course are expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh’s Policy on Academic
Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation will be required to participate in the
procedures outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. Definition of plagiarism can
be found on the University website.
Grading
Attendance of lectures and recitations is required. Remember: missing classes will seriously
compromise your performance in this course. Active participation in problem solving sessions during
recitations and positive recommendations from my TAs will give you a chance to get a higher course
grade if you end up on a border. There will be no curving.
Your course grade will be computed with the following weights:
• Recitation participation
• Homework assignments
• Exam 1:
• Exam 2:
• Exam 3:
5 percent
20 percent
25 percent
25 percent
25 percent
No letter grade will be given for tests. After each exam, I will post scores on a CourseWeb Grade Book
and provide students with test statistics (i.e. class average, class highest, and class lowest scores).
The course letter grade will be determined as follows:
• after the final exam I will compute course scores incorporating scores earned on tests,
recitations, and group assignments weighted as indicated above
• a student fails the class if a so determined course score is below 60
• the letter graded are assigned on the following scale:
90-100
A-, A, A+
80-89
B-, B, B+
70-79
C-, C, C+
60-69
D-, D, D+
3
Course Calendar
Week
1
Dates
Lecture
Sept 1
Introduction
Sept 3
Ch 1: What is Microeconomics?
2
Sept 8
Ch 2: Production Possibilities Frontier (PPF)
Sept 10
Application of PPF: Comparative Advantage and Gains from Trade
3
Sept 15
Ch 3: Demand and Supply
Sept 17
4
Sept 22
Ch 4: Elasticity
Sept 14
Ch 5: Economic Efficiency
5
Sept 29
Ch 6: Government Actions in Markets
Oct 1
6
Oct 6
Overview Ch 1-6
Oct 8
Homework Assignments of Ch 1-6 are due at 10am. Exam 1
7
Oct 13
Ch 10: Organizing Production
Oct 15
Ch 11: Output and Costs
8
Oct 20
Fall break (no class)
Oct 22
Ch 11: Output and Costs (cont.)
9
Oct 27
Ch 12: Firms in Perfectly Competitive Market
Oct 29
10
Nov 3
Ch 13: Monopoly
Nov 5
11
Nov 10
Ch 14: Monopolistic Competition
Nov 12
Ch 15: Oligopoly
12
Nov 17
Ch 15: Oligopoly (cont.)
Nov 19
Overview Ch 10-15
13
Nov 24
Homework Assignments Ch 10-15 are due at 10am. Exam 2
Nov 26
Thanksgiving recess (no classes)
14
Dec 1
Ch 7: International Trade
Dec 3
Please take time to fill in my Teaching Evaluation survey on-line! I care about the quality of
teaching at our department, and it is very important to me to know your rating/feedback. Thank
you!
15
Dec 8
Ch 16: Public Choices and Public Goods
Dec 10
Ch 17: Economics of the Environment. Overview of CH7, 16-17
Week of
Fri, Dec 18
Homework Assignments Ch 7, 16-17 are due 8am
finals
Myeconlab HW score is transferred to Courseweb
8:00-9:50am Exam 3
4
Intro. Microeconomic Theory
Prof. Frank Giarratani
ECON 0100
Spring 2016 (2164)
Lectures: 121 LAWRN T/H 4:00 – 5:15 PM
Office hours: 4916 WWPH, T/TH 1:30 – 3:00 PM
Course description: This course is designed to introduce students to the principles of microeconomics. It
focuses on the structure and functions of markets, by examining some of the basic economic decisions
made by consumers and firms. Students may use this course as a gateway to a wide variety of applied
economics courses and as a foundation for more advanced study. It also provides information that is
basic to inquiry in many other disciplines.
Course Web Site: The course website provides complete information concerning examinations and other
important elements of the course. It is designed to assist you in organizing your work and keeping track of
your progress in the course. Use it to good advantage:
http://courseweb.pitt.edu
Required Textbook: N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Microeconomics, Sixth Edition or Seventh Edition
(South-Western CENGAGE Learning). See http://www.cengage.com/economics/mankiw/.
Prerequisites: The course presumes a good working knowledge of high-school algebra as well as the
ability to understand and use graphs. See also Chapter 2, Appendix, Graphing: A Brief Review.
Grading policy: Course grades are based on three examinations and scheduled quizzes for selected
chapters, Examinations consist of a mix of multiple choice questions and analytical problems. Scheduled
quizzes, which are offered on-line, consist of 10 True/False questions. The weights of exams and quizzes
in the final course grade are as follows:
Component
Percentage Weight
Required Chapters
Exam 1
25
CH 1 – 6
Exam 2
25
CH 7 – 11
Exam 3
35
CH 13 – 19
Scheduled Quizzes
15
See course web site
Total
100
Make-up policy: Make-up exams are permitted only for documented illness or emergency. Appropriate
documentation must be submitted within seven calendar days of the missed examination, and the
documentation must be accompanied by a “Missed Exam Form” – which is available for download from
the course web site.
Scheduled quizzes are available on-line for one day only (24 hours), Make-ups for scheduled quizzes are
not permitted; however, for purposes of computing final course grades, only the best six (of eight) quiz
grades will be used in determining each student's weighted average.
