ECON 3332: Intermediate Microeconomics
Spring 2016 Course Syllabus
Mondays and Wednesdays 1:00-2:30pm, Heyne Building Room 28 (H28)
Instructor:
Office:
E-mail:
Office hours:
Professor Aimee Chin
McElhinney Room 221B
achin@uh.edu
Fridays 2:00-3:00pm. Other meeting times must be arranged in advance.
T.A.:
Chon-Kit Ao
E-mail:
cao@uh.edu
Office hours: Meetings must be arranged in advance.
Description
In this course, we will explore the foundations of microeconomic theory, focusing on the
behavior of individuals and firms, and the interaction of these agents in the market. We will also
examine the effects of government policies, market power and externalities on market efficiency.
Learning Outcomes
• Students will attain, through lectures, readings and problem sets, knowledge of the
building blocks of economic analysis.
• Students will develop, through lectures, readings and problem sets, some tools to analyze,
critically assess, and develop creative solutions to public policy problems.
• Problem sets and exams will enable students to apply basic principles of critical thinking,
problem solving and technical proficiency in economics.
Textbook and Other Course Materials
• We have an Aplia course website that contains our textbook (Intermediate
Microeconomics and Its Application by Walter Nicholson and Christopher Snyder, 12th
Edition), problem sets, practice exercises and solutions. All students are required to
register for this Aplia course (see page attached to this syllabus for information on how to
register for it). After you register, you will be able to access our course from
https://login.cengage.com/cb/login.htm or http://aplia.com/ .
Prerequisites
All students should have completed ECON 2304 or an equivalent introductory course in
microeconomics; if you do not meet this prerequisite, then you must receive prior explicit
permission from me to take this course. Additionally, you must have a good command of high
school algebra and graphical analysis; if you do not meet this prerequisite and you choose to take
this course, then it is your responsibility to work on your math skills in order to be able to follow
the materials taught in this course.
Professor Chin
Spring 2016 ECON 3332 Syllabus
Page 2
Requirements and Grading
1) Problem Sets
2) Exam 1
3) Exam 2
4) Final Exam
12 problem sets, with the lowest two scores dropped
Wednesday, February 24
Wednesday, April 6
Thursday, May 9, 2:00-4:30pm
20%
20%
20%
40%
100%
Problem Sets: Problem sets will be assigned and submitted through the Aplia website.
Assignments labeled “Graded Problem Set” are what you must submit to receive credit for
problem sets. Assignments labeled “Practice” are for your own personal use and do not count
directly toward your grade (though they help indirectly through improving your performance on
the graded problem sets and exams). You may work on problem sets any time prior to the
deadline, either in a single session or multiple sessions—just remember to save your answer as
you do each question so that when you return to that problem set later, your answers from
previous sessions will appear. Your answers must be submitted before the deadline for you to
receive credit. Solutions to graded problem sets are available immediately after the deadline
(solutions to practice exercises are always available). You should examine the solutions after the
deadline to review any areas of confusion or questions they got wrong. Note I cannot give
deadline extensions for the problem sets; however I do drop the lowest two problem set grades,
which should give you some flexibility in handling unexpected events.
Exams: Exams will draw on material from lectures, problem sets and the textbook. All exams are
closed book, but you are permitted to use a calculator (only basic calculators, no computers, cell
phones or programmable calculators). Generally you get a score of zero when you miss an exam,
but in specific situations a make-up exam may be possible; contact me immediately if you expect
to miss an exam or have missed an exam.
Class Participation: I strongly encourage you to come to lecture. Though attendance is not
required, be aware that: (1) in past semesters, students who attended lecture regularly got
significantly higher grades; (2) when you miss a lecture, you cannot get the handout for that
missed lecture from me; (3) office hours are not for re-delivering lectures you missed.
General Policies
1) Lectures will begin at 1:00pm and end at 2:20pm.
2) Adhere to the university’s academic honesty policy (it is described in the Student Handbook
as well as http://www.uh.edu/provost/academic-affairs/policy-guidelines/honesty-policy/)
3) If you have special learning needs, please contact me. I can make accommodations only if
given advance notice.
