Economics 10A – Fall 2024
Prof. Olivier Deschenes
Course Description: Economic theory relating to demand, production, and competitive product markets with
emphasis on applications of theory.
Instructor:
Olivier Deschenes
olivier@ucsb.edu
Head TA:
Sofia Olguin
dsolguin@ucsb.edu
THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE; changes, if any, will be communicated by email and through Canvas announcements. Student are responsible to check e-mail and/or Canvas daily and
follow any instructions therein.
All instruction is scheduled to be in-person. Students unable to attend lectures on a regular basis should
strongly consider dropping and re-enrolling another quarter.
LECTURE TIMES:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday:
10:00 – 10:50 am, Campbell Hall
Thursday Lectures: 8:00 – 8:50 am, Campbell Hall (only selected weeks & for midterms)
COURSE MATERIAL: The required textbook for the course is “Intermediate Microeconomics with Calculus,”
2nd edition, by Hal R. Varian and Marc J. Melitz, W. Norton & Company. You will need to have access to
Smartwork, since some of the assignments will require you to use it. There are many other textbooks that
could be helpful as (optional) supplements, the most widely used of which is “Microeconomic Theory: Basic
Principles and Extensions” by Walter Nicholson.
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OFFICE HOURS:
1. ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE HOURS – These office hours are NOT for content-related questions. Other office
hours will deal with content-related issues. These office hours will be held every week except on holidays, and
through the final week of classes.
a) READ THIS SYLLABUS FIRST to see if it addresses your administrative issue.
b) For basic administrative issues, such as help with setting up Smartwork, trouble accessing Canvas
content, and Lecture Attendance Quiz issues, contact Sofia Olguin at dsolguin@ucsb.edu.
If you still have an administrative issue, reach out to the instructor or Head TA during administrative office
hours:
Sofia Olguin, Wednesday 2:00-3:30pm, https://ucsb.zoom.us/j/81689461532
Olivier Deschenes, Tuesday 9:00–9:30 am, https://ucsb.zoom.us/j/89043854576
Only one student at a time will be admitted, you will have to wait in the waiting room for your turn.
2. CONTENT OFFICE HOURS – You are encouraged to come get help as needed. Students may attend any
office hour available; you can attend office hours from any TA, not just the TA from your section. All office
hours below will be held each week starting September 30, except on campus holidays and during the week of
Thanksgiving. In general, questions will be answered in the order they are received. Some questions may be
prioritized if there are multiple students with the same question. When there are several students attending
an Office Hour, you may only be able to get one or two questions answered. If you have many questions that
you want answered, please consider attending less popular office hour times.
A. Instructor Content Office Hours, drop-ins only:
Olivier Deschenes, Thursdays, 9:00–10:00 am, https://ucsb.zoom.us/j/83783596865
The instructor office hours are for questions related lecture materials & readings, not problem sets.
IMPORTANT: Note that the instructor does not answer any emails related to course content or non-urgent
administrative questions. Please use my administrative office hours for non-urgent administrative questions
or my content-related office hours or those of our TAs for content-related questions.
Instructor office hours will be held from the week of September 30 through the week of December 2, except
for the weeks of October 7 and November 25.
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B. Teaching Assistant Office Hours:
Open Office Hours (Best for students who want help solving questions or reviewing lecture materials in a
group setting):
Monday, 2:00-4:00pm, NH 3021
Tuesday, 8:00-9:00am, NH 3021
Tuesday, 12:00-2:00pm, NH 3021
Wednesday, 8:00-10:00am, NH 3021
Thursday, 11:00-1:00pm, NH 3021
Thursday, 4:00-6:00pm, Zoom
Friday, 11:00-1:00pm, Zoom
Regular TA Office Hours (Best for students who want a few minutes to talk to a TA one-one-one):
Monday, 8:00-9:00am, NH 3021
Monday, 4:00-6:00pm, NH 3053
Tuesday, 2:00-4:00pm, NH 3053
Wednesday, 12:00-1:00pm, NH 2045
Wednesday, 4:00-6:00pm, NH 2051
Thursday, 2:00-3:00pm, NH 2015
Note: Unless there is a request from a student to have a one-on-one meeting, the Zoom office hours will be
open to all students who join during the allotted time. There will be no office hours of any kind during finals
week.
Exam Review Sessions (a TA will go over one of our past exams and answer questions; the same exam will
be covered during all sessions before every test):
Before Midterm 1:
Monday, October 14
Tuesday, October 15
Wednesday, October 16
Before Midterm 2:
Monday, November 18
Tuesday, November 19
Wednesday, November 20
Before Final exam:
Wednesday, December 4
Thursday, December 5
Friday, December 6
Times and locations TBD.
