ECONOMICS 202 - PRINCIPLES OF MACROECONOMICS
SPRING SEMESTER 2008
Instructor: Dan Kauffman
Office: SO311C
Office Hours: MWF 9-10 a.m. & 11-12 noon, M 1-2 p.m., TH 9:30-11:00 a.m., other times by appointment
Office Phone: 457-5195
E-mail: dkauffman@winona.edu
SUMMARY COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course deals with the "macro" aspects of the capitalist economic system: economic indicators used to
estimate the "health" of the national economy with respect to aggregate income/output, unemployment, and
inflation; government fiscal policy; money, the banking system, and monetary policy; and government fiscal and
monetary policy to control the aggregate demand and supply of goods and services.
SELECTED COURSE OBJECTIVES
 To acquaint students with the economic concepts and theories surrounding the macro topics identified
above.
 To acquaint students with some of the historical development of macroeconomics and research
methods used by macroeconomists.
 To acquaint students with individual economic behavior and how it relates to the macro (or aggregate)
economy.
 To give students opportunities to review the application of macroeconomic concepts and tools in
current economics in our country and world.
 To give students opportunities to use macroeconomic concepts and tools in analysis and problem
solving.
UNIVERSITY STUDIES PROGRAM: ARTS & SCIENCES CORE - SOCIAL SCIENCE
This course will satisfy three semester hours of the six-semester hour requirement for social science in the
University Studies Program. As such, it seeks to provide students taking this course the opportunity to achieve
the following outcomes:
a. understand humans as individuals and parts of larger social systems
b. understand the historical context of the social sciences
c. identify problems and frame research questions relating to humans and their experience
d. become familiar with the process of theory-building and theoretical frameworks used by the social
sciences
e. understand the research methods used in the social sciences
f. describe and detail discipline-specific knowledge and its applications
g. understand differences among and commonalities across humans and their experience, as tied to such
variables as gender, race, socioeconomic status, etc.
The course outline below identifies where these University Studies Program outcomes are addressed by placing
the letter references above in parenthesis.
TEXT
Case & Fair, Principles of Macroeconomics, 8th edition, 2007 (7th edition, 2004 will work), Prentice Hall
Textbook website – http://wps.prenhall.com/bp_case_macro_8/ This website includes self-study quizzes with
sample multiple-choice and true-false questions for each chapter in the text. I will use power points (some of
which I have edited) also found at this website as the foundation for class activity most of the time. These
power points can be downloaded to your computer and/or printed in a “handouts” version if you wish to bring
them to class.
COURSE OUTLINE
I.
Macroeconomic Concepts and Measures of Macroeconomic Performance (c, d, e, f, g)
Chapters 5, 6, 7
Exam 1
II.
Basic Macro Model (the Goods Market) and Fiscal Policy (a, b, c, d, e, f, g)
Chapters 8, 9
Exam 2
III.
Money Supply, Money Demand, the Macro Model (with the Money Market) and Macro Policy (a, b, c,
d, e, f, g)
Chapters 10, 11, 12
Exam 3
IV.
Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply, the Labor Market, and Macro Policy (a, d, f, g)
As time allows some of the following: Chapters 13, 14, 15, 19 (pp. 384-392 8th edition, pp. 362369 7th edition), 21
Exam 4
EXAMS
Initial plans (they could change so pay attention in class) are for four required unit exams as outlined above.
Each exam will probably have 100 total points. Dates for Exams 1, 2, and 3 will be announced about a week
ahead. Exam 4 (or the last unit exam if there are less than four unit exams) will be given during the scheduled
final exam period.
In addition there will likely be an optional 100 point re-exam (over material covered in exams given before the
final exam period) also offered during the scheduled final exam period. The score on the optional re-exam (if
taken) will replace the student's lowest score, if higher, of those exams given before the final exam period.
Arrangements should be made to take any make-up exam before the original is given. Only in documented
emergency situations will a make-up exam be given if arrangements have not been made before hand.
GRADES
On each exam, and for the course grade, the following percentages of total points will, at maximum, apply:
90 - 100% = A
80 - 89% = B
60 - 79% = C
50 - 59% = D
Less than 50% = F
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY
Winona State students are required to adhere to WSU's standards of academic honesty. Cheating in any
form, deception and misrepresentation of work presented, and plagiarism are a few examples of academic
dishonesty. Information regarding this Student Conduct Policy can be found on the Student Affairs web
site at http://www.winona.edu/studentaffairs/integrity_policy.htm. A visit to that site would be
advantageous.