CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS
ECON 1A – Introduction to Macroeconomic Analysis
SPRING 2011
Instructor:
e-mail:
Office:
Office phone:
Office Hours:
Dr. Yan “Joni” Zhou
yzhou@csus.edu
Tahoe 3020
278-7653
Monday 4-5p.m. and Friday 3-5p.m. or by appointment
General Information
Lecture: MW 12:00pm-1:15pm at Mariposa Hall 1001
Course web page: http://www.aplia.com/
Aplia course key: LVD9-9ECS-WVWZ
Call No.: 34195
Section: 4
GE Area: D1A
Catalog Description
Introductory inquiry into the workings and interrelationships of the aggregate
economic system. The primary focus is on total production and its distribution,
employment and price levels, and the forces influencing them. Other considerations are
the roles of government, the monetary sector, and related areas. 3 units.
Scope and Objectives
Macroeconomics is the branch of economics that deals with the economy as a whole.
This is the broad field that focuses on economic issues you’ve seen discussed in the
media: unemployment, GDP, inflation, and interest rates. Changes in macroeconomic
conditions affect various gender, ethnic, and socio-economic groups differently.
Policy decisions have important implications for these groups and the economy as a
whole.
At the end of this course, you should:
(i)
have a general understanding of the unique perspective taken by
macroeconomics in its study of society and human behavior,
(ii)
understand the inquiry methods used by economists and know how to
apply economic thinking to everyday decisions,
(iii)
understand the diversity that exists in human societies,
(iv)
understand the contributions to human society of women, ethnic, and
socio-economic groups
To meet the GE writing requirement, you will be asked to answer short essay questions
on exams.
Required Textbook
(available online)
Mankiw, N. Gregory, Brief Principles of Macroeconomics, 5th edition
You are required to register for this course online through Aplia at
http://www.aplia.com ($90). Details about how to register are given at the end of the
syllabus. Your registration includes an online version of the textbook. You may choose
to order a hard copy of the textbook through amazon.com OR directly through Aplia
(for an additional fee).
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Grading
Homework
Two midterm exams
Comprehensive final exam
20%
40%
40%
Grades will be distributed approximately according to the following scale:
A >93
C 73~76
Assignments
A- 90~93
C- 70~72
B+ 87~89
D+ 67~69
B 83~86
D 63~66
B- 80~82
D- 60~62
C+ 77~79
F
<60
 Homework will be completed in an online interactive format at the Aplia website. It
is very important that you have reliable (high-speed) internet access. It is highly
recommended that you use the on-campus computer labs to complete your
homework. Computer problems are NOT an excuse for missing assignments.
 No late homework will be accepted. Due dates for all assignments are posted on
Aplia usually a week in advance. It is impossible to extend time for assignments
after the due date. Hence you must keep track of the due dates for all homework
assignments. I will announce in class when I assign new homework. You are also
encouraged to check the Aplia website frequently in case you miss the
announcements in class. If you add the course late in the semester, you cannot
makeup work you have missed.
 Start working on the assignments at least a day before the due date. These
assignments are challenging and important both for your homework grade and your
performance in the class. Please give yourself enough time to work on them.
Generally, there are two homework assignments for each chapter; one is for your
own practice and one is graded. Only the graded homework assignments count
toward your grade, but I encourage you to spend time working through the practice
homework assignments carefully in order to improve your performance on the
graded ones.
 The answer key for each assignment will be available online on Aplia immediately
after the due date and time. Please be sure to review the answers and explanations of
each assignment after its due date.
 Free peer tutoring for this class is available at Tahoe 3025 in the Department of
Economics. Tutoring hours are posted in the department office during the first week
of classes. You can also email me, drop by my office at Tahoe 3020 during office
hours (see the top of page 1), or make appointments with me if you have any
questions regarding the homework assignments.
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Policies
1. Academic honesty is expected. I encourage you to work together on problem sets
and to help each other in studying, however, work submitted for a grade must be
that of the individual student. You will receive a mark of zero on any work
(including exams) where cheating occurs.
2. You are responsible for bringing a scantron form (#882-E), a pencil and a
calculator on the day of exams. Exams will be closed book and given in class.
