Economics 200K Autumn 2013
Introduction to Microeconomics
Course Syllabus
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 12:30-1:50 WFS 201
Instructor
David Oxborrow
davidox@uw.edu
Website
http://students.washington.edu/davidox/micro200/micro200.html
Office Hours
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:00-1:00; and by appointment
Savery 319 A
Textbook
Principles of Microeconomics
6th Edition
Mankiw
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Learning Goals
Understand and be able to use microeconomic terminology
Understand that the highest-valued alternative foregone is the opportunity cost of
what is chosen
Understand how individuals and firms make themselves as well off as possible in
a world of scarcity
Understand how prices inform the decisions about which goods and services to
produce, how to produce them, and who gets them
Understand how government policies affect the allocation of resources in a
market economy
Understand how market structure influences the allocation of resources
Use microeconomic principles to understand and explain economic events and
other social phenomena
Use elements of game theory to explain the strategic choices of individuals or
Organizations
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Grading*
4 Quizzes (25% of total grade)
4 Homework’s (10% of total grade)
Midterm (30% of total grade)
Final (35% of total grade)
* The economics department has a strict upper median grade limit for ECON 200 of no higher than 3.1.
A natural grade distribution should follow. Because of this, and the high caliber of students, grades will
most likely not be curved.
Some Main Topics and Readings
1 Ten Principles of Economics
2 Thinking Like an Economist
3 Interdependence and the Gains from Trade
4 The Market Forces of Supply and Demand
5 Elasticity and Its Application
6 Supply, Demand, and Government Policies
7 Consumers, Producers, and the Efficiency of Markets
8 Application: The Costs of Taxation
9 Application: International Trade
10 Externalities
11 Public Goods and Common Resources
12 The Design of the Tax System
13 The Costs of Production
14 Firms in Competitive Markets
15 Monopoly
16 Monopolistic Competition
17 Oligopoly
18 The Markets for the Factors of Production
19 Earnings and Discrimination
20 Income Inequality and Poverty
21 The Theory of Consumer Choice
22 Frontiers of Microeconomics
Other Topics
Textbook: The textbook we are using is Principles of Microeconomics by Mankiw. It is required
for the course. Online homework is not required for the course so you may purchase a used copy.
Homework and test questions may be pulled out of the applicable chapters (so you need the
book).
Quizzes: There will be 4 quizzes. The quizzes will test the topics from the previous sessions.
There will be scheduled to take about 40 minutes. No calculator will be allowed.
Homework: Homework assignments will be posted on my website or handed out in class. They
will generally be due a week from when they were handed out. They will be a mix of questions
from the book and my own written questions.
Midterm Exam: The midterm is roughly scheduled to take place halfway through the quarter
(about week 5). The midterm may have multiple choice questions, true false questions,
explanation and graph questions, and calculation questions. The midterm will cover all the
material up to the test date. No calculator will be allowed.
Final Exam: The final may have multiple choice questions, true false questions, explanation and
graph questions, and calculation questions. The final exam is semi-cumulative. What this means
is that it will focus on the material after the midterm but I reserve the right to ask any number of
questions that have already been asked on a quiz or the homework (with some modifications to
the questions). The final exam day is listed as: Thursday, December 12th, from 8:30 - 10:20 am.
THERE IS NO MAKE UP FOR THE FINAL. If you miss the final AND contact me afterwards
(within 24 hours), you will receive an Incomplete as your grade for the course. If not, then you
will receive a zero for the final exam grade and your final overall grade will be calculated as
stated previously. No calculator will be allowed on the final exam.
Make-up Exams: If any student misses a quiz or a test and would like to make it up they must
present a doctor’s note explaining why they were absent on the testing day. All planned absences
(ex. travelling team sports etc.) must be declared (and acknowledged by me) AT LEAST 48
hours prior to the exam date to receive a makeup. Makeup exams may not be the same test as the
one given on the test day. THERE IS NO MAKE UP FOR THE FINAL. No calculator will be
allowed.
Special Requests: There will be no extra credit offered for this course. The tests will be
weighted as explained in the syllabus. Any reweighting for one individual would not be fair for
the rest of the class.
Academic integrity: is the cornerstone of the Department’s rules for student conduct and
evaluation of student learning. Students accused of academic misconduct will be referred
directly to the Office of Community Standards and Student Conduct for disciplinary action
pursuant to the Student Conduct Code and, if found guilty, will be subject to sanctions. Sanctions
range from a disciplinary warning, to academic probation, to immediate dismissal for the
Department and the University, depending on the seriousness of the misconduct. Dismissal can
be, and has been, applied even for first offenses. Moreover, a grade of zero can be assigned by
the instructor for the course.