Homework: It is essential that students are adequately prepared for each lecture, and students are
expected to read assigned material in preparation for class. In addition to this reading, recommended
homework also includes the multiple-choice problems for each chapter that are available in the
Homework content area of the course web site. The Homework content area also includes a set of
problems that are drawn from the “Problems and Applications” section at the end of each chapter in the
textbook. These problems are highly recommended because they often are used in developing questions
for the examinations.
Spring 2016; M-W, 3:00-4:15; G13 CL
Syllabus
Economics 0100-1400
Introduction to Microeconomic Theory
(HONOR’S SECTION)
Professor Werner Troesken
Office: Posvar Hall 4526
Office hours: MW 1:30-2:30
Office phone: (412) 648-2823
email: [email protected]
Course Overview
This course serves as an introduction to microeconomics. One might think of
microeconomics as the study of choice under constraints: how, in a world of scarce resources,
does one allocate resources optimally? The phrase scarce resources is italicized here because
scarcity is important on a number of levels. For one thing, it suggests choice is a necessity: in a
world with budget constraints and finite incomes, it is impossible to get everything you want.
But it is not just financial constraints that matter. Decision makers also face constraints in
terms of time, information, and their ability to process whatever information is before them.
At a more fundamental level, choosing one option over another represents a foregone
opportunity.
Economists evaluate decisions, and the outcomes that flow from those decisions, by
asking two related questions. First, is the outcome efficient? Second, is the outcome an
equilibrium? This approach distinguishes economics from other disciplinary approaches that
evaluate social outcomes on more normative criteria such as morality and fairness.
The tools economists use to analyze choices and social outcomes are not limited to
phenomenon one might narrowly define as economic. On the contrary, economic models can
be applied in a host of different settings, including, religion, crime, culture and art,
environmental concerns, legal decision making, families and fertility, and politics. What all
these settings have in common is that they can be modeled as markets, and markets lend
themselves to economic analysis.
As the preceding paragraphs suggest, economists rationalize and explain the world by
building models. Models are abstractions. They are built on assumptions that simplify the
world and make it possible to understand the salient aspects of a given situation. Aside from
learning how to construct these models, we will also explore how economists test models and
1
assess statements about causality.
Textbook
Microeconomics by Dean Karlan and Jonathan Morduch.
Grading:
1. Exams
If you perform adequately on your homework and in-class assignments, 100 percent of
your final grade will be determined by your performance on three equally weighted exams:
two midterms and a final. Exams consist of short-answer questions, and are graded on the
following scale:
Score
Letter grade
Score
Letter grade
93 and above
90-92
88-89
83-87
80-82
78-79
A
AB+
B
BC+
73-77
70-72
68-69
63-67
60-62
59 and below
C
CD+
D
DF
The first midterm is scheduled for Monday, February 8, 2016. The second midterm is
scheduled for Monday, March 21, 2016. If you miss one of the midterm exams, for whatever
reason, your final will include questions covered on the missed midterm exam. If you miss both
midterm exams, you will receive a zero for one of the exams. The final is scheduled for
Saturday, April 30, at 4 pm. University policy dictates the final exam schedule. It cannot be
altered except in exigent circumstances. If you miss the final exam, you must take the
following three steps:
(1) Contact me within 24 hours of the exam. If I do not hear from you in that time
period, you will receive a zero for the final.
(2) Provide documentation of exigency.* If I do not receive such documentation within
24 hours, you will receive a zero for the final. I also reserve the right to impose a harsh
penalty (including assigning a grade of zero for the final) for missing the final exam for
reasons I deem less than exigent.
(3) You must take the make-up final exam at a time of my choosing. If you cannot make
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that time, you will receive a zero for the final exam.
* - Note that providing false or misleading statements or documentation, or any other form of
cheating for that matter, will result in an F for the course and whatever additional university
sanctions might be deemed appropriate.
2. Homework and Class Participation
Periodically, there will be homework and various in-class assignments. I will grade
these assignments as 0 (no credit), 1 (adequate), or 2 (more than adequate). If you receive
straight 0s on these assignments, I will reduce your final letter grade by 10 percent (i.e., one full
letter grade). If you receive straight 2s on these assignments, I reserve the right to increase
your final letter grade by up to 10 percent. Please note the asymmetry here: straight 2s does
not guarantee a 10 percent increase; that is only the maximum possible increase. To maximize
your likelihood of receiving a 10 percent bump in your final grade, you are strongly
encouraged to regularly attend, and actively participate in, class.
3. Re-grade policy
In cases of grade disputes, the area of contention should be explained in writing and
returned to me with the exam. I will then re-grade the entire exam.
Schedule of Lectures and Readings
With a few exceptions, we will follow the chapters presented in Karlan and Morduch
chronologically.
3
Economics 0100—Spring Term 2164
Introduction to Microeconomic Theory
Professor:
Office:
Email:
Dr. Shirley Cassing
4915 WWPH
[email protected]
Telephone:
Office Hours:
Course Website:
(412)-648-1729
T 1-2, W 11-12
http://courseweb.pitt.edu
Textbook: Microeconomics, 4th edition by Paul Krugman and Robin Wells, Worth Publishers.