3. There will be no makeup examinations. Exam dates are given in the course
outline below. All exam dates are fixed, if you cannot take exams on these dates,
please do not enroll in this class.
4. I recommend that you attend all the lectures of this class. Missing a lecture usually
costs you plenty of time to catch up. Those who attend the lectures irregularly tend
to perform poorly in this class.
5. Come to class on time and stay for the entire class session. If you do need to leave
early, please let me know before class starts.
6. If you decide to withdraw from this class, please make sure you do so with the
registrar. If you withdraw without permission, you will be assigned a failing grade.
7. Keep cell phones shut off during class. During exams, you may not use your cell
phone as a calculator. You must bring a calculator w/o programming capabilities.
8. If you have a learning disability or a physical disability that requires
accommodation, please let me know as soon as possible. All needs that have been
verified through the Services to Students with Disabilities (Lassen Hall) will be
accommodated.
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Tentative Course Outline
Week 1
Week 2
Dates
Topic
Reading
Jan. 24 – 28
Syllabus
Lecture 1: Ten Principles of Economics
Chapter 1
Lecture 1: Ten Principles of Economics (continued)
Lecture 2: Thinking Like an Economist
Chapter 2
Jan. 31 – Feb. 4
Week 3
Feb. 7 – 11
Lecture 3: Interdependence and Gains from Trade
Chapter 3
Week 4
Feb. 14 – 18
Lecture 3: Interdependence and Gains from Trade (continued)
Chapter 3
Week 5
Feb. 21 – 25
Lecture 4: The Market Forces of Supply and Demand
Chapter 4
Week 6
Feb 28 – March 4
Midterm Review
Midterm Exam #1 – Lectures 1-4 (Wednesday, March 2 )
Week 7
March 7 – 11
Lecture 5: Measuring the Nation’s Income
Lecture 6: Measuring the Cost of Living
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Week 8
March 14 – 18
Lecture 6: Measuring the Cost of Living (continued)
Lecture 7: Production and Growth
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Week 9
March 21 – 25
Spring Recess
Week 10
March 28 – April 1
Lecture 7: Production and Growth (continued)
Lecture 8: Savings, Investment, & the Market for Loanable Funds
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Week 11
April 4 – 8
Lecture 8: Savings, Investment, & the Market for Loanable Funds
(continued)
Midterm Review
Midterm Exam #2 – Lectures 5-8 (Wednesday, April 6th )
Chapter 8
Week 12
April 11 – 15
Lecture 9: The Basic Tools of Finance
Chapter 9
Lecture 9: The Basic Tools of Finance (continued)
Lecture 10: Unemployment and its Natural Rate
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Week 13
April 18 – 22
Week 14
April 25– 29
Lecture 10: Unemployment and its Natural Rate (continued)
Chapter 10
Week 15
May 2 – 6
Lecture 11: The Monetary System
Chapter 11
Week 16
May 9 – 13
Lecture 12: Open-Economy Macroeconomics
Review for Final Exam
Chapter 13
Week 17
May 16 – 20
Final Exam (Lectures 1-12): 10:15 am -12:15 pm on Friday,
May 20
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How to access your Aplia course
Econ 1A-Section 4, Spring 2011
Instructor: Yan Zhou
Start Date: 01/24/2011
Course Key: LVD9-9ECS-WVWZ
Registration
Aplia is part of CengageBrain, which allows you to sign in to a single site to access your Cengage
materials and courses.
1. Connect to http://login.cengagebrain.com/
2. If you already have an account, sign in. From your Dashboard, enter your course key
(LVD9-9ECS-WVWZ) in the box provided, and click the Register button.
If you don't have an account, click the Create a New Account button, and enter your
course key when prompted: LVD9-9ECS-WVWZ. Continue to follow the on-screen
instructions.
Payment
Online: Purchase access to your course (including the digital textbook) from the CengageBrain
website for US$90.00.
After paying, you will have the option to purchase a physical book from the Aplia website at a
discounted price. If you choose to pay later, you can use Aplia without paying until 11:59 PM on
02/13/2011.
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