Course Syllabus
Principles of Macroeconomics
Economics 202
Wenatchee Valley College
Autumn Quarter 2021 – Line Item #16330
Instructor: Timothy D. Jeske, Ph.D.
E-mail: Contact via Canvas email or send questions to TJeske@wvc.edu
Virtual Office Hour via Canvas BigBlueButton (video conference app) each weekday beginning September 28 from 11:00am - Noon. You are welcome to join the conference meeting to ask questions of your instructor (keep in mind students from my other classes will also be dropping in for this virtual office hour). Students may also contact me with your questions via the Canvas course email system. I will usually respond within a few hours unless it is a weekend, or you send an email after 5:00pm.
All students are welcome in this classroom. I strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for every student to thrive. Please let me know if you have any concerns. You belong at WVC and in this classroom.
Sign-up for Emergency Alerts
Text "CAMPUSALERTS" to 67283 to receive text alerts about campus emergencies, weather closures and delays, and drills. Go to https://www.wvc.edu/students/safety/emergency-alerts.html (Links to an external site.) for more information.
Course Description
WVC Catalog: Study of the structure and operation of the U.S. economic system, including economic institutions, resources, price mechanisms, public finance, economic fluctuations, national income accounting, macroeconomic theory, fiscal policy, the banking system, monetary policy and economic growth.
This course examines the organization of and issues surrounding the modern U.S. macro economy. Students will capture a glimpse of the development of fiscal and monetary policy, and the impact of economic policy on the business cycle, inflation, unemployment, and economic growth.
This course fulfills five credits towards the social science distribution requirement towards completion of the Associate of Arts degree at Wenatchee Valley College.
About Social Science courses: The social sciences are a collection of academic disciplines that use a variety of methods to investigate human behavior and culture. These methods share a commitment to explanations derived from observable, measurable, and verifiable phenomena. Claims of knowledge require such empirical evidence to be considered valid. The social sciences generally are committed to employing knowledge for the improvement of the human condition. In the context of American democracy, social scientists typically share a commitment to influencing public discussions and policies regarding individual liberty, social responsibility, and what constitutes a more just society.
Course Outcomes
By the end of the quarter students will be able to:
- explain the concepts of gross domestic product, inflation and unemployment, and how they are measured.
- explain the circular flow model and use the concepts of aggregate demand and aggregate supply to analyze the response of the economy to disturbances.
- explain the concept of short run and long run macroeconomic equilibrium.
- define fiscal and monetary policies and how these affect the economy.
- identify the causes of prosperity, growth, and economic change over time and explain the mechanisms through which these causes operate in the economy.
Disabilities and Accessibility
The Student Access Office has been designated by the college as the primary office to guide, coach, and assist students with disabilities. If you receive services (or think you should) through that office and require accommodations for this class, make an appointment with the Director of Student Access (sas@wvc.edu or 509-682-6854) as soon as possible to discuss your approved accommodation needs. Any information you share will be kept in strictest confidence unless you give written permission to do otherwise.
If you need a referral to that office or have further questions, please contact the Director of Student Access to assist you. Following through on these services can help you be more successful in your academic endeavors at WVC. (Note: the Director of Student Access will require appropriate documentation of disability. The use of that office is voluntary).
Students taking online classes are not required to be vaccinated. All students who are physically on campus for any reason must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1st (medical and religious exemptions are available). Go to https://www.wvc.edu/students/safety/publichealth (Links to an external site.) to learn about vaccinations and the most recent COVID-19 information. E-mail your questions to the Office of Student Services at studentservices@wvc.edu.
Student Rights and Responsibilities
The Wenatchee Valley College's code of conduct states that the following is a violation of college rules:
The following acts by a student are considered academic misconduct and are prohibited:
- Academic dishonesty—academic dishonesty occurs when students give or receive unauthorized assistance in an academic exercise or attempt to receive credit for work that is not their own.
- Cheating—intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information or study aides in an academic exercise.
- Fabrication—the intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise.
- Plagiarism—the deliberate adoption or reproduction of ideas or words or statements of another person as one’s own without acknowledgement.
- Falsifying an exam, paper, projects, transcript, etc. (or assisting another student to do so).
- Unauthorized use of materials or collaboration with another person during a test or assignment.
- Substituting for a student, or permitting a substitute for oneself, to take an exam, course or test, or to provide the work for any assigned project.
If the student is found to being academically dishonest, s/he may receive an immediate failure and disciplinary action may be taken in accordance with the code procedures. Academic dishonesty of any form will not be tolerated and will be handled according to the Student Handbook, located on the college’s website, www.wvc.edu (Links to an external site.) > Students > Resources > Student Handbook
Class Attendance: Requirement and Policy
While this course is instructed on-line, my expectations for attendance are related to the student completing all the assigned readings from your textbook, watching and taking notes of the assigned video lectures, completing quizzes and homework assignments on time, or before, the completion deadline, and, completing the examinations when scheduled. As a rule, I do not accept late work or allow students to complete assignments after they are due.