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GRADING: There are three components to your grade:
● Three tests, 2 midterms and a final exam; each midterm counts for 20% and the final exam for 45%
(85% total)
o Any sick student can be excused from a midterm. Contact your instructor before the test if
there is a chance you will miss a midterm. Anyone excused from a midterm will have the weight
of the midterm moved to the final exam. Note: Once you start a test, it will count as part of
your course grade, without exceptions
o Any student who is sick for the final exam needs to contact the instructor as soon as possible
once the student gets sick. Provided the proper medical documentation is submitted, the
instructor will offer an option for a potential make-up final exam.
o Any student who may miss an exam for a non-medical reason needs to contact their instructor
at least 7 days before the test. Your situation will be evaluated, but these requests are almost
never granted. If you anticipate missing a test, you should consider dropping the course and
enrolling another quarter.
● Six practice modules, to be completed on Canvas and Smartwork; the five best scores will each count
for 1.8% of your course grade (9% total)
● Twenty-six lecture attendance quizzes, to be completed on Canvas; the 20 best scores will each count
for 0.3% of your course grade (6% total)
For modules, plan to complete these at least 24 hours before they close. Extensions cannot be granted due to
internet or Canvas outages.
Tests:
Midterm 1, Thursday, October 17th, 8:00-8:50am, Campbell Hall
Midterm 2, Thursday, November 21th, 8:00-8:50am, Campbell Hall
Final exam, Tentative date: Monday, December 9th, 8:00-11:00am, Location TBD
You have 40 minutes to complete all of the questions of a midterm. The final is 150 minutes. Late students
may either have less time to complete the test, or be turned away. If you arrive late, please do NOT take
your seat; make sure to talk to a proctor right away.
Practice modules: Practice modules are tentatively set to be due weeks 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 10. Each module will
be open for at least 14 days. (There may be times in which two modules are open at the same time.) Module
questions can be repeated as many times as desired. For the first module, a score of 80% or more on any
attempt will result in full credit for the module, and no credit otherwise. For other modules, you have one
attempt for the whole set but can repeat questions as many times as desired. You are strongly encouraged to
get help with theory and concepts related to these modules if you are struggling through some of the
problems.
Lecture quizzes: There will be 26 three-question quizzes associated with lectures. Each one will be open from
11:59 am (one minute before noon) to 11:59pm (one minute before midnight) on the day of the relevant
lecture. Once you start it you will have 10 minutes to complete each quiz on Canvas, and you are not allowed
to consult any other person (directly or indirectly) on quiz questions during the window that the quiz is open. 1
We drop your lowest six quiz scores to account for connectivity or personal issues that may cause you to miss
a quiz; there are no make-up quizzes. Unless there is a systemwide Canvas issue that prevent many students
from completing a quiz, we cannot allow for alternate accommodations.
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This includes revealing answers to others. Anyone caught sending or receiving answers will be dealt with as a cheating case.
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Problem sets: We will assign problem set homework regularly on Canvas to help you applying these concepts
toward the practice modules, assignments, and tests. It is important that you attempt to do the assigned
problems, and that you do so before you see the solutions. The problem sets do not count towards your
course grade and you do not need to turn them in. Answers to these problems will NOT be posted on the
web. The only way to obtain answers for homework is to see the problems worked out in the TA office hours.
Your percentage grade at the end of the term will be converted into a letter grade as follows:
A
87%-100%
A82%-86%
B+
77%-81%
B
72%-76%
B65%-71%
C+
58%-64%
C
50%-57%
C40%-49%
D+
37%-39%
D
33%-36%
D30%-32%
F
0%-29%
All posted grades are final unless there is an administrative or grading error. All grades are rounded to the
nearest percent (e.g., 64.50 becomes 65, 64.49 becomes 64). There will be no exceptions to this rule, no
matter how close you are to the next grade.
CLAS:
Campus Learning Assistance Services (CLAS) offers additional services for Econ 10A students. You can find out
more at http://clas.sa.ucsb.edu/. You will likely find some or all of their services useful, but please note that
CLAS is not a part of the Department of Economics. If you receive information from CLAS that you believe
conflicts with course material, you need to come to office hours above to address your issues.
Succeeding in the Course: Doing well in this course requires you to not only attend lectures and sections, read
the assigned material, but to practice solving problems. Problem Sets will be available on the Econ 10A Canvas
page. There are two types of problem sets: One set that TAs will work through in section and no answers will
be provided on Canvas and a second “extra” set of problems that will have answers posted on Canvas. In
addition, old midterm and final exams are posted on Canvas. Make sure to work through these.
