UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA
ECON 313 – A01: INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS II (CRN 20903)
SPRING 2016 COURSE OUTLINE
Instructor: Dr. Donna Feir
Lectures: Tue, Wed, Fri; 1.30-2.30pm; MacLauren Building D288.
Office and Office Hours:
BEC 380, Wednesday 2:30-4:30
Email: dfeir@uvic.ca (Note that I will respond faster to your email if it has a subject header that
includes the words “ECON 313.” Also note that asking questions about course material by email
is largely ineffective. It is far better to see me during office hours or consult the course website.
Be aware that I do not use my office phone.)
Website: http://coursespaces.uvic.ca/
Readings and Required Material:
 Text: (Recommended but not required) Frank, Robert H. and Ian Parker,
Microeconomics and Behaviour, fifth Canadian edition, 2013, McGraw-Hill Ryerson
Higher Education; ISBN-10: 0-07-074177-8; ISBN-13: 978-0-07-074177-5 Website:
http://www.mcgrawhill.ca/higheredition/products/9780071051866 Note: The text is
also available for USD 85.77 on http://www.coursesmart.com/ (180 day subscription).
You may also use the fourth edition.
 i>clicker 2: you will require the one (i>clicker 2) that allows you to answer numerical
questions. You will also be required to register your i>clicker 2 in order to receive
credit.
 Readings: I will also post notes for some topics, slides and provide ungraded problem
sets and their solutions.
Course Overview: Econ 313 takes up where Econ 203 left off. The objective is to provide
an intermediate-level introduction to some of the more advanced topics in
microeconomics. These topics include: (i) general equilibrium theory, and choice under
uncertainty (iii) market failures including public goods, externalities, asymmetric
information. A complete list of topics covered will be available on the course website. If
time permits, an introduction to behavioral economics and social preferences will also
be discussed.
Econ 313 is an analytical and theoretically-focused class. Students are expected to recall
and be comfortable with the tools developed in Econ 203—in particular the basics of
consumer theory and game theory—as well as with the basics of calculus. I strongly
recommend that you review these topics early on in the semester and seek help from
either myself or your TA should you need help with this review.
Labs: You must register for one Econ 313 lab session. Lab times have been scheduled by
the university and cannot be altered. If you are unable to attend the scheduled lab times
you cannot remain registered in the class.
1
Labs will begin in the second full week of classes (that is, the week beginning January 14)
and will be run by teaching assistants. The labs are designed to help review and
reinforce through problem solving the material covered in lecture. Please only attend
the lab for which you are registered. TAs will also hold their own office hours, which are
an excellent resource for students seeking additional assistance with the course
material. Labs are not mandatory. TA office hours information will be available on the
course website. You can register in any of the labs from B01 to B07.
Assessment: The breakdown of grades for Econ 313 is as follows:
Grading Scheme (You Will Receive the higher of)
Component
Scheme 1
Scheme 2
Participation*
10 %
0%
Problem Set
10 %
0%
Completion**
Midterm 1 (Jan 29th)
21.66%
28.33%
th
Midterm 2 (Feb 26 )
21.66%
28.33%
th
Midterm 3 (Mar 25 )
21.66%
28.33%
Final Exam
15%
15%
*To get the full participation grade I require participation in 75% of all i>clicker
questions to be answered. If this threshold is not met, the best feasible grade you could
achieve in the course is 90%.
**You will hand the problem sets in to your lab for completion points. The number of
problem sets handed in on time over the total number of problem will be the
percentage of the 10 percent you receive.
Note that the midterm exams are not cumulative, while the final exam is cumulative.
Make-up mid-term exams will be given on the basis of documented illness or family
affliction only. The first midterm make-up will be held at 2.30pm on Monday February 1
and the second midterm make-up will be held at 2.30pm on Monday February 29th. The
third make up will be held at 2:30pm on Mon March 28th. No other make up time will
be scheduled.
Deferred final exams will be given only on the basis of documented illness or family
affliction, and for no other reasons. The documentation must provide specific detail to
be acceptable.
Ensuring your progress in this course
2





Lectures: Coming to class, taking notes, and engaging will be useful not only for
your participation grade but to improve your understanding of the course
material.
Weekly Problem Sets: Weekly problem sets with their answer keys will be
posted on the webpage throughout the course. While the problem sets will not
be graded, you are encouraged to work through the problem sets to gauge your
understanding of the material. Most students will find that carefully solving the
practice problems significantly increases their understanding of the material.
Students are encouraged to work on these problems in groups after first
attempting them individually.
