Concurrent Enrollment Course Outline
High School Name: Unatego Central High School
Date Proposal Submitted/Prepared: August 31, 2015
Instructor:
Sonnet Constable
TC3 Course #: ECON 120
TC3 Course Title: Principles of Microeconomics
Credit Hours: 3
Student Audience – Grade Level(s): Seniors (12th grade)
Semester(s) Offered: Fall and Spring
Fall (September-January) or Spring (January-June) or Full Year (September-June)
Instructor e-mail and/or phone; sconstable@unatego.stier.org (607) 988-5000 ext. 5440
Course Description: This course examines how individuals and firms make decisions to allocate resources in a
market economy. Topics addressed include: scarcity and opportunity cost, utility, supply and demand, elasticity,
production costs, and pricing in competitive and non-competitive markets.
Course Prerequisites: None
Minimal Basic Skills Needed to Complete Course Successfully: The course requires the use of basic
mathematical skills plus basic algebra skills. Additionally, students must be able to read and write sufficiently in
order to critically read, understand, analyze, and express their opinion on information from the text and current
events.
Course Objectives:
 Students will be able to explain why scarcity is the fundamental problem of economics.
 Students will know how an economy answers the questions of what, how and for whom.
 Students will be able to describe the market mechanism as a means of allocating scarce
 resources.
 Students will be able to explain the nature and consequences of government price controls.
 Students will be able to identify the relationships between marginal revenue, marginal costs,
 Average total costs, average variable costs, and average fixed costs.
 Students will be able to analyze the decisions of firms in competitive and non-competitive
 markets.
 Students will understand the differences among competitive and non-competitive markets
 (monopoly, oligopoly, and monopolistic competition).
General Education Objectives/Emphasis:
 The ability to write and speak effectively as well as to read and listen critically.
o Student will be able to improve their communication skills through the completion of written
assignments and participation in-class discussions.
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The ability to gather, organize, interpret, evaluate, and synthesize information from various
sources. Students will be required to conduct research on economic issues and then analyze and evaluate
the arguments and evidence presented by the various sides of each issue.
The ability to combine formal knowledge with individual experience to reach informed opinions,
make decisions, and solve problems. Students will have the opportunity to conduct research on
economic issues using the internet.
The ability to understand and critically examine multiple perspectives, including one’s own. A
fundamental objective of this course is for students to develop the critical thinking skills necessary to
analyze microeconomic issues from the perspectives of the various participants in market economies.
The ability to apply mathematical and statistical reasoning in solving problems. Students will use
basic mathematical – algebraic and graphical- models to analyze economic problems.
Knowledge of modes of inquiry in the social sciences and experience in their application of issues
and events of the contemporary world. Students will learn how economists use the economic models to
analyze real-world issues.
An understanding of history and its relationship to contemporary societies. Students will learn about
the influence of economic factors on historical events.
Required Texts and Materials/Optional Materials as Appropriate:
Economics, R. Glenn Hubbard and Anthony P. O’Brien, Prentice hall, 2 nd edition or updated 2nd edition.
Bibliography
Hubbard and O’Brien Instructor’s Manual
Hubbard and O’Brien Test Item File 1
Hubbard and O’Brien Test Item File 2
Other Learning Resources:
“The Fed Today” - www.federalreserveeducation.org/FED101/fedtoday
www.federalreserveeducation.org * Many resources found at this site could supplement a lesson on money,
personal finance, the money supply, and banking.
Class Modalities/Alternative Learning Strategies: Instructional methods will include explaining concepts/topic
introduction, multimedia lecture with PowerPoint, problem demonstrations, bi-monthly current event summaries,
group discussions, and in-class activities.
Required Readings, Presentations, Written Assignments, etc.: Students are expected to complete daily
assigned reading from the text and homework problems prior to class. Completion of the daily readings,
homework assignments, and in-class activities are crucial to obtain an understanding of the underlying economic
concepts and skills necessary for passing exams. Students will have a test at the end of each chapter with a
cumulative final exam at the end of the course. Students must come prepared for class with their textbook,
completed homework, calculator, pen/pencil, and contribute to class discussions and activities.
Course Content Presented in Units or Segments:
Chapter 1 – Economics: Foundations and Models
Chapter 2 – Trade- Offs, Comparative Advantage, and the Market System
Chapter 3 – Where Prices Come From: The Interaction of Supply and Demand
Chapter 4 – Economic Efficiency, Government Price Setting, and Taxes
Chapter 7 – Firms, the Stock Market, and Corporate Governance
Chapter 20 – Unemployment and Inflation
Evaluation/Grading System:
Grade Set-up for Unatego Graduation Credit
Tests/Quizzes, Projects, Writing Assignments (Summative)
Checks for understanding (Formative)
Final Exam will be 20% of Final Grade
90%
10%
Grade Set-up for TC3 Credit
Quizzes, Exams, Project, Writing Assgn
Midterm, Final Exam
TC3 Grading Scale:
A 93-100
B80-82
A- 90-92
C+
77-79
B+ 87-89
C
73-76
B 83-86
C70-72
50%
50%
D+
D
DF
67-69
63-60
60-62
0-59
Test Retakes: Students will be given the opportunity to retake a test one time. The higher of the grades (original
and retake) will be the grade used.
Statement of Academic Integrity: All students at Unatego Central School District are expected to act in an
academically honest fashion in all aspects of his/her academic work. Any action taken by a student that would
result in misrepresentation of someone else’s work or actions as the student’s own such as cheating, plagiarism, or
other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Students found guilty of academic dishonesty will receive
a zero for those assignments and risk the possibility of a loss of credit for the course.
Tompkins Cortland Community College’s Statement of Academic Integrity
Every student at Tompkins Cortland Community College is expected to act in an academically honest
fashion in all aspects of his or her academic work: in writing papers and reports, in taking
examinations, in performing laboratory experiments and reporting the results, in clinical and
cooperative learning experiences, and in attending to paperwork such as registration forms.
Any written work submitted by a student must be his or her own. If the student uses the words or ideas
of someone else, he or she must cite the source by such means as a footnote. Our guiding principle is
that any honest evaluation of a student's performance must be based on that student's work. Any
action taken by a student that would result in misrepresentation of someone else's work or actions as
the student's own — such as cheating on a test, submitting for credit a paper written by another
person, or forging an advisor's signature — is intellectually dishonest and deserving of censure.
Make-Up Policy/Late Work: Students will be allowed one week to make up late/missing assignments and/or
revisions. Assignments will be assessed a late penalty unless there is a legal excuse.
Attendance Policy: Attendance will be taken in accordance with Unatego and TC3 policies. Students are
expected to attend every class. If a student misses class for any reason, the student is responsible for any
material, announcements, and assignments. Students will be allowed one week to make up late/missing
assignments/tests and/or revisions. Assignments will be assessed a late penalty unless there is a legal excuse.
Extenuating circumstances will receive additional consideration.
Student Responsibilities: Students are expected to attend every class. Student participation in class discussions
and activities, as well as keeping up with all assigned work will help individuals grasp concepts and identify areas
that need additional instruction. Office hours are available for further clarification and/or assistance.