University of Washington
Economics 200C: Principles of Microeconomics
Autumn 2013
Course Instructor: Allen Chen
Lecture: MW 8:30-10:20 am, Anderson 010
Office Hours: MW 10:30-11:30 am, and by appointment
Email: yachen@uw.edu
Course Goals:
Economics is not a field of study of something particular-- rather, it is a set of tools and
concepts that can be applied to understand a great number of phenomena in the economic and
social sphere. We use the tools of the science of economics to study why things are and how they
change when a relevant factor or force that shapes the phenomenon changes.
Textbook: Principles of Microeconomics, 6th Edition by N. Gregory Mankiw
Calendar of Lectures, Tests, and HWs
Tentative Course Outline
Monday
25-Sep
Week 1
30-Sep
7-Oct
2-Oct
9-Oct
Week 2
Week 3
14-Oct
16-Oct
Week 4
21-Oct
23-Oct
Week 5
28-Oct
4-Nov
11-Nov
30-Oct
6-Nov
13-Nov
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
18-Nov
25-Nov
2-Dec
20-Nov
27-Nov
4-Dec
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Thinking like an Economist (Ch.
2)
Supply and Demand (Ch. 4)
Elasticity (Ch. 5)
(Ch. 6), Efficiency of Markets
(Ch. 7)
Efficiency of Markets (Ch. 7)
Deadweight Loss of Taxation
(Ch. 8), (Q&A)
Exam 1: Ch. 1-8
Externalities (Ch. 10)
Public Goods (Ch. 11)
(Holiday)
Costs of Production (Ch. 13)
Firms in Competitive Markets
(Ch. 14)
Firms in Competitive Markets (Ch. 14)
Monopolies (Ch. 15)
Oligopolies (Ch. 17)
(Q&A)
Exam 2: Ch. 1-8, 10, 11, 13-15, 17
HW and Quiz Schedule
Sunday 11 pm
29-Sep
6-Oct
30-Sep
7-Oct
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Wednesday
Overview and Principles of Economics
(Ch. 1)
Interdependence and the Gains from
Trade (Ch. 3)
Supply and Demand (Ch. 4)
Supply, Demand, and Government
Policies (Ch. 6)
HW1 Due: Ch. 1-3
Monday
Quiz 1: Ch. 1-3
13-Oct
20-Oct
27-Oct
3-Nov
10-Nov
17-Nov
24-Nov
1-Dec
14-Oct
21-Oct
28-Oct
4-Nov
11-Nov
18-Nov
25-Nov
2-Dec
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
HW2 Due: Ch. 4
HW3 Due: Ch. 5-6
HW4 Due: Ch. 6-7
Quiz 2: Ch. 4
Quiz 3: Ch. 5-6
HW5 Due: Ch. 10-11
HW7 Due: Ch. 13
HW8 Due: Ch. 14
HW9 Due: Ch. 15, 17
Quiz 4: Ch. 10-11
Quiz 5: Ch. 13-14
Exam 1: Ch. 1-8 (Weds., 10/30/13)
Exam 2: Ch. 1-8, 10, 11, 13-14, 15, 17 (Weds., 12/4/13)
Grades:
9 HWs on Aplia
4 highest quiz scores (out of 5 quizzes)
Exam 1 (Weds., 10/30/13)
Exam 2 (Weds., 12/4/13)
10%
30%
30%
30%
Course Policies:


Homework is done on Aplia (Course Key: W25Y-C85E-RRKJ) and is submitted Sunday
11 pm before Monday’s class. There is no making up late or missing homework
assignments.
Make-up quizzes and tests: We will take the best 4 quiz grades and count them towards
your course grade. Therefore any one quiz you miss, that would be the one you drop. If
you miss more than one quiz, you get a make-up quiz only if you present a doctor’s note.
There will be no make up tests. If you miss the midterm you need to present a doctor’s
note. If you miss the final you will receive an incomplete for the course.

You may need a calculator for some of the questions on quizzes/tests. Please bring a
simple 4-function or a scientific calculator to your tests.

The grading policy of the Department of Economics sets the upper boundary for the
Median grade in principles of economics courses to be 3.1. We will adjust the Grade
Scale at the very end of the quarter to reflect a median of about 2.8-2.9 for a normal class,
a median of 3.0 if the class has a strong performance and 3.1 if the median grade for the
overall course is high and the class performs excellently.