Introduction to Microeconomics
ECON 101 – OP01
Fall 2024
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
Email:
Aslan Behnamian, PhD
CCC 7-329
780-497-5800
behnamiana@macewan.ca
Office Hours: After the class on Tuesday – Wednesday/Friday/weekend by
appointment; in-person or virtual
Course Modality or Format: In-person: This course will be conducted face-to-face,
on campus
Lecture Time: Tuesday 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Lecture Room: 5-158
Course Credits:
3 Credits
Course Prerequisite: None
Course Description: This course will provide an introductory investigation to supply and
demand analysis: the theory of production, costs, and price determination under
competitive and non-competitive market conditions. Emphasis is given to Canadian
economy.
Course Objectives: Microeconomics is the study of efficient allocation of scarce resources
by consumers and firms. This involves understanding opportunity costs, thinking at the
margin and responding to incentives. The purpose of this course is to familiarize students
with this framework as well as to introduce them to the quintessential demand/supply
model that is ubiquitously, but not exclusively, applied to understanding economic
phenomena. By the end of the course, students are expected to have attained technical
competence in applying graphical and quantitative methods to problem solving and hence
be prepared for further studies in economics.
Required Textbook and Resource:
Mankiw, Kneebone, McKenzie, and Rowe (2023) Principles of Microeconomics, 9th
Canadian Edition, Cengage Canada.
The textbook is not required, though I will be following it. You may decide to purchase the
latest Book, E-Book, older editions or if you are comfortable you can just follow the
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PowerPoint slides and my lectures notes. I have uploaded detailed PowerPoint slides on
Meskanas. The slides are available in the content section. I have also uploaded practice
exams along with their solutions.
While I recommend sticking to class lectures, following PowerPoint slides and taking note
in class, you can also explore other videos through the following Khan Academy link:
https://www.khanacademy.org/economics-finance-domain/microeconomics
Grade Evaluation:
Twelve Weekly Quizzes (due following week Wednesday at 11 PM)
Midterm (October 15, 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM)
Final Exam (December TBC, 6:00 AM to 8 PM) *
30%
30%
40%
*The Final Exam date is to be confirmed.
* Final Exam Period is from December 11 to December 19
Bonus Marks – Additional Assignments
5%
Please check schedule below and Meskanas for quiz and exam availability and timings.
Final Exam Schedule:
A personalized final exam schedule is available online through myStudentSystem.
Format of Exams:
•
Quizzes and exams will comprise of multiple-choice questions and or with short
answer questions.
•
All quizzes and exams will be two hours long.
•
As the Final Exam for this course is no more than 40%, no Supplemental Final
Exam is given (Policy C2020: Grading)
Grade Criterion:
At the end of the term, all marks from exams and quizzes will be aggregated following the
weights above and translated into Letter Grades. The following table shows the Grade, the
respective Percentage Range of aggregate mark and the Grade Point.
Please Note:
The official grading system at MacEwan University is the 12-point letter grade system.
While instructors may use percentages to aid in their grade development, percentages are
not part of MacEwan University’s official grading system. Policy C2020: Grading.
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Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F
Percentage
Grade Point
95 – 100
90 – 94
85 – 89
80 – 84
75 – 79
70 – 74
65 – 69
61 – 64
57 – 60
53 – 56
50 – 52
0 - 49
4.0
4.0
3.7
3.3
3.0
2.7
2.3
2.0
1.7
1.3
1.0
0.0
All the course materials would be uploaded on Meskanas.
Technology Recommendations for Courses:
Access to sufficient technology and reliable internet access is necessary to complete the
quizzes and to access the course materials on Meskanas. Instructors expect that students
will be able to complete work on time through the systems provided on the MacEwan
Portal.
While tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices may allow for completion of some
coursework, they are not guaranteed to work for all areas. Successful completion may
depend on an adequate Windows or Mac based computer. If you do not have a reliable
computer and/or internet access, you may be able to borrow these from the MacEwan
library. Check with tech support (techsupport@macewan.ca) for more information.