Practice Midterm and Final Exams: In addition to the weekly problem sets,
practice exams will give you a better idea about the length and the format of
your actual exam.
Weekly Lab Sessions: In order to better assist you in solving the problem sets, I
have put in place weekly lab sessions. I recommend but do not require that you
attend Lab sessions. Try to solve the problem set without consulting the answer
key first. Before attending the lab session, compare your answers with the
answer key and make notes of anything that remains unclear to you after having
gone over the answer key. These are the points you should raise with your lab
instructor. In the absence of any specific questions from students, your lab
instructor will go carefully through the most challenging of the problems on the
problem sets.
Office hours: Make use of the office hours! The TAs and I are here to help you
understand the course material. Don’t wait till the day before the exam if you
have difficulties following the lecture. It’s much better to clear up any confusion
as soon as you feel lost.
Tentative Course Outline
Week
4 – 8 Jan
11 – 15 Jan
18 – 22 Jan
25 – 29 Jan
1 – 5 Feb
8 – 11 Feb
Topic
Ch 3,10,16.1: Review
Ch 16: General
Midterms
Equilibrium
Ch 16: General
Equilibrium
Ch. 16: General
Equilibrium
Ch. 16: General
Midterm
Friday
Equilibrium and Review
READING BREAK
Problem Sets*
PS 1
Lab
No Lab
PS 2
PS 1 Review
PS 3
PS 2 Due
PS 4
PS 3 Due
PS 5
PS 4 Due
No Labs
3
15 – 19 Feb
22 – 26 Feb
29 Feb – 4
Mar
7 – 11 Mar
14 – 18 Mar
Ch 6: Uncertainty and
PS 6
Asymmetric Information
Ch 6: Asymmetric
Midterm
Information
Friday
Review
Midterm
PS 6
PS 5 Due
Ch 17: Externalities
PS 7
PS 6 Due
Ch 17: Externalities
PS 7
Review
Midterm
Friday
Ch 18.1: Public Goods
PS 8
PS 8
PS 7 Due
21 – 25 Mar
Ch 18.1: Public Goods
Review
28 Mar – 1
Ch 8 & 9: Behavioral Econ
PS 8 Due in
Apr
and Social Preferences**
class
*Recommended time of completion of problem sets
**This last week will cover these more advanced concepts if time permits
Other Policies and Procedures
Policy on Inclusivity and Diversity: Myself and the University of Victoria are committed
to promoting, providing and protecting a positive, supportive and safe learning and
working environment for all its members. If you feel there has been a cultural
misunderstanding or other issue, please don’t hesitate to bring it to my attention.
Policy on Use of Email: Large class numbers mean that for the most part I am unable to
answer email from students. Please limit email to urgent and critical matters regarding
your personal participation in the course (such as inability to attend an exam or
prolonged illness) and be sure to include “ECON 313” in the subject line (lest your email
be mistaken for spam). Proper etiquette for professional communications should be
followed in all emails (for instance, all emails should be signed and should not include
text message abbreviations). Questions on course material are encouraged but they
should be asked during office hours, during class, and before or after class, rather than
by email. Almost all administrative questions you have are likely to be answered by
material posted on the course website and/or in class, and I encourage you to check the
website regularly when you have questions.
Waitlisted Students: I cannot guarantee that waitlisted students will eventually be
added to the class roster. If waitlisted students do wish to be added to the class they
4
must attend lecture, I will take attendance during the first week of class and will be
dropping students who do not turn up during the first three consecutive hours of the
course without excusing themselves prior to the class that they will miss. This will allow
waitlisted students to be added to the class roster.
Missing a Test: Accommodations can be made for missed tests, but only in cases of
unforeseen emergencies, such as serious illness (a cold does not qualify). Relevant
documentation (such as a doctor’s certificate) must be promptly provided in such cases.
If you cannot provide adequate documentation you will receive a score of zero for the
missed test.
University Policy on Plagiarism and Cheating: The standards and the reputation of a
University are the shared responsibility of its faculty and student body. Students are
expected to observe the same standards of scholarly integrity as their academic and
professional counterparts. Plagiarism and cheating are considered a most serious breach
of academic integrity and shall be dealt with as such by the Department of Economics.
University Policy on Working Environment: The University of Victoria is committed to
promoting a positive and safe learning and working environment for all its members.
University Policy on Examinations and Travel Arrangements: Students are advised not
to make travel plans until after the examination timetable has been finalized. Students
who wish to finalize their travel plans at an earlier date should book flights after the end
of the examination period (see the University Calendar). There will be no special
accommodation if travel plans conflict with the examination.
5