Students are responsible for withdrawing themselves from the course. The instructor can administratively withdraw students who fail to attend class on a regular basis. The last day to withdraw from the course is Tuesday, November 9, 2021 The instructor will not give administrative withdrawals or an incomplete grade after November 9 unless there is a bona fide medical or family emergency and the student is currently passing the course.
STUDENT HOLIDAYS FOR FAITH OR CONSCIENCE POLICY
RCW 1.16.050 as amended by SS Bill 5173 provides that Wenatchee Valley College students are entitled to two days of excused absences per academic year for reasons of faith or conscience or for organized activities conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or religious organization.
Students' grades may not be adversely impacted by absences authorized under this policy. Each holiday taken under this policy must be taken as a whole day, i.e. the day may not be divided into hours and taken piecemeal. The procedure for applying can be found at https://www.wvc.edu/humanresources/policies-procedures/400-student-services/400.610-student-holidays-for-faith.html
Required Texts:
Lucky you! Your e-textbook is free and a print version is available at very low cost! The book is available in a wide variety of free online formats via the website listed below. You can use the book in whichever format(s) you want; we recommend that you download the entire .pdf so that you always have access to your book.
Principles of Macroeconomics, from OpenStax College, ISBN 1938168259 https://cnx.org/contents/J_WQZJkO@9.2:3ZlSW1C7@6/Introduction
Course Organization: This course is organized into 14 learning modules divided into 4 main sections. Each learning module has a series of assignments (homework, text sections, video lectures, and ends with the module chapter quiz. You are to move through each module's content in sequential order. Most modules are about 5 days in duration.
Graded Assignments: Subject to Change at Instructor's Discretion
Video Lectures & Citation for Homework assignments: In each module are several video lectures that are required viewing. You should treat these video lectures with the same importance as you would an in-class lecture from your instructor. I have selected a variety of video lectures but the primary series of video lectures are from PBS (Public Broadcasting Corporation) Crash Course: Macroeconomics. There are also several miscellaneous video lectures that are assigned (e.g. Khan Academy videos). Take notes as you watch and listen to each lecture.
You are expected to cite/acknowledge information and ideas taken from these lectures into your homework assignments. One of my teaching goals is to prepare my students for academic achievement when they transfer to their next institution of higher education. Making acknowledgement of your sources/citation an academic habit is one of my instructional goals in this course. Explicit citation of sources are important for many reasons: first, we give credit to other scholars for the work they have published and that we are using for our purposes; second, we are being honest/transparent and thus subject to having our own work verified (a requirement for any scientific-based methodology of research); and third, citations demonstrate the scope and breadth of your review of the relevant scholarly literature and that brings creditability to your academic writing. Citation is by lecture author and title (e.g. Khan Academy - Markets) or by series (e.g. Crash Course - Economics #4), or by lecture title (e.g. Gateways to Democracy) and if you directly quote or closely paraphrase from a video lecture you must provide the time from the lecture where the quotation/paraphrased words was taken (e.g. 2:37 - 2:55).
Your final course grade will be determined from the satisfactory completion of the following graded assignments:
- 4 examinations; @ 50 points each = 200 points
- 14 Multiple-Choice quizzes; @ 20 points - 280 points.
- 14 Homework assignments related to readings and video lectures; 14 @ 35 points = 490 points
- Insurance Points - There are a minimum of 70 insurance points included in the above points. These points are there in the event your technology does not work while in the midst of a timed exam or quiz, or you miss an assignment due date or simply do not complete a graded assignment due to forgetting, family event, illness, pet sickness, or other event. Should you have technology problems I cannot provide extensions or re-dos as I cannot verify the nature of your technological problems. Please, do not ask for extensions for assignments, or exams or for more extra credit! The answer will be No! Of course, if the technology problem is the fault of the instructor, Canvas or WVC technology services, students will have an opportunity to complete the assignment, exam or quiz. If you never have a tech problem and turn in all assignments then these insurance points are extra credit points!
- Your final course grade is determined by the points you accumulated from all assignments divided by 900 – that percent is your final grade. The insurance points results from the fact that the total number of possible points you could earn by completing all assignments and earning every point offered is greater than the number I use as the evaluation index (so for instance, there may be 970 possible points but you are scored on an index of 900 points). So, for example. if you have 800 total points your final grade is 89% or B+ (800 divided by 900) and not 82% or B- (800 divided by 970). This is why the Canvas grade is lower than your actual course grade. Remember the Canvas grade is therefore an approximate, not an official grade, and your current grade is higher than what Canvas suggests it is.
