PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS – MICROECONOMICS EC0 2023
COMMON SYLLABUS SECTIONS: 601 AND 602
Section 601: T – Th 2:00pm-3:25pm
Section 602: T – Th 3:30pm-4:55pm
USF St Petersburg Spring 2011
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
E-mail:
Office Hours:
Betilde Rincon, Ph.D.
n/a
n/a
rinconde@usf.edu
T – Th 12:30pm - 1:30pm , or by appointment
Course Description:
This is an introductory college level microeconomics course intended to provide students with the
opportunity to have a basic understanding of the choices facing consumers and producers, and the
workings of different market structures. This course will help you analyze the economic basis of
current business and political issues.
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course the student will be able to:
 understand the benefits of trade.
 readily identify and analyze the forces of supply and demand (General Education learning
outcome D.1)
 comprehend and apply the concepts of economic welfare and allocative efficiency (General
Education learning outcome D.3).
 understand the basic production, cost, and revenue structure of firms.
 be able to recognize the structure and dynamic of four basic markets: perfect competition,
monopoly, monopolistic competition, and oligopoly.
 Understand the notion of market failure and be able to identify basic corrective actions.
Academic Honesty:
From the catalog, "Broadly defined, academic honesty is the completion of all academic endeavors
and claims of scholarly knowledge as representative of one's own efforts." This definition is strictly
adhered to in this class, and the catalog outlines the repercussions of violations of academic honesty.
Course Equipment and Materials:
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COMPUTER: To take this course, you will need a computer with web-browser Netscape 7.0 or
Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher. You will also need to have Adobe's Macromedia FLASH (this
is software that runs the APLIA homework exercises. It can be downloaded FREE at
http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/alternates/#f.) If you do not have these
capabilities at home, the University has this equipment in its computer labs.
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TEXTBOOK : Principles of Microeconomics, by N. Gregory Mankiw , 5th edition (SouthWestern), can be obtained directly from Aplia for a discounted price once you are registered
( see Aplia instructions at the end of syllabus).
ON-LINE HOMEWORK: APLIA ( http:// www.aplia.com). This Web site includes an online
version of the text and all assignments.
You have two options for purchasing the course materials::
Option A: Pay APLIA directly at www.aplia.com.
 Under this option, you will purchase access to the APLIA website for $90. The website
includes access to an on-line copy of the textbook, as well as the weekly APLIA homework
exercises.
 You may register and use the APLIA website until 11:59pm 1. 30. 11 without paying the
fee. If you are considering dropping this course, do not make a payment until you are sure.
You will need to pay the full amount before the end of the grace period to continue using
the site.
-OROption B: Purchase at the Aplia site

If you want a hardcopy of the textbook, in addition to your on-line copy, you can either buy a
new hardcopy through the APLIA website for an additional $59 plus shipping & handling, or
buy a used textbook at the local bookstore. WARNING: Be sure to buy the 5th edition of the
Mankiw textbook!!
Blackboard is the primary platform for delivering this course.
 The Syllabus, Posted Grades, and all other course documents will be available on
Blackboard.
 Check the Announcements on Blackboard at least twice per week. This is where I will
post any schedule changes, exam tips, and other important notices.
Academic Accommodations:
Please notify your instructor if you have a learning disability or require special assistance with this
course. Confidential personal and learning assistance counseling are made available to students
through the Division of Student Affairs. Contact R. Barry McDowell (mcfowell@stpt.usf.edu) for more
information.
Religious Holidays:
Students who must miss an examination due to a religious holiday, should notify the instructor during
the first weeks of classes.
Copyrights:
Students may use all course material for their own study, but may NOT sell these materials to
others.
Exams:
There will be three non-comprehensive section exams during the semester, plus a comprehensive
final exam during the final exam period. The time, date and location of each exam can be found in
the Course Outline and Semester Schedule at the end of this Syllabus.
