Principles
of Microeconomics
Fall 2011
Prof: Brent Kreider
My homepage (family pictures, academic research, etc.)
Announcements:
I will send final grades to the
Registrar as soon as they are available (probably Tuesday). Grades are
determined based on the formula described in the syllabus.
I hope everyone has a great
break, and I wish you the best of luck next semester! Please stop by my office anytime in the future to chat about anything -
your classes or just life in general...
I'm currently out of the office
during break.
Please do not email me or the TA any questions about scores or grades until January 10
(unless you are graduating this semester and I made an error that prevents
you from graduating).
After January 10, I will be happy to meet with you in my office to discuss
any questions.
Extra credit papers are available to be picked up in the Help Room. The scores are available using the "Exam scores" link below. In January, we will discard papers that have not been picked up.
Remember that you can seek assistance in the Help Room (180 Heady) from 9-5 Mon-Thur and 9-4 on Fridays.
Readings:
Read Ch. 13: focus on pp. 406-13 (present value), 423-26 (stock market), 430-33 (efficient markets hypothesis). Optional: You might also be interested in pp. 434-37 (financial value of a college education - not on the final).
Read Ch. 15: focus on pp. 465, 472-4, 481-5 (the rest of the chapter provides general background)
Read Ch. 10
Important Dates:
The short extra credit Aplia assignment for Ch. 13 was due Fri. 12/9 at 11:00pm. (Click on "View All Assignments" to see any new assignment that isn't due for a couple weeks.)
The mandatory cumulative final will be held during
finals week. Chapters on
the exam include Chs. 1-9 (old), Ch. 10, and selected pages (see above) from
Chs. 13 and 15. Questions from the old chapters (1-9) should be
straightforward if you previously understood the material.
Questions from the new chapters (10, 13, and 15) will be of normal difficulty like a regular midterm.
Section 4
(1:10
MWF class): Fri, Dec. 16, 9:45-11:00 am (usual classroom)
Section 5 (2:10 MWF class): Mon, Dec. 12, noon-1:15 pm (usual
classroom)
Grades:
Exam scores (After clicking on this link, be sure to follow the directions on that webpage exactly when entering your username and password)
Please direct all questions about scores to Bo Xiong (bxiong@iastate.edu), the Head TA in charge of recording scores. I will be happy to help you with questions about the economics.
I will manually drop your two lowest Aplia scores in my Excel file at the end of the semester. Previously, I had set Aplia to automatically drop each student's two lowest scores. But then I found out that Aplia was dropping some students' extra credit instead of regular assignments, so I had to turn that setting off.
There are no make-up exams. But I realize that unavoidable problems like illness or family issues sometimes arise, so I automatically drop each student's lowest midterm and have a flexible system for weighting the final - see the syllabus for details. With 750 students, we don't have the resources to administer exams at alternate times (especially since everyone has a different schedule). Also, it's impossible to fairly grade all the different versions of the exam that would have to be written for different students. A second missed midterm receives a zero except in extenuating circumstances. If a student has more than one emergency or significant illness during the semester, then I will work with the student's academic adviser or dean on a case-by-case basis depending on the situation.
As described in the syllabus, extra credit is not applied directly to either Aplia or the exams. It's all filtered into its own independent category. Students with sufficient extra credit can have their grade bumped up, but typically not more than a half letter grade (e.g., C+ to B-). See additional comments about extra credit. The syllabus has more details.
Lecture notes:
Outlines for my lectures are available on the Aplia webpage under the "Course Materials" tab (starting with the second full lecture).
I distribute these outlines for the sole purpose of making it easier to take notes in class. The idea is to print out these outlines before class, then add your own detailed notes during the lectures.
These files will be deleted after class without notice, and they will not be made available by email. I realize it's occasionally unavoidable to miss a class. In such cases, the best thing to do is look at the online version of the notes to see what was covered, then review the corresponding material in the textbook (and possibly ask to see another student's notes). While I don't specifically fill in blanks from missed lectures, I'm always happy to talk with students in my office about any material they missed in class.
Contact Information:
My office hours: Tue 1:30-3:00 in 460C Heady Hall (or you may stop by other times and I will see you if at all possible)
Email: bkreider"at"iastate.edu
Online materials:
For textbook and Aplia registration requirements, click here. The Course Key is AS2A-J3E3-HK8T.
Aplia graded assignments and class experiments
practice quizzes, review questions optional, not
graded
(1) select a
chapter from the pull-down menu, then (2) choose a link on the
left such as "interactive quiz"
economic
policy debates
interesting and can
be used for extra credit (see syllabus)
The extra credit paper was due Wed, 11/9 by 3:30pm (must be turned in at the Help Room, 180 Heady) instructions
Please direct any problems working with Aplia (including registration) to the Aplia support staff. The Aplia webpage provides a FAQ link for frequently asked questions and provides instructions for how to obtain further assistance.
useful economics websites e.g., economic data, job openings, jokes about economists
Bureau of Labor Statistics job descriptions, salaries, etc.
Brent Kreider's homepage