Palomar Community College
Microeconomics
Econ 102
Laughlin
Spring 2007
Tuesdays
Welcome to where the fun never stops!
In microeconomics the focus is on the behavior of individuals, firms and industries
regarding productive decision-making. In this course we will investigate what
determines demand and supply for a product, producer and consumer behavior, market
structure, resource markets, market failure, and public policy.
In addition to the skills specific to microeconomics, you will learn many common or
"portable" skills. When you master these "portable" skills you will be able to transfer
them to other school or work situations. The "portable" skills for this class include
communication skills such as listening, reading and writing, cognitive skills, such as
creative thinking, analysis and synthesis, problem solving and quantitative reasoning
and interpersonal skills, such as social interaction and teamwork.
This Course is part of Campus
Explorations: Work and Poverty
We will incorporate the discussion of work and poverty in our class in the classroom and
Blackboard discussions. In addition, there is the opportunity for you to be part of a
larger discussion Wednesday afternoons.
Schedule of Wednesdays for weekly seminar meeting: 2 – 3 p.m. in room ES – 19.
Open to the entire community.
Students who formally enroll in class #33567 will receive one unit of credit
o We anticipate allowing discussion to extend to 4 p.m. if necessary, and films will
be shown beginning at 3:30 p.m.
o All speakers’ presentations, discussions and films will be open to the entire
campus community.
o Connected Occasions will be such offerings as panel discussions, performances,
exhibitions, guest speakers.
The text used in this course is Microeconomics, by Glenn Hubbard and Anthony
O’Brien. The study guide that accompanies the text is strongly recommended as a way
of reinforcing the readings and lectures. In addition, there will be readings that will be
provided by the instructor.
Instructor Information:
Teresa Laughlin
Economics, History and Political Science Department
P-17F
e-mail: tlaughlin@palomar .edu
phone: (760) 744-1150 x2851
Office Hours: Monday: 9:00-9:30a.m. and 12:30-1 p.m.
Tuesday: 9:00 -9:30 a.m.
Wednesday: 9:00-9:30a.m. and 12:30-2 p.m.
Thursday: 9:00-11:00a.m. and 12:30-1 p.m.
Virtual Office Hours: I check my e-mail regularly, so feel free to e-mail me with a
question, concern, or comment.
Assignments:
There will be three (50 point) examinations, three (25 point) problem sets, one (50 point)
paper, fifteen (10 point) quizzes, fifteen weekly discussions (5 points each), and one
(100 point) comprehensive final examination. A standard scale is used to determine
grades (i.e. 90% + of the points possible earns an A, 80 - 89% earns a B etc.). there is a
total of 580 points in this class.
Assignment Explanation:
Exams: The examinations, including the final exam, will be a mix of multiple choice and
short essay questions.
Problem Sets: The problem sets are a mix of numerical problems and essay questions.
I encourage you to form study groups and work together, but you must separate to write
your own essays. I will not accept late problem sets, because we go over them in
class. I suggest that you take a xerox copy of your problem set answers to study from
before you turn in the original.
Paper: The two-page paper is an analysis of the one of the guest speakers that will be
on campus April 5th and 6th. You will briefly describe what the speaker’s thesis is, and
critically analyze his/her point of view using the models and concepts that we have
learned in this class. You may rewrite this paper as many times as you wish to earn the
grade you desire.
Discussions: The weekly discussions can be accessed in the discussion board part of
Blackboard. Every week I will pose questions or make comments that you will be
required to respond to. The discussion grade will be determined by the number and
quality of the postings and responses. You must post at least once and respond to
another student's comments at least once in order to get credit for the
discussion. So, you MUST POST AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK to receive credit for
the discussion! Responses like: "good point." or "I agree" do not count for credit. The
discussions will be kept going for two weeks at which time I will close the discussion.
So week one's discussion will be open until the beginning of week three and so on.
The quizzes will be on the chapters in the textbook. You will take these quizzes in
Blackboard. You will be required to take the 10 point quizzes electronically on each of
the eighteen chapters in the textbook. The quizzes must be completed by the time
indicated in the course calendar. I will accept no late quizzes, but I only count the top 15
quiz scores for a total of 150 points. See the Course calendar for dates.