Administrative Issues: The Economics Undergraduate Office handles all administrative matters related to
waitlist eligibility, pre-requisite issues, etc. Please contact them regarding any of these issues. Students will
generally only be added to the class through the waitlist (if it is open and seats are available). If you are trying
to switch times, you will need to do this on GOLD (if allowed).
You are expected to take all tests as scheduled. If you perform poorly on the first midterm and/or plan to miss
a test, you should strongly consider dropping the course if allowed to do so. We do not give midterms or finals
at any time except when scheduled. If you are absent from a midterm the weight for that test will be added to
your final exam. If you believe that you will not be able to take the final exam as it is scheduled, you will need
to contact your instructor as soon as you know and ask if an Incomplete petition can be granted. You are
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responsible for checking your final exam schedule early in the quarter. If you have a final exam that is
scheduled by the Registrar at the same time as the Econ 10A final, you need to contact your instructor no
later than 1 week after the first midterm. If you do not notify your instructor by this date, we will assume that
you will take the final exam as scheduled.
You are expected to be available during class times listed on the schedule (MWF 10:00-10.50 am, Th 8:008.50 am, and your section times). If you take another class that meets at one or more of these times, the
instructor will not be able to provide alternate accommodations for scheduling conflicts. Note that the
Thursday 8:00-8:50 am lecture time is shared between Econ 10A and Econ 5 and this should be considered a
conflict.
Disabled Students Program: Any students participating in the Disabled Students Program (DSP) must make
the appropriate arrangements with the DSP office as necessary. Any requests made to DSP without sufficient
time to make the appropriate arrangements will lead to the student being tested under the same time and
room conditions as other students in the class. DSP students are urged to meet with their instructors during
office hours before Midterm 1 in order to prevent any confusion about the test-taking parameters. It is the
student’s responsibility to make sure that they know how much time will be available for their test, even if it
differs from the accommodation set up through DSP. Time allocated to DSP students will be based off of the
Instructor Letter submitted. If a student needs anything except additional time, it is the student’s
responsibility to notify their instructor at least 10 days in advance of the test.
A note to students who may consider dropping this course later in the quarter:
Some students realize after the quarter starts that they do not want to complete Econ 10A this quarter. There
are some important things you need to consider when deciding whether or not to remain in the course:
● An undergraduate student who drops Econ 10A and is enrolled in less than 12 units, will lose full-time
status. The university typically expects students to keep full time status, so before dropping Econ 10A,
it is important to consult with a College of Letters and Science academic advisor (1117 Cheadle Hall)
and, if a student is receiving financial aid, with the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships (2103
SAASB).
● Students are generally allowed to drop a course on GOLD through the end of the fourth week (the 20th
day of classes). You will need to follow all posted deadlines set by the university.
● After the drop deadline mentioned above, students may still be able to successfully petition to drop a
course depending on the specific circumstances. Please go to the College of Letters and Science
Undergraduate Education Website, http://duels.ucsb.edu/advising/petitions#retroactive-drop, or meet
with a Letters and Science advisor for details. You may more easily qualify to get a W through week 7 if
this is the first time enrolled in Econ 10A and you have not had 3 or more W petitions previously
approved by the university.
● International students may have additional issues to consider if dropping Econ 10A after the start of
the quarter. International students may want to talk to an adviser before considering dropping this
course.
If on-campus offices are closed, you may experience longer-than-normal response times to meet with an
adviser and/or e-mails to be responded to. Please plan additional time to deal with potentially dropping a
course.
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Academic Integrity: You may work with other students on problem sets. On midterms and the final exam, the
standard rules apply as outlined in “Academic Integrity at UCSB: A Student’s Guide.” On those exams, you are
cheating if you copy from another student, allow another student to copy from you, consult notes or a
textbook during the exam (unless explicitly allowed to do so), have another student take an exam for you, or
attempt to communicate with another student any information that could be relevant to the exam. Any
student who cheats will receive a reduced course grade (typically an F) for the course and/or the incident will
be reported to the Office of Judicial Affairs for further sanctions. Possible sanctions include suspension and
dismissal. The Economics Department has established a hotline at which you can anonymously report cheating
incidents. Go to https://econ.ucsb.edu/programs/undergraduate/academic-integrity to report cheating
anonymously. If you prefer you can send an e-mail directly to cheating@econ.ucsb.edu (although the
department will know the e-mail address of the sender if you use this option).
