Econ 232: Principles of Economics II (Microeconomics)
11:00am-11:50am MWF
Stipes Hall 215
Spring 2010
Department of Economics, College of Business and Technology
Accredited by AACSB International--The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Professor:
Dr. Tara Westerhold
Office Location:
Stipes Hall 442 I (inside the Economics Department)
Phone:
298-1313 (direct line with voicemail); 298-1153 (Economics Department)
E-mail:
TN-Westerhold@wiu.edu
Office Hours:
MWF 2.00pm-3.30pm and by appointment
Website:
http://faculty.wiu.edu/TN-Westerhold
COURSE OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this course is to provide the student with a
fundamental understanding of the basic economic terminology and theories concerning the
household, the business firm, markets and prices, and government policy. Emphasis is placed
on the practical application of these principles to economic problems. In course honors is
available for students pursuing a degree through the Honors College.
COURSE PREREQUISITE: Econ 231: Principles of Macroeconomics.
COURSE MATERIALS:
Required
 Basic Function (or Scientific) calculator—you may not use your PDA or cell phone as a
calculator

Access to class website: www.faculty.wiu.edu/tn-westerhold. Please note this course is
NOT listed on Western Online!
Recommended
 Microeconomics by Glenn Hubbard and Anthony Patrick O’Brien (2nd edition, ISBN 0-13813277-1)
DETERMINING YOUR COURSE GRADE: Your course grade is determined by your performance
across four categories: Exam I, Exam II, Exam III (the final exam) and your Homework Average
(all HW scores combined and averaged). Exam I and II are each weighted 25% of your course
grade; Exam III (with a small comprehensive section) is weighted 35% of your course grade;
your homework average constitutes the remaining 15% of your course grade.
HW Average
15%
Exam III
35%
Exam I
25%
Exam II
25%
Exams I, II, and III (final exam): There will be three exams administered in this course –the last
of which is given during the time scheduled for the “final exam”. All exams will include sections
of multiple choice, graphing, short answer, and problem solving. Your final exam will contain
some material from previous exams. However, it is not fully comprehensive in the sense that
you will be tested over the entire course content. Specific exam dates and format will be
announced in class with a minimum of one week notice.
Homework Assignments: Homework assignments and due dates will be announced in class and
posted on the class website. Assignments may include sections of multiple choice questions,
open ended mathematical and/or graphical applications, short answers and essays. Homework
assignments are graded on both accuracy and completeness.

Assignments not turned it to me at the beginning of class when assignments are
collected are considered late.

Late assignments will receive a penalty of 15% per week day. Hence, if an assignment
is due on Wednesday and you turn it in on Thursday then it is assessed a 15% penalty. If
you wait until class time on Friday it receives a 30% penalty. You may turn in late
homework assignments to my box located in the economics department (ST 442). For
full credit you should have the secretary time stamp your assignment so I know when it
was received.

Assignments that are not stapled will receive a penalty of 15%.
GRADING SYSTEM: Each exam and homework assignment will be graded on the following
grading scale with 100 points being the maximum points possible (unless bonus points are
available which allows you to earn over 100)
A
90-100+
B
80-89
C
70-79
D
60-69
F
59 below
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES:
 The rights and responsibilities of each student as set forth by the administration of
Western Illinois University with regard to academic dishonesty, grade appeals, etc. can
be found by visiting the following webpage http://www.wiu.edu/provost/student/.

Regular Attendance-- Students are expected to attend class regularly. If you miss a class
you should check the website for class information. I will not provide notes for any
student missing class for any reason. Check the class website each day to see what you
missed. Make up exams will be given at my discretion for documented, excused
absences only. Whenever possible you should make such arrangements with me prior to
the exam date.

Academic Responsibility and Academic Integrity: Academic dishonesty of any kind
(including but not limited to plagiarism, fabrication, falsification of documents, cheating,
or complicity in academic dishonesty) will result in an automatic F for the course and
referral to Student Judicial.

ADA Compliance: In accordance with University policy and the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), academic accommodations may be made for any student who
notifies the instructor of the need for an accommodation. For the instructor to provide
the proper accommodation(s) you must obtain documentation of the need for an
accommodation through Disability Support Services and provide it to the instructor. It is
imperative that you take the initiative to bring such needs to the instructor’s attention,
as he/she is not legally permitted to inquire about such particular needs of students.
Students who may require special assistance in emergency evacuations (i.e. fire,
tornado, etc.) should contact the instructor as to the most appropriate procedures to
follow in such an emergency. Contact Disability Support Services at 298-2512 for
additional services.
Tentative Course Outline
Adjustments may be made to the course outline of coverage of material on each exam. Such
changes will be posted on the website with the information listed for each class meeting. It is
your responsibility to keep informed.
Exam I (Approximately 6 weeks of new material)
 Chapter 1: Economics--Foundations and Models (Quick Overview only)
 Chapter 3: Supply and Demand
 Chapter 4: Economic Efficiency, Government Price Setting, and Taxes
 Chapter 5: Externalities, Environmental Policy, and Public Goods
Exam II (Approximately 5 weeks of new material)
 Chapter 6: Elasticity
 Chapter 7: Firms, Stock Markets, and Corporate Governance (limited coverage)
 Chapter 9: Consumer Choice and Behavioral Economics
 Chapter 10: Technology, Production, and Costs
Exam III—Final Exam (Approximately 4 weeks of new material + comprehensive section)
 Chapter 11: Firms in Perfectly Competitive Markets
 Chapter 14: Monopoly*
 Chapter 12: Monopolistic Competition (limited coverage)
 Chapter 13: Oligopoly (limited coverage)
 Comprehensive portion of final will include some coverage of supply and demand, price
elasticity of demand and taxes, and costs. Details will be provided prior to the final
exam.
*note the ordering of the final chapters will be Ch. 14, followed by Ch. 12 then Ch. 13