MICRO ECONOMICS (ONLINE BLACKBOARD COURSE)
Student Course Syllabus
Palisades High School 2013-2014
Instructor: Mrs. Erin Banas
Room: 209
Email Address: ebanas@palisadessd.org
Phone Number: 610-847-5131 (ext 2349)
Description of Course:
The purpose of this course is to acquaint you with key microeconomic principles. Microeconomics is a
branch of economics that studies how individuals, households, firms, and governments make decisions
regarding the allocation of scarce resources. A strong emphasis on marginal analysis in both production
and consumption decisions will be apparent throughout your coursework. The role competition plays in
setting price and allocating resources will be examined. You will also become acquainted with the four
major market structures and how and when government should intervene in non-competitive
markets. Microeconomics offers you the opportunity to gain insight into the decisions of individuals in a
free market economy and the tools to make more effective decisions in your own life.
Grading:
This course will contain assignments and tests and other activities. Your teacher will share the grading
policy with you. To see how many points each activity is worth in this class, click on the "My Grades"
link.
All work is assigned a point value. Grades are based on:
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Assignments
Discussions
Blogs
Journals
Projects
Tests/Exams
Rubrics for grading Wiki Post, Blogs, and Journal Entries/Note Taking can be found under Grading
Policies under the Class Information.
Quarter grades will be determined by dividing each student’s accumulated grade points by the maximum
number of points that could be earned during the marking period.
To calculate the student’s final grade in the course each marking period will count at 25% towards that
grade calculation.
Class Absences:
Attendance for Palisades cyber students may be achieved in one of the following manners:
(1) Student meets minimum time commitment of ½ hour per course per day (2.5 hours per week) for the full calendar week
(7 days – Sunday through Saturday).
(2) Student meets the minimum weekly workload as outlined by the teacher of record in the course pacing schedule and
weekly announcements.
(3) Student does not meet the criteria for attendance as outlined in options 1 or 2 but based on the teacher’s calculation of
assessments completed and consideration for login time, communication, and additional work completed - attendance is
achieved. The teacher will notify the parent of attendance concerns. The teacher will notify the administrator if the pattern
continues.
If a student misses a class because of a field trip, athletic event, or an in-school activity and
owes a major paper or project that day, it must be submitted that day (or the day before) or the
assignment in question will be marked late.
Late Work:
Late work will follow the district’s policy of 10% off for each day late. However, some graded items
such as tests/exams will have a set time in which students have to complete the assessment and
will not be accepted for submission after that time.
Plagiarism and Cheating:
Plagiarism is the act of passing on another author’s work as one’s own writing without proper
acknowledgement, and constitutes cheating. Cheating will not be tolerated and will result in a zero for
the work in question. Parents and administration will be notified and the Palisades High School’s policy
on plagiarism and cheating will be followed as outlined in the Student Hand book. Do not put yourself
in the position to have to copy and paste information found elsewhere, like Wikipedia, and claim
it as your own. THIS IS NOT ALLOWED.
Materials:
The technology requirements for using the blendedschools.net tools are listed below:
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A standard, Internet-capable computer.
High Speed Internet Access (1MB/s per user if possible)
Windows XP / Mac OS 10.3 rated computer or newer
Java (download from http://.java.com)
Adobe FlashPlayer (download from http://.adobe.com)
Windows Media Player or Quicktime
Productivity Software (Microsoft Office or equivalent)
Speakers, Microphone
Units of Study:
Unit 1- Basic Economic Concepts (marking quarter 1)
Lesson 1 - Economics and the Economic Problem
Lesson 2 - Opportunity Cost and Marginal Analysis
Lesson 3 - Production Possibilities Frontier
Lesson 4 - Economic Systems Models
Lesson 5 - Characteristics of a Market Economy
Lesson 6 - Circular Flow
Unit 2- Supply and Demand (marking quarter 2)
Lesson 1 - Demand
Lesson 2 - Supply
Lesson 3 - Supply and Demand
Lesson 4 - Diminishing Marginal Utility
Lesson 5 - Diminishing Marginal Returns
Lesson 6 - Price Elasticity of Demand/Price Elasticity of Supply
Unit 3- Public and Private Sectors (marking quarter 3)
Lesson 1 - Externalities
Lesson 2 - Public Goods
Lesson 3 - Government Finances
Lesson 4 - Legal Forms of Business
Lesson 5 - Specialization and the Division of Labor
Lesson 6 - Consumer Behavior and Utility Maximization
Unit 4- Production Decisions and Market Structures (marking quarter 4)
Lesson 1 - Demand for Resources
Lesson 2 - Costs of Production
Lesson 3 - Firm Behavior and Competitive Markets
Lesson 4 - Monopoly and Oligopoly
Unit
1
Assignment Title
U1D1 - Unit 1 Discussions
U1J1 - Unit 1 Journal
U1L1 - Economics and the Economic Problem
U1L01W1 - Factors of Production
U1L2 - Opportunity Cost and Marginal Analysis
U1L3 - Production Possibilities Frontier
U1L03W1 - Create a PPC
U1L4 - Economic Systems
U1L5 - Characteristics of a Market System
U1L05W1 - Competition
U1L06 - Circular Flow Model
U1L06B1 Circular Flow
U1T1 - Test
U1LPA1 - Where Should A. Brainy Jock Go To College?