Recording Course Material:
In this class, students may not make audio or video recordings of any course activity
unless the student has an approved accommodation from Access and Disability Resources
permitting the recording class meetings. In such cases, the accommodation letter must be
presented to the instructor in advance of any recording being done and all students in the
course will be notified whenever recording will be taking place. Students who are permitted
to record classes are not permitted to redistribute audio or video recordings of statements
or comments from the course to individuals who are not students in the course without the
express permission of the faculty member and of any students who are recorded.
Policy on Generative AI – Permitted with Acknowledgement:
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In this class, students are allowed to use generative artificial intelligence tools, including
for text, music or art, such as ChatGPT and DALL.E 2. However, you must acknowledge
any use of such tools in the following ways:
•
Include a statement in any assessment that uses an AI generation tool explaining
what you used the tool for and what prompts you used to get the results.
•
Indicate exactly what content is generated by, paraphrased from or based on an AI
generation tool using quotation marks, italics or another format indicated by your
instructor.
•
Referencing: Check updates on the style guide you use (for example, APA) for
guidance on how to cite AI and/or consult with the Library.
LIBRARY@MACEWAN.CA
Please be aware of the limitations of ChatGPT, including the following:
•
Tools like ChatGPT are known to have issues with providing incorrect and false
information. The information from these tools should not be used without
confirming it with another source. It is your responsibility to check the information
provided for errors or omissions.
Lecture Schedule & Assigned Readings:
Date
10
17
24
1
8
15
22
29
5
12
19
26
3
TBC
Topics
September
Introduction
Models and math
Trade
October
Demand Supply Framework
Elasticity
Midterm Exam
Govt. Intervention
Market efficiency
November
Costs of Taxation
READING WEEK
Production Costs
Perfectly Competitive Markets
December
Monopoly
Final Exam – Cumulative
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Text Chapter
1
2
3
Quiz
Due Date
Jan 18
Jan 25
Oct 2
4
5
Oct 9
Oct 16
6
7
Oct 30
Nov 6
8
Nov 13
13
14
Nov 27
Dec 4
15
Dec 9
Final Exam Date TBC
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES AND COURSE EXPECTATIONS:
Students must communicate with their instructors using their myMacEwan email
accounts.
Students must be aware of their academic and non-academic responsibilities as outlined
in the Student Code of Conduct Policy and available on the Office of Student Conduct
website.
1. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Students are responsible for understanding the Student
Academic Integrity Policy and what constitutes academic misconduct and be aware of the
Student Academic Misconduct Procedure All incidents of academic misconduct, as
outlined in the policy, are reported and recorded by the Academic Integrity Office and
resources are available on MacEwan’s Academic Integrity Website.
MacEwan University’s Academic Integrity Policy promotes honesty, fairness, respect,
trust, and responsibility in all academic work. The policy defines academic misconduct as
the following: “Participating in acts by which a person gains or attempts to gain an unfair
academic advantage thereby compromising the integrity of the academic process,”
including:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
cheating
plagiarism
improper collaboration
contract cheating (severe misconduct)
fabrication and falsification
helping, or attempting to help, another student commit academic
misconduct
obtaining an unfair advantage
multiple submissions
2. REGISTRATION STATUS: Students are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of
their registration in courses. This can be checked at any time using MyStudentSystem.
3. PREREQUISITES: Students who do not have the appropriate prerequisite may be
removed from the course and may be responsible for any tuition costs up to the date of
removal.
4. WITHDRAWING FROM THE COURSE: Students who stop attending class must
officially withdraw from the course. This must be done by the official withdrawal deadline
for the course, which is available at the Office of the University Registrar. Failure to
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withdraw properly will result in a grade being assigned that is based on completed course
work only, with a grade of 0% being assigned to all missed exams/assignments.
5. SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS: Please see the Human Rights and Accessibility
Policy and Students with Disabilities Procedure.
