SPRING 2013
ECON 101 Economic Principles
Dr. Grace Kim
Office Hours: MW 3-5p.m. officially
& by appointment, but generally open door policy
Office: SSB#210B
E-mail: grace.kim@duke.edu
Course website is at the following address:
http://sakai.duke.edu/portal/site/ECON101Spring2013
Class Time: MWF 1:25-2:40 p.m.
Class Location: Bryan Center Griffith Theatre
TA Contact Info and Office Hours: TBA
WELCOME TO ECONOMICS! ECON 101 is an introductory course that introduces you to basic economic
concepts and rigorous applications and the economic way of thinking. You will also learn how to analyze
government policy for the individual markets (MICROECONOMICS) and government policy at the national level
(MACROECONOMICS), including fiscal and monetary policies. MICROECONOMICS topics will include
market models of supply and demand, market structures and competition, efficiency, and equilibrium.
MACROECONOMICS topics will cover the national economy models, measurement, economic growth,
international trade and finance.
ECON 101 is a PREREQUISITE for the Major in Economics, as well as the Minor in Economics and thus serves
as an important foundation course for subsequent Economics courses.
Required Textbook: Economics, 10th edition (2012), Addison-Wesley, by Michael Parkin, available at the campus
bookstore. Additional readings from the Wall Street Journal will be assigned. Textbook readings and lectures
are NOT substitutes for each other.
General Requirements: You will be expected to generally use your Duke e-mail account and access Sakai for
the course website, particularly to download assignments from the ASSIGNMENTS folder and other
material from the RESOURCES folder. There will be terms and definitions to memorize, but the central focus
of this course will require the use of calculations, graphs, and critical thinking on your part to analyze economic
issues. In this introductory course you are expected to contribute actively and thoughtfully in coursework and
discussions. If you must miss a class due only to official University business, formal religious observance, or
personal emergencies, it is YOUR responsibility to obtain notes from fellow students and information and
handouts from the course website.
The Duke Community Standard: The instructor fully supports the Duke Community Standard (DCS) of
academic integrity. You are expected to be familiar with and adhere to this document, included in The Duke
Community Standard in Practice: A Guide for Undergraduates, available online at the website
http://www.registrar.duke.edu/bulletins/communitystandard. Academic dishonesty will result in failure for the
involved work and the course.
Course Help: I have an open-door policy; when my office door is open, you are always welcome to my help.
However, to ensure my availability and full attention, students should visit during official office hours or by
appointment outside of those office hours.
Support Services: Students seeking accommodations for disabilities must contact the Director of the Student
Disability Access Office at (919) 668-1267 or the Clinical Director of the Academic Resource Center’s (ARC)
Program for Learning Disabilities and ADHD at (919) 684-5917, where relevant to your situation. See the
Undergraduate Instruction Bulletin 2012-2013, available online at the Registrar’s related link
http://www.registrar.duke.edu/registrar/studentpages/student/bulletins.html for further information.You must
provide official University documentation from either of those offices to the instructor within the first two weeks
of classes for any academic accommodations.
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Exams: There will be 3 major examinations. Each MIDTERM exam only covers material since the previous
exam, but keep in mind that economics is a cumulative subject. The FINAL exam is comprehensive. An in-class
review session will be held before each exam. Due to the size of the class, missed exams cannot be made up
generally. If you miss a midterm and obtain an official University excuse and submit it to me as soon as possible,
you may then shift the weight of the missed midterm onto the other one. This is not an advisable practice however.
Midterm exam regrades must be submitted by written petition with detailed explanation. No regrade for final exam.
Assignments: TAs will hold office hours and review sessions to help you with assignments and exam preparation.
There will be numerous usually weekly problem sets throughout the semester to help you assess your
understanding of and to keep up with the course material. Completed hard copies of these assignments should be
submitted in class and will be graded only for effort and completeness on a S-/S/S+ satisfactory basis. They will
not be part of your course average score determination, but they will be helpful in final course grade determination
in borderline cases especially. Late assignments will not be accepted. Missed assignments cannot be made up.
Grading: Individual grading issues will be discussed confidentially after class or during office hours, NOT by
phone. There is no absolute grading scale, with the exception that a final course average below 60% of the total
possible points will likely receive a grade of "C-" or worse and below 50% of the total possible points will receive
a failing grade of "F." Otherwise, grading is curved, with the understanding that an “A” requires an outstanding
overall course average score performance, not merely the best scores of a weakly performing class. The problem
set assignments, improvement over the course, and class participation performance will be taken into
consideration for the overall course grade, particularly in borderline cases.
The overall course grade determination is as follows:
MIDTERM 1
30%
MIDTERM 2
30
FINAL EXAM
40
TOTAL
100% of course grade
CLASS SCHEDULE
DATE
1/9/2013
W
1/11,14,16,18 FMWF
1/21
M
1/23,25,28,30 WFMW
2/1,4
FM
2/6,8,11
WFM
2/13
W
2/15
F
2/18,20,22
MWF
2/25,27,3/1 MWF
3/4,6
MW
3/8,11,13,15 FMWF
3/18,20,22
MWF
3/25
M
3/27
W
4/3,5
WF
4/8,10,12
MWF
4/15,17,19,22 MWFM
4/24
W
4/30/2013
T
TOPICS
TEXTBOOK
First day of class. Introduction
Ch1
Market Model
3,4
No class. Official University Holiday
Market Model and Government Issues
5,6,16,17
Consumer Issues
8,9
Producer Issues
2,10,11
Review for MIDTERM 1
MIDTERM 1 (Before midsemester grades due F 2/22/2013)
Macroeconomy Measurement
21,22
Macro Model
27,29
Monetary Economy
24,25
No class. Official Univversity Spring Break.
Macro Policies: Monetary and Fiscal
31,30
Review for MIDTERM 2
MIDTERM 2 (No class on F 3/29/2013 or M 4/1/2013.)
Economic Growth
Ch 23
Global Economy: Trade
Ch 7
Global Economy: Finance
Ch 26
Last day of Class. Review for FINAL EXAM.
9a.m.-noon FINAL EXAM (Official University Schedule) our same classroom
Check ACES online for the official final course grade.
Note: The instructor reserves the right to make syllabus, grading, and schedule adjustments.
W1/23 Last day to Drop/Add courses (from Undergraduate Instruction Bulletin 2012-2013)
W3/27 Last day to withdraw with W from Spring 2013 classes (from Undergraduate Instruction Bulletin 2012-2013)