Unit
2
Assignment Title
U2D1 - Unit 2 Discussions
U2J1 - Unit 2 Journal
U2L1 - Demand
U2L01W1 - Substitute and Complementary Goods
U2L2 - Demand
U2L3 - Supply and Demand
U2L03B1 - The Supply and Demand for Candy!
U2L03A1 - Rent Controlled Apartments
U2L4 - Diminishing Marginal Utility
U2L04B1 - When do you stop buying?
U2L5 - Diminishing Marginal Returns
U2L05W1 - You Are the Producer!
U2L05A1 - Apple Pickers and the Law of Diminishing Marginal
Returns
U2L6 - Price Elasticity of Demand/Price Elasticity of Supply
U2T1 - Test
U2LPA1 - Unit 2 Project
Assignment
Type
Discussion
Journal
Basic LTI
Wiki
Basic LTI
Basic LTI
Wiki
Basic LTI
Basic LTI
Wiki
Basic LTI
Blog
Test
Assignment
Points
30
60
31
10
19
19
10
24
19
10
13
10
32
40
Assignment
Type
Discussion
Journal
Basic LTI
Wiki
Basic LTI
Basic LTI
Blog
Assignment
Basic LTI
Blog
Basic LTI
Wiki
Points
10
60
21
10
21
23
10
10
10
10
19
10
Assignment
Basic LTI
Test
Assignment
10
24
30
40
Assignment Title
Assignment
Type
Points
U3D1 - Unit 3 Discussions
U3J1 - Unit 3 Journal
U3L1: Externalities
U3L01B1 - Who Should Pay?
U3L2 - Public Goods
U3L02W1 - Pure Public, Toll, and Private Goods
U3L02A1 - "New Sense, Inc. vs Fish 'Til You Drop"
U3L3 - Government Finances
U03L03A1 - Tax Time Scavenger Hunt
U3L03A2 - "Income Taxes: Who Pays and How Much?"
U3L4 - Legal Forms of Business
U3L5 - Specialization and Division of Labor
U3L05B1 - Interdependence Web
U3L6 - Consumer Behavior and Utility Maximization
U3L06A1 - Fast Food and Utility Maximization
U3T1 - Unit 3 Test
ULPA - Unit 3 Project
Discussion
Journal
Basic LTI
Blog
Basic LTI
Wiki
Assignment
Basic LTI
Assignment
Assignment
Basic LTI
Basic LTI
Blog
Basic LTI
Assignment
Test
Assignment
30
60
18
10
25
10
10
25
15
10
23
20
10
10
10
32
40
Assignment Title
Assignment
Type
Points
U4D1 - Unit 4 Discussions
U4J1 - Unit 4 Journal
U4L1 - Demand for Resources
U4L01A1 - Why Does Brett Favre Make More than Me?!
U4L01W1 - PA Career Zone
U4L2 - Costs of Production
U4L3 - Firm Behavior and Competitive Markets
U4L03W1 - Pizza, Pizza. or Pizza?
U4L4 - Monopoly and Oligopoly
U4L04W1 - History of Business Slideshow
U4L04B1 - The Case of the Ice Cream Merger
U4T1 - Unit 4 Test
ULPA - Unit 4 Project
Discussion
Journal
Basic LTI
Assignment
Wiki
Basic LTI
Basic LTI
Wiki
Basic LTI
Wiki
Blog
Test
Assignment
20
40
14
10
10
23
26
10
33
10
10
34
40
Unit
3
Unit
4