About the examinations and quizzes: The fourteen quizzes are primarily multiple-choice questions to be completed by the due date/time. They are timed, and available for the student to attempt only once. Do not open the quiz until you are ready to take and complete the quiz. Like the quizzes, exams will be timed but consist of questions requiring written free response or essay answers. Three examinations are on-line. Be sure when you take your quiz/exam that the technology you are using is reliable and take it when you won't be interrupted. I will not allow another attempt at a quiz or an exam should your technology fail or you were interrupted during the quiz time; this is why I have created insurance points. Of course, if you are unable to complete an assignment due to a technology problem caused by WVC or Canvas, you will have an opportunity to complete the assignment.
The fourth (and last) exam is an essay paper that will be assigned prior to the end of the term and due by noon (12:00pm) on December 15.
About the Homework assignments: You will notice that the homework assignment is not timed like the quizzes – Canvas calls all graded assignments a “quiz” - I have some timed quizzes, timed exams and then the homework assignments. The homework assignment only closes when you submit it or it automatically closes at the due date/time.
Open the homework assignment before you begin reading your textbook or watching the video lectures – see the questions - and proceed to read your text and watch the video lectures. As you read and watch the lectures, take notes, and add ideas to draft answers for the homework. Once you have finished the assigned reading and the module video lectures, complete the homework. Before you submit the assignment to be graded, proofread for grammar and spelling and then ‘submit’ the homework before the due date/time.
Often students ask me what I am expecting from them in regards of acceptable responses for their homework assignment questions. In general, I am looking for answers that meet the following criteria:
- the response was complete and demonstrates student comprehension of the question topic or subject,
- that all portions of the assigned question were addressed by the student,
- the response was correct (i.e., there are no factual, theoretical, or definitional errors in the response),
- the response appropriately used discipline-specific concepts,
- the response was properly referenced for citation of sources, and,
- the response was not undermined by writing errors such as spelling mistakes, sloppy grammar, capitalization issues, or improper punctuation.
Part of my responsibility as your instructor is to "coach" you on how to study and how to successfully navigate in this online course. Here are some tips.
- Do not procrastinate! Most of your learning modules are approximately 5 days. There is enough content in each module that requires students to accomplish some of the module task every day. Don't wait until the last day to complete the module; you won't have time to then complete the graded assignments and will be rushed. No one does good work in a rush.
- Plan - read at the module overview and plan what you will do each day of the week. You must move through the module content in sequence.
- Set aside time each day for study. This class assumes you are spending approximately 20 hours per module so set aside 2-3 hours each day so that perhaps you can also take an occasional day off from your studies.
- Although the graded assignments have due date/time deadlines you can also complete and submit your assignments before the due date/time.
- I recommend reading the textbook chapter simultaneously with relevant video lectures. The next best approach that works for some students is to read the chapter in its entirety then proceed to the video lectures.
- Take notes! Take notes as you watch the video lectures. The great advantage of video lectures is that you can pause them - write your notes - resume. You can also pause to look up definitions of new vocabulary. Because the exams are not proctored you are welcome to refer to your notes when you are taking your timed exams.
- Because the module content is in sequential order, you cannot skip a module assignment in order to open and complete a graded assignment such as a quiz. Many times students try to open a quiz and it is locked - it is locked because you have not completed prior module tasks.
- This course is writing intensive. You are expected to use college-level writing. I do deduct points for writing errors such as sloppy grammar, punctuation errors, spelling errors, and capitalization errors. Do not submit an assignment until you have proofread it and corrected the found writing errors. I have provided you a summary of my "Writing Pet Peeves" . Please observe the rules in this document. I am more lenient on your exams where you do not have the luxury of time to carefully proofread and edit.
Grade Scale
- The insurance points result from the fact that the total number of possible points you could earn is greater than the number I use as the evaluation index (so for instance, there may be 970+ possible points but you are scored on an index of 900 points). Example: if you have earned 800 total points for the quarter your final grade is 89% or B+ (800 divided by 900) and not 83% or B (800 divided by 970). This is why the Canvas grade is lower than your actual course grade.
The following percentage scale based on 900 points (note there are a minimum of 70 insurance points included in this course) determines your final grade:
100% - 94% = A
93.9% - 90% = A-
89.9% - 87% = B+
86.9% - 83% = B
82.9% - 80% = B-
79.9% - 77% = C+
76.9% - 73% = C
72.9% - 70% = C-
69.9% - 67% = D+
66.9% - 60% = D
59.9% - 0% = F
Course Summary:
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