Attendance:
To succeed in this class it is important to attend the class regularly, ask questions, read
the material and enjoy the process. I encourage questions, comments and any general
relevant conversation. It is crucial to be engaged in the learning process. Active
learners are much more successful than passive learners. You need to arrive to the
class ON TIME, turn off your cell phones and pagers, and immerse yourself in the
process. If you are going to be absent for any length of time, please contact me so we
can arrange for make-up work.
Additional Housekeeping details:
I will drop the "no show" students on the first day of class; however, after the first day it
is the student's responsibility to drop the class if it becomes necessary. The “no
notation” drop date is: February 15th, but you can drop with a “W” until March 11th.
I expect that you will adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity. According
to the Palomar College Course Catalog, that includes:
1. Honesty
2. Trust
3. Fairness
4. Respect
5. Responsibility
( Palomar College Course Catalog)
One Problem that is rampant is Plagiarism. Whenever you use another’s ideas or
words without citing your source, it is plagiarism. It is increasingly easy to plagiarize
with the internet, but it is also increasingly easy to catch plagiarism. If you plagiarize,
you will receive a zero on the assignment and/or an F in the class.
On-Campus Support Services:
Counseling, guidance, & Career Development: 744-1150 x2184
Admissions & Records: 744-1150 x 2171
Matriculation: 744-1150 x2197
Student Affairs: 744-1150 x2595
Student Support Programs & Services: 744-1150 x 2177
Health Center: 744-1150 x2380
Learning colleagues:
It is beneficial to have a contact or two or three in each class so that you can get
assistance with assignments, information if you miss a class, or just someone to have
coffee with before class.
Name________________________________________________
Telephone Number_____________________________________
e-mail address__________________________________________
Name________________________________________________
Telephone Number_____________________________________
e-mail address__________________________________________
Name________________________________________________
Telephone Number_____________________________________
e-mail address__________________________________________
Name________________________________________________
Telephone Number_____________________________________
e-mail address__________________________________________
COURSE OUTLINE AND ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE
Tuesdays
Topics:
Readings:
Jan 16
Introduction, scarcity, marginal analysis
Graphical Analysis, Specialization
Chs. 1&2
Jan 23
Supply and demand and Elasticity of demand
Ch. 3 & 6
Quizzes on ch.1&2 must be completed by 9:00p.m.1/27/2007
Jan 30
Efficiency
Chs. 4 & 8
Quizzes on ch. 3 & 6 must be completed by 9:00p.m. 2/3/2007
Feb 6
firms, stock market, and corporation
Ch. 7
problem set #1 due
Quizzes on chs. 4 & 8 must be completed by 9:00 p.m. 2/10/2007
Feb 13
Test #1 in class 2/13/2007
Quiz on ch. 7 must be completed by 9:00p.m. 2/17/2007
Feb 20
Consumer Decision making
The nature of the firm, Production costs, Long-run costs
Feb 27
Continuum of Competition, Perfect competition
Ch. 11
Quizzes on chs. 9&10 must be completed by 9:00 p.m. 3/3/2007
March 6
Monopolisitic Competition
Quiz on ch. 11 must be completed by 9:00 p.m. 3/10/2007
Ch. 12
March 13
Oligopoly
Quiz on ch. 13 must be completed by 9:00 p.m.3/17/2007
Ch. 13
March 20
Spring Break!
March 27
Monopoly and pricing strategies
Problem set # 2 due
Quizzes on chs. 14 & 15 must be completed by 3/31/2007
April 3
Test #2 in class 4/3/2007
Paper due 4/3/2007
April 10
Labor markets
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopsony
Ch. 16
April 17
Economics of Information
Quiz on ch. 16 must be completed by 9:00 p.m. 4/21/2007
Ch. 17
April 24
Environmental economics, Problem Set # 3 due
Quiz on chs. 17 must be completed by 9:00 p.m 4/28/2007
Ch. 5
May 1
Test #3 in class
Quiz on ch. 5 must be completed by 9:00 p.m.5/5/2007
the tax system and distribution of income
May 8
May 15
Final 5/15/2007 4-5 p.m.
Quizzes on ch. 18 must be completed by 9:00p.m.5/19/2007
Ch. 9 & 10
Chs. 14 & 15
Ch. 18