Course Grade: Homework 20%; Three Exams 25% each; Paper 5%. Exams will be given in class.
Alternative scheduling of the exams will be provided only in the case of an emergency. In order to
schedule a makeup exam, you must submit the Missed Exam Form available on the Course Documents
content area of CourseWeb.
Homework: Eight of the ten homework sets assigned will count toward your homework grade. The
homework sets are to be completed on CourseWeb. The multiple-choice problems which make up the
homework for each week are available in the Homework content area of CourseWeb. These problems
are selected to help you learn to apply concepts presented in the textbook and lecture, and prepare
for exams. The graded homework sets have a firm due date and time listed in the Reading and
Homework Assignment Schedule which is on the second page of this syllabus. The answers will be
available on CourseWeb shortly after each assignment is due.
Paper Assignment: The short paper will be no more than 500 words in length. You will be asked to use
a principle or principles from class to pose and answer a question about some event or behavior that
you have personally observed. The title of your paper must be a question. The paper assignment sheet
is available on CourseWeb. The paper will be due by 5 pm on April 8.
Recitations: The purpose of recitation is to go over problems and provide you with the opportunity to
ask questions outside of the lecture setting. Of course, questions are welcome during lecture. In
addition to the graded online homework sets mentioned above there will be weekly problem sets
available in the Recitation area on CourseWeb. The best way to learn the principles of economics is to
solve problems that both test and extend your understanding. These problems do not count toward
your course grade, but you should complete all the assigned problems as they will help you understand
and master the class material. Your TA will provide answers to the problem sets in recitation and
offer suggestions on how to set up and solve them. These questions will be used in developing
questions for the exams. You should try to complete the problems before attending recitation, and
then attend recitation to confirm that you have answered the problems correctly. If you could not
answer the questions before hand or incorrectly answered them, your TA will clear up any questions
you have. But be careful: The fact that your TA’s answers make sense to you is no proof that you are
ready to solve the same kinds of problems on an exam. After attending recitation make sure that you
can now solve the problems correctly on your own.
The Course Outline & Review Sheet also reviews core ideas and key terms covered in class.
This should be helpful in preparing for exams. This should be helpful in preparing for exams. The
Course Outline & Review Sheet is available in the Course Documents area of CourseWeb.
READING AND HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE
WEEK
DATES
TOPIC
READING
HOMEWORK
PART ONE: SUPPLY, DEMAND, PRICE DETERMINATION AND MARKETS
1
Jan 6
Introduction to Class
Ch 1
2
Jan 11
13
Jan 18
20
Jan 25
27
Feb 1
3
Feb 8
10
Feb 15
17
Introduction to Economics/Simple Economic Models
Production Possibilities Frontier (PPF) and Trade
Martin Luther King Birthday observance – no class
Competitive Market Model (Demand and Supply)
Gains from Trade and Economic Efficiency
Government Policies: Price and Quantity Controls
Elasticity: Measuring the Response to Price Changes
Ch 2
Ch 3
Ch 4
Ch 5
Ch 6
Taxes
Ch 7
3
4
5
6
7
HW1 complete by
Jan 25, 10 am
HW2 complete by
Feb 1, 10 am
HW3 complete by
Feb 8, 10 am
HW4 complete by
Feb 15, 10 am
Review
EXAM 1, FEBRUARY 17
PART TWO: MARKET STRUCTURE AND MARKETS
8
Feb 22
24
Feb 29
Mar 2
Mar 6-13
Marginal Analysis and Making Decisions at the Margin
Production and Cost Theory
Perfect Competition
11
Mar 14
16
Monopoly Markets
Monopolistically Competitive Markets
12
Mar 21
23
Review
9
10
Ch 9
Ch 11
Ch 12
HW5 complete by
Feb 29, 10 am
HW6 complete by
Mar 14, 10 am
Ch 13
Ch 15
HW7 complete by
Mar 21, 10 am
International Trade and Trade Protection
Ch 8
Factor Markets and Income Distribution
Ch 19
Externalities
Ch 16
HW8 complete by
Apr 4, 10 am
HW9 complete by
Apr 11, 10 am
HW10 complete by
Apr 20, 10 am
Public Goods and Goods with Special Characteristics
Review
Ch 17
Spring Break Week
EXAM 2, MARCH 23
PART THREE: MARKETS AND GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION
13
14
15
16
Mar 28
30
Apr 4
6
Apr 11
13
Apr 18
20
FINAL EXAM,
TUESDAY, APRIL 26
2-3:50 PM
University Policies:
We will adhere to the university’s Academic Integrity Policy in this class. See the University of
Pittsburgh’s Undergraduate Bulletin or the Guidelines on Academic Integrity: Student and Faculty
Obligations and Hearing Procedures at www.pitt.edu/~provost/ai1.html for full details on this.
The Office of Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union (412)-624-7890 is available
for students who have or may request an accommodation for a disability. If needed, please contact
the office as early as possible in the term.