Contemporary Macroeconomics
Trinity College, Spring 201
Class Time: TR 1:30-2:45 PM
Location: MECC 246
Instructor: Michael Clark, Ph.D.
E-mail: michael.clark@trincoll.edu
Office: Williams Memorial 229B
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday from 10:45 AM to 12:15 PM
Teaching Assistants: Sullivan Washburn - Halbert.Washburn@trincoll.edu Jack Vogel - John.Vogel@trincoll.edu
PREREQUISITE: C- or better in Economics 101
REQUIRED TEXTS: none, but there will be assigned readings.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will provide students with the analytical skills necessary and utilize basic theories of economics to expose the student to a number socio-economic issues and policies that we face today. Issues such as globalization, poverty, taxation, minimum wage, immigration, monetary policy, financial crisis, European debt crisis, and business cycles, will be discussed and analyzed. The objective is for the student to see how economics can be used to better understand the world around us. The emphasis is on applying the basic principles of economics to contemporary socio-economic issues in order to understand the application of economics in real life.
EXPECTATIONS: I expect that you will act as adults and I will treat you as such. I expect you to be responsible for your work, punctuality, and communication.
Work: Your work should be presented in a timely and professional manner. I will not be offering constant reminders of what is due.
Punctuality: You should be on time for class and/or appointments.
Communication: All communication should be done in a professional and respectful manner. Unless it is an emergency of some sort I should not be hearing from family members (parents/grandparents) or coaches (unless to confirm unavailability due to a team event). COURSE REQUIREMENTS: You are required to attend EVERY class that is scheduled. You are responsible for all of the material in the assigned readings, regardless of whether I specifically cover it in class. Lecture will also contain concurrent economic events which are not in your text; therefore it is unwise to miss any lecture.
CLASS INFORMATION: If you miss a class, you are expected to get material from another student in the course. The lectures often build upon one another. Therefore, I recommend that you skim your notes from the previous class before attending lecture. You will get as much out of an economics course as you put into it. If you never read about economics or think about it outside of the classroom then do not expect to learn much during the semester or retain what you learn after the semester has ended. However, if you do the course work and think about the course material while reading the news then you are much more likely to understand the course material.
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS: You will have several homework assignments pertaining to previous material. If the assignment is not turned in by the due date and time, then you will receive a zero for that particular assignment. Electronic submission of homework will be rejected. Only hard copies of homework turned in prior to class will be accepted. These copies of your homework must be in ink.
I will generally allow a week for completion of homework assignments. Early submission is accepted, but late submission is not. Do not procrastinate and it is a good idea to have the phone number of a couple of classmates in case you cannot make it to class on the due date, they can submit it for you.
QUIZZES: You will have several quizzes throughout the semester. They will be given at the beginning of class and no advance warning of their occurrence or content will be given. However, they will cover material that we have covered in class or in the assigned readings. Therefore, it is vital that you attend every class and do the assigned readings. To account for sickness or other absence, I will drop
