ECN 326- 201
Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis
Marshall University, Spring 2016
Name: Dr. Yuanyuan (Catherine) Chen,
Assistant Professor of Economics
Office: CH 262
Phone: (304) 696-2827
Course Schedule: MW400pm - 515pm
Classroom: CH 267
Office Hours: MW 12:45-3:45pm or by
appointment
Email: chenyu@marshall.edu
REQUIRED MATERIALS
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Handouts on MUonline by Dr. Yuanyuan (Catherine) Chen
SUGGESTED TEXTS, ADDITIONAL READING, AND OTHER MATERIALS
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Macroeconomics, R. Glenn Hubbard & Anthony P. O’brien, 4th Ed. Publisher:
Prentice Hall
Macroeconomics, Robert J. Gordon. 12th Ed. Publisher: Addison-Wesley
Money, Banking, and the Financial System R. Glenn Hubbard & Anthony P.
O’brien, 2nd Ed. Publisher: Prentice Hall
CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION AND PREREQUISITES
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Course description from the catalog: Advanced study of the national economy as
a whole. The main topics focused on are: Economic growth, unemployment,
inflation, international monetary and financial relations, and macroeconomic policy
activity.
Prerequisites: ECN 253 -- Principles of Macroeconomics, and ECN 250 –
Principles of Microeconomics
EXPANDED COURSE DESCRIPTION
ECN 326 Intermediate macroeconomic analysis, serves as a higher-level course for those who
show interests in macroeconomic theories and applications. This course studies topics of aggregate
economies. It will help you to analyze miscellaneous economic events and policies nationally and
internationally.
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES:
During this course, you will:
1. participate in conversations via the language of economics variables that are used around
the world in daily news, newspapers, and important economic events.
2. utilize comprehensive graphs to illustrate monetary policies, fiscal policies developed by
policy makers as well as economists.
3. understand models in aggregate terms embodied in monetary, fiscal, and exchange rate
policies.
4. infuse your analysis using AD-AS model from ECN 253 with a more standard IS-LM
model that has been used in upper-level macroeconomic analysis.
COURSE CONTENT AND TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Objectives
General Introduction
Basic Macroeconomic
Analysis
Macroeconomic Models and
Methods
Policy Analyses
Chapters
N/A
1
2
3
4
5
6
Topics
Introduction to the Class
Macroeconomic
Fundamentals
AD-AS Model
IS- LM/MP Model
Monetary Policy
Fiscal Policy
Exchange Rate Policy
TENTATIVE DUE DATES, EXAM DATES, AND HOLIDAYS (subjected to changes)
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Exercise due dates: (Exact schedule is subject to changes)
It is very important to know that although the homework assignments are distributed on
MUonline , they MUST be turned in in the form of hard copies by due dates in the
class! Submissions via MUonline are NOT going to be graded and therefore will get a
ZERO grade.
All exercise due dates are to be announced in the class! Mark them immediately on
your calendar!
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Exam Dates: Exam 1---Mar 14(Planned)
Exam 2---Apr 25(Planned)
Definition Quiz---Feb 1(Planned)
Final Exam---May 2(12:45-2:45)
Notice that the final exam time is different from our usual class-time!
Study Dates: Exam 1--- Mar 9 (planned)
Exam 2--- Apr 20 (planned)
Review Day: All Mid-terms and Quiz---Apr 27(Planned)
Essay Submission Dates: Policy Essay---May 2
Dates without classes: Jan 18--- Martin Luther King Holiday (University Closed)
Mar 21~ 26--- Spring Break (Classes Dismissed)
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING POLICY
Grading Scale
A
450~500
B
400~449
C
350~399
D
300~349
F
< 299
No shading grade will be provided.
Your final grade comprises six main parts: definition quiz, exam 1, exam 2, final exam, exercises,
and policy essay. Your overall grade is distributed as follows:
Definition Quiz
50
Exam 1
50
Exam 2
50
Final Exam
100
Exercises
200
Essay
50
Final
500
 Definition Quiz: After the first chapter is finished, students are going to take an in-class
quiz. This quiz is simply based upon the first chapter, which mainly includes definitions,
expressions, mathematical equations for the macroeconomic analysis. The points for this
quiz is 50. This quiz is an open book quiz.
 Exams: Three exams, two mid-term exams and one final exam, are distributed in this
semester. All exams are closed-text! Tentative dates are listed above. These exams
provide appropriate guide for the final exam which include all contents throughout the
semester. The mid-term exam is 50 points each and the final exam is 100 points. As stated
below, exams are not available for makeup. To enhance student to understand the chapters
and to prepare for the exam, when an objective is to be finished, the instructor will provide
study guide for each exam on the class date before the exam date. On that day, students are
allowed to review the contents and study as convenient as they like. They can study in the
library, in the classroom, or even at home. After the second mid-term, there will be oneday class to review all previous exams and quiz, which is resigned to strengthen the weak
points for the students for that these mid-terms guide for the final exam. But all these steps
do not guarantee the students to gain high points in the exams!
 Exercises: There will be only Five exercises companying each chapter. The exercises will
be given out at the beginning of the section (objective) and the due dates are to be
announced in the class! The instructor suggests students to finish it progressively; it will
reduce the burden if you complete it one the day before due dates. There will be only one
exercise dropped to calculate your overall points! Each exercise takes 50 points, which
almost reach the points for a mid-term exam!