Your grade in the course will be based on the three section exams, the APLIA homework, and the
final exam, as follows:
 Section Exam 1 – 20%
 Section Exam 2 – 20%
 Section Exam 3 – 20%
 APLIA homework – 20%
 Comprehensive Final Exam – 20%
EXAM/HOMEWORK INFORMATION:
 To allow for technical problems or emergencies that might occur, your three lowest APLIA
homework scores will be dropped before computing your APLIA homework grade at the end
of the semester.
 Questions on both the section exams and the final exam will be based on material in the
Mankiw textbook, the lectures, and may include modified APLIA homework questions.
 The section exams will cover only those chapters indicated in the Semester Schedule.
 The comprehensive final exam will cover the entire course and the questions will be
distributed fairly evenly over all of the chapters.
 In addition to counting 20% toward your grade, your final exam score will be substituted for
the lowest of your scores on Section Exams 1, 2, or 3 (as long as it is lower than your final
exam score). NOTE: the final exam score will NOT substitute for more than one section
exam score.
 There will be no "extra-credit" opportunities. Your opportunity to pull up a low grade is to do
well on the final exam. There are also no "make-up" exams. Your opportunity to obtain a
non-zero score for a missed section exam is the final exam (subject to the caveat above).
Please consult USF's Final Exam Schedule before making holiday plans.
Grading:

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
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A "plus-minus" grading system will be used.
Grading Scale: 97-100 = A+; 93-96 = A; 90-92 = A-; 87-89 = B+; 83-86 = B; 80-82 = B-;
77-79 = C+; 73-76 = C; 70-72 = C-; 67-69 = D+; 63-66 = D; 60-62 = D-; 59 or less = F.
Exam grades will be posted on Blackboard. The posted number will be the percentage of
questions you answered correctly.
If you wish to take the course pass/fail (S/U), you must contact me before the drop date.
You cannot take this course S/U if you are planning on a major in the College of Business
(see the USF 2010/11 Undergraduate Catalog, p. 190). All others should consult their
advisors first.
A grade of I (incomplete) will be granted only if the student meets the requirements
specified in the undergraduate catalog.
NOTE: Undergraduate majors in the College of Business Administration who enter USF
under the 2001/02, or later, catalog are required to earn a grade of C-, or better, in every
undergraduate core class and an overall GPA of 2.0 for all undergraduate core classes.
Grade Curve:
At the end of the semester, a class average will be computed by factoring in the three section
exams, the final exam, and the APLIA homework. Any student who has dropped the course or has
a zero for any of the exams will be excluded in computing this average.
The grades will then be curved to bring the class average to 75.
APLIA On-line Homework and On-line Textbook
At the APLIA website, you will be given access to your on-line textbook AND the APLIA homework
package.
APLIA REGISTRATION PROCESS
You must register individually at the APLIA website. Here are the steps:
1. Connect to www.aplia.com
2. Complete the Configuration Test and make adjustments to your configuration if necessary.
3. Return to the Sign-In page and click "Register Here".
4. You will be prompted to enter your e-mail address and select a password.
5. You will then be asked to enter your course key.
YOUR COURSE KEY IS:
HZMV – BVBP – 6RSC for SECTION 601 (2:00p – 3:25p)
LFA5 – 8S8B –72TV for SECTION 602 (3:30p – 4:55p)
Copy and paste it in the proper place in your APLIA application.
You only need to register once. After the registration process is complete, you will not need to
enter the course key again. For technical problems or problems signing-in, please send APLIA an email by clicking on the "Contact Support" link in the upper-right part of the APLIA screen or by emailing support@aplia.com.
WORKING THE APLIA HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS
The weekly APLIA homework assignments are found on the APLIA website. These assignments will
collectively count for 20% of your grade. APLIA homework assignments come in pairs of practice
and graded modules. For each chapter, complete the textbook reading assignment and attend the
lectures before taking the practice module. The practice module gives you immediate feedback
about whether your answer is correct, as well as an explanation of the correct answer. Practice
modules are NOT counted as part of your grade. Use them to check your understanding of the
material. When you are confident in working the practice module for each chapter, then go to the
graded module, which DOES count toward your grade. NOTE: You are encouraged to collaborate
with classmates in working both practice and graded APLIA homework problems, and you may also
refer to your textbook and lectures. ALSO NOTE: Modified APLIA homework problems MAY BE
INCLUDED ON THE EXAMS.
