Welcome to Spring 2016 “Economics of Social Issues”.
I want to welcome you to ECON 150, Economics of Social Issues. This is a ten-week, on-line, course that
runs from March 7, 2016 through May 16, 2016. With the intense debate surrounding public finances, this
is an especially exciting time to be discussing many of these economic issues. I think, through this course,
you will gain a more balanced and deeper understanding of current economic issues. These are issues that
we read and hear about every day such as: the role of government in society, global trade and the loss of
jobs, pros and cons of a minimum wage, Medicare and Social Security reform.
We are living in exciting times. The future is being shaped by the choices our politicians and legislators
are making on our behalf. We all need to participate in these policy debates to create a fair, equitable
society. In order to be taken seriously, we need to have an appreciation of the issues and understand the
consequences of policy choices.
Through your participation in this course, I sincerely hope that you and I gain a greater appreciation of
our market based society and the role that economics plays in answering social questions. I am certainly
not the expert on these social issues. I have an opinion like almost everybody else. I do, though, have
knowledge of the application of economic concepts to these issues. So together we can undertake a
rational look at these newsworthy topics.
Who am I?
My name is Paul Daniels and I will be your instructor and guide through the 10 weeks of our course. My
education is in economics and engineering. I have over 30 years of business experience dealing with
issues in customer service, marketing and technical sales. I have most recently been an instructor of
economics courses here at Marist College.
The course details are spelled out in the syllabus included in Ilearn. Please read it thoroughly. This
is a web-based course at Marist College using the Ilearn platform. During the 10 week class, you are
expected to have access to the course via Marist’s Ilearn. At the beginning of this class, you should have
a working knowledge of Ilearn. By way of the web and Ilearn, you will be given and submit assignments,
view lecture notes, participate in discussions (forums), contact other class participants, meet with and
contact the instructor and participate in assessments of your progress (quizzes).
During this course, you will access Ilearn on your schedule. Other than a half-hour chat session, where I
am available each week, there is no specific time you need to be on the computer. You can work on your
schedule without having to come to class. However, this is not a self-paced course. You will be required
to meet course deadlines. I hope to make this course as flexible as possible for you.
Since we are covering a traditional semester course in 10 weeks, you may feel there is a lot of work each
week. There will be. If you keep up with the reading and assignments each week, you will be fine. You
should plan on spending 6-9 hours per week for this course. Just remember I will not accept
assignments past their due date and quizzes need to be taken according to the schedule, barring
exceptional circumstances. If there are personal or business issues that prevent you from completing
assigned work, let me know ASAP.
I encourage you to share your reading and life experiences with the class via Ilearn messages and Forums.
I think that sharing is what can make this a successful experience. Although we do not have face-to face
class meetings, I hope we can get to know one another well and benefit from thoughtful on-line
discussions.
The required textbook for this course is: Economics of Social Issues, Ansel M. Sharp, et al, 20th edition,
McGraw Hill Irwin, ISBN 978-0-07-352324-8. It is available through the Marist College Bookstore
http://marist.bncollege.com . If you are ordering the textbook elsewhere, please allow enough time to
have the book by March 7th. The textbook website is http://www.mhhe.com/sharp20e. The website
includes PowerPoint slides, practice quizzes and other useful resources.
I expect this to be a great learning experience for us both. Paul Daniels
Email: Paul.Daniels1@marist.edu After March 7, 2016 contact me through Ilearn Messaging. Or
phone: 845-564-4993