Students who require special accommodation in this course due to a disability and/or
medical condition are advised to discuss their needs with Access and Disability Resources
(ADR).
6. FINAL EXAMS: See Student Assessments Policy and Grading Policy. Students are
responsible for confirming the date, time, duration and location of the final exam.
7. RE-EVALUATION OF MARKS
MacEwan Grading Procedure (Section 3.8) states that if a student feels an error has been
made on the evaluation of submitted course work, the student is required to first contact
the Instructor, via email, within four (4) business days of the mark being released. The
Instructor shall respond within four (4) business days. If unresolved and the student has
reason to believe the mark has been unfairly assessed, then the student may apply for a
reassessment for any submitted assessment, which constitutes at least 10% of the final
course grade. Requests for reassessment must be submitted to the applicable Department
Chair (or designate) within four (4) business days of the Instructor sending a response to
the student. The student must complete and submit the request form, available from the
Office of the University Registrar Forms Cabinet.
8. APPEALS: Please note anything that has its own appeals policy (e.g. Student Academic
Integrity Policy, Grading Policy, Student Non-Academic Misconduct Procedure and
Academic Integrity policy) is exempt from the Student Appeals policy. Students may
contact Student Affairs for assistance.
INSTRUCTOR COURSE POLICIES/ SUPPORT:
1. Late penalties/procedures for missed exams or late assignments: When students
miss an exam or quiz the instructor should be notified of the reason within 48 hours.
Valid reasons for missing the exam include illness, jury duty or court subpoena,
death in the family, or other emergency approved by the instructor. It is the
student’s responsibility to keep up with class work when they are absent from class.
Absence from class will not be accepted as a legitimate reason for failure to attend
an exam on time. If a student misses the midterm because of illness or other
circumstances approved by the instructor, then a deferred exam will be given or the
weight will be transferred to the final exam.
https://www.macewan.ca/campus-life/exam-services-centre/deferred-exams/
2. ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION: Students are responsible for ensuring
they go over the PowerPoint slides and attend classes on a weekly basis.
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3. EXAMS: Your student photo I.D. is required at exams to verify your identity. At
the discretion of the instructor, students may or may not be allowed to begin an
examination after it has been in progress for 15 minutes. Students must remain in
the exam room for at least 20 minutes from the time the exam commenced.
Consumption of food is not allowed during exams. Electronic equipment, other
than calculators, is not to be brought to exams and hats should not be worn.
4. ELECTRONIC DEVICES: Cell phones and other electronic devices are to be
turned off during lectures and exams (except under exceptional circumstances in
which approval has been granted by the instructor). Laptop use is permitted only
for taking class notes and/or following slides.
5. TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS: Sufficient technology and reliable Internet
access are required to access University level class materials at MacEwan.
Instructors expect that students will be able to complete and deliver work on time
through the systems provided. While tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices
may allow for completion of some coursework, they are not guaranteed to work for
all areas. Successful completion of the course will be greatly facilitated by an
adequate Windows or Mac based computer. If you do not have a reliable computer
and/or internet access, you may be able to borrow these from MacEwan library.
Check with tech support (techsupport@macewan.ca) for more information.
6. GETTING HELP: Students are responsible to seek out any assistance you need
in the course. There are other university resources and supports that are available
to help:
For technical support, contact techsupport@macewan.ca.
For mêskanâs support, contact dle@macewan.ca.
For psychological or emotional distress or anxiety, contact MacEwan Wellness and
Psychological Services 780-497-5063 WPS@macewan.ca or Peer Support
Services.
For Student Ombuds Support (SAMU) see www.samu.ca/ombud or Student
Resources
For help with financial issues, contact Fees and Financial Aid 780-497-5025 or
studentloans@macewan.ca
You may be eligible for a scholarship, award, or bursary, click link for more
information.
DISCLAIMER:
The information in this course outline is subject to change and any changes will be
announced in class or in writing.
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