Professor Chin
Spring 2016 ECON 3332 Syllabus
Page 3
Course Outline and Schedule (subject to minor changes)
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
Date
1/20
1/25
1/27
2/1
2/3
2/8
2/10
2/15
2/17
2/22
2/24
2/29
3/2
3/7
3/9
3/14
3/16
3/21
3/23
3/28
3/30
4/4
4/6
4/11
4/13
4/18
4/20
4/25
4/27
5/2
5/9
Activity
Topics
Corresponding Textbook Chapters
Lecture 1
Introduction
1 (be sure to look at Appendix 1A too)
Lecture 2
Consumer Theory: Preferences
2
Lecture 3
Consumer Theory: Budget Constraint, Choice
2
Lecture 4
Consumer Theory: Choice
2
Lecture 5
Consumer Theory: Individual Demand
3
Lecture 6
Consumer Theory: Market Demand
3
Lecture 7
Consumer Theory: Extensions 1
4
Lecture 8
Consumer Theory: Extensions 2
5
Lecture 9
Consumer Theory: Extensions 3
5
Lecture 10
Producer Theory: Technology
6
EXAM 1
Lecture 11
Producer Theory: Costs
7
Lecture 12
Producer Theory: Cost Minimization
7
Lecture 13
Producer Theory: Profit Maximization 1
8
Lecture 14
Producer Theory: Profit Maximization 2
8
No lecture-Spring Break
No lecture-Spring Break
Lecture 15
Producer Theory: Supply
9
Lecture 16
Competitive Market Equilibrium: Properties
9, parts of Chapter 10
Lecture 17
Comp Mkt Eqbm: Policy Interventions 1
9, Application 13.2
Lecture 18
Comp Mkt Eqbm: Policy Interventions 2
9
Lecture 19
Imperfect Competition 1
11
EXAM 2
Lecture 20
Imperfect Competition 2
11
Lecture 21
Imperfect Competition 3
12
Lecture 22
Externalities and Public Goods 1
16
Lecture 23
Externalities and Public Goods 2
16
Lecture 24
Externalities and Public Goods 3
16
Lecture 25
Behavioral Economics
17
Lecture 26
Review
FINAL EXAM on Monday May 9 in same room as lecture from 2:00-4:30pm
How to access your Aplia course
Prof Chin Sp 2016 UH ECON 3332 Intermediate Micro
Instructor: Aimee Chin
Start Date: 01/20/2016
Registration and Payment
Here’s how to gain access to our Aplia course:
(1) *Recommended method* If you are ready to pay $85+tax, then go to our designated CengageBrain
microsite http://www.cengagebrain.com/course/1165684 . On the right side, the “Buy Digital Product”
option is selected already, so click on “Add to Cart”. Then check out and pay $85+tax. Now you should
see our course in your CengageBrain content dashboard “My Home”. You may have to enter our course
key: J37G-BZHP-XQXV
(2) If you are not ready to pay yet, you can still access our Aplia course by going to
https://login.cengagebrain.com/cb/entitlement.htm?code=J37G-BZHP-XQXV (the free trial period ends
February 9). Make sure you do not pay through this route, as you will be charged the full price ($125?)
instead of our discounted price ($85). When you are ready to pay, make sure to use the special microsite
given above (in “(1) *Recommended method*”) to receive the $85 price.
System Check
To check whether your computer meets the requirements for using Aplia, go to
http://www.aplia.com/support/config.jsp
Course Support
If you need general information regarding registration, sign-in, and assignment completion, visit Aplia’s Digital
Course Support site (http://services.cengage.com/dcs/aplia/start/resourcelist/ ) for resources such as the student
user guide and self-training videos.
If you have any problems with registering for or using Aplia, then use the technical support address listed
below. Aplia has created a unique technical support URL specifically for our course. Using this unique site will
provide several advantages over Aplia’s standard Technical Support site. For instance, no login is required,
there are streamlined live support options, and customized FAQ and alerts are readily available.
Our dedicated Technical Support URL is:
http://support.cengage.com/magellan/ClassLandingPage.aspx?OptyId=1165684