DEADLINES
The APLIA assignments must be completed by the deadline date and hour.
Each module has a firm deadline of 11:45pm on the date given in the Syllabus (see Course Outline
and Semester Schedule, below.) You can change your answers as many times as you wish before
the deadline. Once the deadline has passed, your grade will be recorded and the correct answers
revealed. After that, you will not be able to change your answers or complete the assignment.
TIP: Assignments are posted weeks in advance. Do them early so that any emergencies or
technical problems that might arise will not keep you from completing the assignments by the
deadlines.
GETTING HELP
If you experience technical problems with APLIA (can't log on, can't download images, etc.), contact
APLIA support immediately at support@aplia.com.
DISCLAIMER
The instructor is not financially affiliated with APLIA and receives no monetary benefit from
requiring this material.
COURSE OUTLINE AND SEMESTER SCHEDULE
Section 601 & 602 Spring Semester 2011
Topics, Reading Assignments, Homework Assignments, and Exams
**NOTE: Tentative Schedule - prior notice will be given of any changes.**
Week
Jan. 11 - 14
Jan. 17 - 21
Jan. 24 - 28
Jan. 31 – Feb. 4
Feb. 7 - 11
Feb. 14 - 18
Feb. 21 - 25
Feb. 28 – Mar. 4
Mar. 7 - 11
Topic (Chapter)
review syllabus
course introduction
intro to econ (Ch 1, 2)
Interdependence and the Gains
from Trade (Ch 3)
The Market Forces of Supply and
Demand (Ch 4)
Elasticity and its Applications (Ch
5)
Supply, Demand, and Government
Policies (Ch 6)
Exam 1 (Ch 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Consumers, Producers, and the
Efficiency of Markets (Ch 7)
Application: The Cost of Taxation
(Ch 8)
Application: International Trade
(Ch 9)
Externalities (Ch 10
Exam 2 (Ch 6 - 9)
Mar. 14 - 18
SPRING BREAK – No Class
Mar. 21 – 25
Public Goods and Common
Resources (Ch 11)
Mar. 28 – Apr. 1
Apr. 4 - 8
Apr. 11 - 15
Apr. 18 - 22
The Cost of Production (Ch 13)
Firms in Competitive Markets (Ch
14)
Monopoly (Ch 15)
Exam 3 (Ch 10, 11, 13, 14)
Oligopoly (Ch 16)
APLIA Homework/Deadline
check out Blackboard
sign up for APLIA
Graded /Jan. 16
Graded/Jan. 23
Exams/Other Info
Graded /Jan. 30
Graded /Feb. 6
Graded /Feb 13
Exam 1 - Feb. 10
SECTION 601: 2:00 –
3;25p
SECTION 602: 3:304:55P
Graded /Feb. 20
Location: n/a
Graded /Feb. 27
Graded /Mar. 6
Graded/Mar .13
Exam 2 - Mar. 10
SECTION 601: 2:00 –
3:25p
SECTION 602: 3:30 –
4:55p
Location: n/a
Graded/Mar. 27
NOTE: Mar. 26 Last
day to drop with "W"
Graded /Apr. 3
Graded/Apr. 10
Graded /Apr. 17
Graded /Apr. 24
Exam 3 - Apr. 14
SECTION 601: 2;00 3:25p
SECTION 602: 3:30 –
4:55p
Location: n/a
Apr. 25 - 29
FINAL EXAMS
Monopolistic Competition ( Ch 17)
course evaluations
review for FINAL EXAM
FINAL EXAM covers all chapters
discussed in the course
n/a:
not available
TBA:
to be announced
Graded/May 1
FINAL EXAM
Date: TBA
Time: TBA
Location: TBA