 Term Essay: The individual essay is supposed to be completed and submitted by the essay
submission date, or May 2 (Final Exam day). There are several essay topics accompanying
chapters 4,5, and 6. Students are able to choose the topic that best fit their interests.
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Different from the requirements of both exams and exercises, this part is designed to
motivate students for multiple ideas, logics, ways of thinking that can be either in line with
what have been taught in the class or not. In other words, it is a brainstorm game! So please
grasp it! The criteria are to be given out during the class. For example, no students should
have the same content! That is definitely a plagiarism. Instructors may provide possible
topics for you to select, but you can choose others. Essay have to been submitted in person
with hard copy. The entire essay is 50 points and must be submitted on the final exam day,
the last day of our class.
Each portion of your overall grade can be found on http://muwwwnew.marshall.edu/muonline/
(Note that some categories may not be reflected on
MUOnline due to the systematic issues, they will show by the end of the semester)
The final result of your grade will be posted on http://mymu.marshall.edu/
For missing exams/essay/exercises, please see policies below.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
This class encourages students to attend class. A responsible and mature student is expected to
attend class. There may be times when the student is not able to attend class. The instructor may
occasionally check attendance and it will not be included in your final grades as a main category.
But, due to the performances of the students, attendance may be added to your final grade as bonus
points. The instructor may decide not to scale exams for those who have more than one unexcused
absence or tardiness between exams. Scaling is completely at the discretion of the instructor.
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A missed exercise: to be accepted, an exercise must be turned in on time. It is very
important to know that although the exercises are distributed on MUonline , they MUST
be turned in in the form of hard copies by due dates in the class! Submissions via MUonline
are NOT going to be graded and therefore will get a ZERO grade. There will be no makeup opportunities for them.
A missed test or quiz: If a student misses an exam, he/she will receive an incomplete grade
for the course. The incomplete grade may then be completed as regulated by University
policy. This will require completing extra material in the following semester. To avoid this
problematic situation, a student is strongly encouraged to attend tests on-time. The tests
will NOT be given online! Again, since all the exams are given online, there will be no
exceptions or no make-up exams. If you cannot make the test on that day for officiallytaken reason, please notify the instructor one week prior to the exam.
A missed essay: If a student is not able to submit the essay, the 50 points will be reduced
from his/her final grade. This part takes 50 points out of 500. No late submission will be
permitted! It is very important to know that although the essay topics are distributed on
MUonline, they MUST be turned in in the form of hard copies by due date in the class!
Submissions via MUonline are NOT going to be graded and therefore will get a ZERO
grade.
A Note about Text Messaging, Web Surfing and Grades: Text messaging and noncourse-related web-surfing are not appropriate during class time. It disrupts the attention
of the other students and the instructor. In the case of emergencies it is OK to take and send
text messages. But please first ask for permission to leave the classroom, and then text
outside of the room. The instructor will take note of students who are texting or
inappropriately web-surfing. The instructor will deduct 2 points from the Final Semester
Score for each infraction.
UNIVERSITY POLICIES (Please read carefully!)
By enrolling in this course, you agree to the University Policies listed below. Please read the full
text of each policy be going to www.marshall.edu/academic-affairs and clicking on “Marshall
University Policies.” Or, you can access the policies directly by going to
http://www.marshall.edu/academic-affairs/?page_id=802 Academic Dishonesty/ Excused
Absence Policy for Undergraduates/ Computing Services Acceptable Use/ Inclement Weather/
Dead Week/ Students with Disabilities/ Academic Forgiveness/ Academic Probation and
Suspension/ Academic Rights and Responsibilities of Students/ Affirmative Action/ Sexual
Harassment.
HOW THE COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES WILL BEPRACTICED AND
ASSESSED
Course Learning Outcomes
How Practiced in this Course
How
Assessed in
this Course
Become familiar with the language of
economic variables that are used
around the world to define, measure,
monitor, and evaluate a country’s
overall economic performance.
Question and Answer sessions after
the material is presented based on
Chapters 1.
Definition
Quiz
Understand how to use the standard Question and Answer sessions after
analytical models (AD-AS model/ IS- the material is presented based on
LM model) to analyze economic events Chapters 2&3.
and to interpret changes in aggregate
economic variables.
Mid-term
Exam I
Understand
the
fundamental Question and Answer sessions after
expressions of important economic the material is presented based on
policies(monetary policy and fiscal Chapters 4 and 5.
policy). Know how to use the standard
model(s) to translate these policies via
graphs.
Mid-term
Exam II
Learn how to use macroeconomic and
financial knowledge to:
Definition
Quiz, Exam
I, II, and
Final Exam
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understand the recent
economic performance
Question and Answer sessions after
the material is presented based on
Chapters 1,2,3,4, and 5.
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evaluate alternative proposals
for improving upon this
performance
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understand and critically
evaluate discussions of
economics and economic
policy in various media
publications.
Learn how to use intermediate
macroeconomic analysis to:
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Use the designated topic along with
interesting chapters to write a term
essay. Students are able to choose one
practice and improve economic topic that best matches their interests.
writing skills
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explore recent news and
policies based on your
knowledge
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motivate multivariate ways of
thinking the same headlines
when viewing others’
comments
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conduct experiential techniques
for future work
Term essay