TIDEWATER COMMUNITY COLLEGE
ECO 120
Survey of Economics
Spring 2012
March 5-11 Spring Break
March 23-W Date
April 23-Last week of classes
May 1-May 7-Final Exam Period
Instructor: Dr. B. Blake Gonzalez
E-mail: tcblakb@tcc.edu
Faculty website: http://faculty.tcc.edu/BBlakeGonzalez/
Phone number(s) & office hours: 757-237-4485 and office hours are by appointment. My mailbox is located at
the TCC campus in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. Please contact me if you would like to meet to discuss your
progress in the course. Help is here for you, all you have to do is ask!
Misc. Information: Phone or e-mail communication will be responded to within 24 hours from normal business
hours (9-5 pm). For example, if you call or e-mail on 2 pm, Monday, I will respond to you by 2 pm Tuesday. If
messages are left/sent after 5 pm, you will receive a response within 24 hours starting the next business day.
Regarding e-mail, due to server errors and message kickbacks, it is your responsibility (if you have not received a
response within 24 hours) to follow up with the Instructor. Please always use your first and last name and
section number in all of your communication with me as I teach several sections of the same course! I will
accept text messages.
I.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
ECON 120 presents a broad overview of economic theory, history, development, and application. You will
be introduced to the terms, definitions, policies, and philosophies of market economies, provides some
comparison with other economic systems, and includes some degree of exposure to microeconomic and
macroeconomic concepts. Of particular interest to the Instructor is your ability to evaluate the role of
economics and rational decision making in your own life experiences.
II.
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS:
Essentials of Economics by Bradley R. Schiller; McGraw Hill; 8th Edition. We will cover Chapters 1-14.
RECOMMENDED MATERIALS:
Internet and e-mail access is required. Blackboard will be your online repository for your grades.
Blackboard and email will be used to inform you of important announcements such as Instructor illness
and changes in due dates! Get in the habit of regularly checking your email and the ECO 120
announcements page in Blackboard. New? Lost? An intro tutorial for students is also found in Blackboard.
Please visit learn.vccs.edu to learn more on your information technology requirements. Graph paper and a
calculator may be required for in class activities. You will need a pack of scantrons to take your quizzes and
exams this semester.
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III.
TEACHING STRATEGIES:
The course will be conducted with a variety of teaching methods to build student self-confidence levels.
Emphasis will be placed on creating and environment conducive for group learning and classroom
discussion. Additionally, outside readings and Internet resources may be utilized when available. The
instructor will be a facilitator of discussion and group learning. The economy is all around you. You will
need to be aware of current federal, state and local economic events. If you are not in the habit of regularly
seeking updates from news sources such as The Wall Street Journal, please become accustomed to being
“in the know”!
IV.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
V.
Completion of all quizzes and exams
Completion of all written and oral assignments
Active class participation
Regular class attendance
EVALUATION METHODS:
Final Grade:
Examination #1Mid-Term ExamFinal ExamQuizzes, Assignments and Participation
25 points
25 points
25 points
25 points
Essentially, the philosophy in this class is: You earn your grade. Assessments are a powerful indicator of your
learning and knowledge of economics. When you complete a test, quiz, or homework assignment, you earn points
toward your final grade. It’s that simple. There are no weights or averages.
Grading Scale:
90-100 pts.
80-89 pts.
70-79 pts.
60-69 pts.
Below 60 pts.
A
B
C
D
F
Expectations of Students
A. This course requires the participation of each student to be successful. Excessive absences and missed
assignments will have an adverse affect on your participation grade. Electronic Devices Policy: Cell phones and
other communication devices are prohibited from use in classrooms, laboratories, and libraries, unless authorized.
Although soundless communication devices such as cell phones and pagers are permissible in classrooms, college
offices, and/or meeting rooms, they must not be answered during class. Sitting in class texting in the back row will
also have an adverse affect on your participation grade!
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B. Students should attend all classes. A student will be dropped from the course after 3 missed classes. I do
understand that adults must juggle myriad responsibilities. Sometimes that means choosing among competing
priorities, and, occasionally, something else will have a higher priority than this course. I will understand an
absence if you email me in advance of a class week to tell me that you will be absent. Communication is
paramount in this course. I try to take attendance every class either by calling names or sending around a sign in
sheet. Please be on time!
C. If you must miss a class due date, please submit any assignments for that session before hand. Also, arrange to
learn of any announcements that may have been made and obtain all notes and handouts for that class week. All
assignments must be submitted on time. You may have predictable work or home crunches that may interfere with
a course due date. I am always happy to accept an assignment before the due date. Due dates have been chosen to
ensure that assignments can to returned to you promptly. If you do not turn an assignment in on time, I cannot
promise or assure that work will be graded. Assignments must be turned in on time to ensure grading by the term's
end. Simply put, late assignments will not earn you as much as those that are turned in on time. Due to time
constraints, please be advised that some assignments will not be allowed to be made up! Make ups are a
privilege and should not be expected without proper documentation -doctor’s note, jury notice,etc.
D. Incompletes are given ONLY with a specific agreement of the professor and with a specific due date for
completion. Incompletes are only allowed for the following reasons: hospitalization of student, deployment of AD
military student, or other emergency. All reasons for applying for an incomplete must be submitted in writing to
the Instructor. All requests are subject to the approval of the Academic Dean.
E. Disabilities Services of Tidewater Community College provides students, faculty, and staff programmatic and
physical access in a supportive atmosphere and in accordance with Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and
the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Any student with special needs should register with a TCC
Disabilities Counselor for additional assistance. Please notify your needs and any documented disabilities to your
Instructor as soon as possible.
F. Emergency Procedures
In the event of a bomb threat, tornado, or fire, students and staff may be asked to evacuate the building or move to
a secure location within the building. Evacuation routes for movement to an external location or to a shelter within
the building are posted at the front of the room. Students should review the maps and make sure that the exit route
and assembly location for the building are clearly understood. If assistance is required during an evacuation, please
let me know at the end of the first class!
Tidewater Community College uses TCC Alerts to immediately contact and inform faculty, staff and students of a
major crisis or emergency. When an incident or emergency occurs, authorized senders will be instantly notified via
TCC Alerts. TCC Alerts is a personal connection to real-time updates, instructions on where to go, what to do, or
what not to do, who to contact, and other important information. New users may also register by sending a text
message to 411911keyword: TIDEWATER.
G. Last day to withdraw without academic penalty: A grade of W is awarded to students who withdraw or are
withdrawn after the Drop/Add period but prior to the completion of 60% of the course. This date is outlined in the
TCC semester schedule. You may also find this date on Blackboard. After this date, a withdrawal will result in the
student receiving a grade of F. Exceptions to this policy may be made ONLY when initiated by the instructor and
approved by the division Dean; ONLY if you can document mitigating circumstances; and ONLY if you were
making satisfactory progress in the course. Please discuss all attendance irregularities with the Instructor. Do not
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simply stop attending college without officially withdrawing from all your classes. Failure to properly withdraw
from college may result in the assignment of F or U grade(s) to your permanent record. Please see a counselor
or an academic advisor to consider your options before withdrawing from college.
AND FINALLY
Students are responsible for being aware of the policies, procedures, and student
responsibilities contained in the current edition of the TCC Catalog and the TCC
Student Handbook, both found at www.tcc.edu. Students should familiarize
themselves with the College's policies regarding academic misconduct and inclement
weather policies found in the Student Handbook. It is your responsibility to be
informed about what is going on in your classes and what is going on with your
college!
NOTES ABOUT THE COURSE:
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