Email: ECON 10A INSTRUCTORS AND TAs DO NOT ANSWER SUBJECT-RELATED QUESTIONS VIA EMAIL. Please
save these questions for office hours. Email is best for small administrative questions.
This syllabus is subject to change. Where possible, any changes will be made in lecture and/or Canvas with at
least one week’s notice. Other important information may be given in lecture and/or on Canvas, which you are
responsible for knowing.
Some students become distressed from the pressure of Econ 10A. Some good sources for help may include
Counseling & Psychological Services (http://caps.sa.ucsb.edu/) and social workers at Student Health Services
(https://studenthealth.sa.ucsb.edu/behavioral-health-at-shs/social-work). If you are looking for group study
space, please check https://www.library.ucsb.edu/services/group-study.
Intellectual property: All course materials (class lectures and discussions, handouts, examinations, web
materials) and the intellectual content of the course itself are protected by United States Federal Copyright
Law, the California Civil Code. The UC Policy 102.23 expressly prohibits students (and all other persons) from
recording lectures or discussions and from distributing or selling lectures notes and all other course materials
without the prior written permission of the instructor (See http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/2710530/PACAOS100). Students are permitted to make notes solely for their own private educational use. Exceptions to
accommodate students with disabilities may be granted with appropriate documentation. To be clear, in this
class students are forbidden from completing study guides and selling them to any person or organization.
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The schedule of lectures and sections is below. Also note there is a list of suggested videos to watch on the
last page.
Schedule of Lecture Topics (Bold italic Thursday lectures are in Campbell Hall):
DATE
TOPIC
PAGES
Sept. 26
No meeting
Sept. 27
Introduction to Econ 10A
1-11
Sept. 30
Budget Constraints
20-31
Oct. 2
Preferences
32-48
Oct. 3
Succeeding in Econ 10A
Oct. 4
The Marginal Rate of Substitution
48-50
Oct. 7
Utility Theory
51-68
Oct. 9
Maximizing Utility
70-78
Oct. 11
Finding a Utility Maximum
79-87
Oct. 14
Changes in Prices and Income
91-107
Oct. 16
Substitutes and Complements
108-112
Oct. 17
Midterm 1 (40 minutes); will cover Sept. 30 to Oct. 14 Lectures
Oct. 18
Substitution and Income Effects
130-139 & 147-150
Oct. 21
Buying and Selling
153-159
Oct. 23
Labor Supply
167-173
Oct. 25
Borrowing and Lending
175-181
Oct. 28
Investing and Present Value
182-194
Oct. 30
The Demand for Insurance
208-212
Nov. 1
Expected Utility
213-221
Nov. 4
Consumer’s Surplus
242-256
Nov. 6
Market Demand
261-277
Nov. 8
Equilibrium
284-300
Nov. 11
No class meeting (holiday)
Nov. 13
Technology
340-351
Nov. 15
Cost Minimization
353-358 & 372-384
Nov. 18
Short-run and Long-run Cost Curves
386-401
Nov. 20
Firm Supply
402-416
Nov. 21
Midterm 2 (40 minutes); will cover Sept. 30 to Nov. 8 Lectures
Nov. 22
Factor Demand
358-366
Nov. 25-29
No class meetings (Thanksgiving week)
Dec. 2
Industry Supply
419-430
Dec. 4
Economic Rent
430-431
Dec. 6
Finish course material (if necessary)
Dec. 9
Tentative date for FINAL EXAMINATION (8:00 am – 11:00 am slot, 2½ hours), all lectures and
readings covered. Arrive to location to be announced, no later than 7:55 am. Late arrival may
either lead to reduced time if you arrive before 8:15 am. Students arriving after 8:15 am will
not be allowed to start the test. All exams must be turned in after 8:30 am (DSP students
included)
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Tentative Section Schedule:
September 30 / October 1
Problem Set 1
October 7/8
Problem Set 2
October 14/15
Problem Set 3
October 21/22
Problem Set 4
October 28/29
Problem Set 5
November 4/5
Problem Set 6
November 12
Problem Set 7 (November 11 is a holiday)
November 18/19
Problem Set 8
November 25/26
Problem Set 9 (There may be a reduced section schedule due to Thanksgiving week)
Dec 2/3
Problem Set 10
Additional videos to watch (with approximate suggested timeline):
Week 0: How to study videos, by Dr. Stephen Chew, Psychology Professor at Samford University
A review of important mathematical concepts relevant to Econ 10A
Week 1: A guide for studying Econ 10A material
Week 9: Preparation for Final exam
Week 10: Extending Econ 10A concepts to preview Econ 100B material
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