International University of Grand-Bassam
School of Business, International Relations, and Economic Policy
Principles of Microeconomics
ECON 2106 – Fall 2013
Instructor: Dr. Ndeye Salimata Fall
Office: Room 140 Academic Building
Phone: +225 47 54 02 55
Email:fall.s@iugb.org/ nsfall@gmail.com
Office Hours: Mondays 2:30 to 3:30 PM and Tuesdays 10:00 to 11:00 AM
Class meets WF: 1:00 to 2:20 PM
Prerequisite: Econ 2105
Course Description:
This course provides an introduction to the theory and practice of contemporary
microeconomics. The primary focus of this course is on how individuals and societies deal with
the fundamental economic problem of scarcity. The course begins with a discussion of the
methodology of economics. This is followed by a discussion of several basic tools and concepts
including:




demand and supply analysis,
the production possibilities frontier,
marginal analysis, and
the concept of opportunity cost.
This course is conceived to be as both an introduction to basics economics and an initiation to
major microeconomics concepts. The three major problems of any economy must solve are, what
to produce, how to produce it, and for whom to produce. Economic reasoning” is applied to
study “what it is" (positive economics) and what “ought to be” (normative economics
The course concentrates on microeconomics, ie the study of allocation of goods and services
through the price system. This is to be contrasted with the study of aggregates at he level of the
nation or the region, area of concentration of Macroeconomics.
Some of the questions, we will ask in this course are the following:
 With concepts such as elasticity we will study the nature and characteristics of goods
and services with a variation in prices and revenues
 Consumer’s preferences and demand will be confronted with the producer quest for
maximum profit
 Different types of market will be presented.
 Etc
International University of Grand-Bassam
School of Business, International Relations, and Economic Policy
For these and other questions we will explore the prospects competing approaches. The course
aims to provide you with an initial overview of these issues – certainly not the last word. It will,
further, provide some of the analytical tools needed to study the issues in more depth on your
own, or in upper level courses.
Text/other Material:
Economics by Krugman and Wells Worth Publishers, 3rd edition
www.worthpublishers.com
Additionally, it is highly recommended that all students follow international economics
information on a daily basis, either by reading a reputable newspaper in hardcopy form or by
utilizing international news sources on the Internet. Useful web-based sources include:
.
IMF
http://www.imf.org
World Bank
http://www.worldbank.org
The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com
The Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com
EXAMS AND GRADING POLICY
Grade Distribution
Quizzes
Homework
Participation
Writing
Assignments
Midterm
Final Exam
15%
10%
05%
15%
25%
30%
Grade Scale
Letter Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
F
Numeric Grade
96 – 100
93 – 95
90 – 92
87 – 89
83 – 86
80 – 82
77 – 79
73 – 76
70 – 72
60 – 69
<60
GPA Quality Points
4.3
4.0
3.7
3.3
3.0
2.7
2.3
2.0
1.7
1.0
0.0
International University of Grand-Bassam
School of Business, International Relations, and Economic Policy
Exams
There will be two exams – a midterm exam and a final exam. The exams are cumulative.
No make-up exams are provided except for documented health or business reasons arranged with
the instructor in advance if at all possible. No extra-credit projects are available under any
circumstances.
Individual Writing Assignments
There will be three writing assignment aiming at testing your understanding of the concepts
covered in class. The date for each assignment is shown on the tentative schedule (see the last
page of the syllabus). Detailed information about each assignment will be provided later during
the semester. Please see the "Course Policies" section for penalties applying to late assignments.
Quizzes
Quizzes are tentatively scheduled in the course outline. If the schedule is changed, it will be
announced at least one class prior to the quiz date. The format of quizzes will vary depending on
the subject matter to be tested and will test chapter material covered following the previous quiz.
There are no make ups for quizzes (you will receive 0) for any reason. However, out of the four
quizzes the grade for the worst quiz will be dropped (your course grade will be calculated using the
three best ones).
Homework
There will be various assignments aiming at testing your understanding of the concepts covered in
class.
Attendance and In-class Participation
In-class participation is highly appreciated. Good participation means regular attendance, frequent
involvement and positive contributions in class discussions. Each student’s classroom participation
will be assessed based on:
The student is to be ready for each class by performing all assigned readings. Not performing the
assigned readings will negatively affect your in-class participation grade.
Students are required to attend each and every class session on a timely basis. Missing a class will
negatively affect your in-class participation grade. If you are more than 15 minutes late or leave
class for more than 5 minutes, you will be marked absent.
Policy on Academic Honesty
All students are responsible for knowing and adhering to academic honesty. Any incidents of
academic dishonesty (i.e. cheating on a test, plagiarizing, etc.) will result in an automatic “F” for
the course.
International University of Grand-Bassam
School of Business, International Relations, and Economic Policy
Disruptive Student Conduct in the Classroom or Other learning Environment
All forms of disruptive behavior should be avoided. Disruptive student behavior includes, but is
not limited to, verbal or physical threats, repeated obscenities, unreasonable interference with
class discussion, making/receiving personal phone calls or pagers during class, leaving and
entering class frequently in the absence of notice to instructor of illness or other extenuating
circumstances, and persisting in disruptive personal conversation with other class members.
Please ensure that all potentially noise-making equipment (cellular phones, pagers, laptop
computers, etc) are turned off during lectures. Furthermore, be sure to get to class on time.
Entering class during the lecture is disruptive to the instructor as well as to the students.
Tentative Course Schedule/Outline
Date
Week 1
Textbook Reading/
Assessments
Chapter 1&2
Week 2
Chapter 1& 2
Week 3
Chapter 3
QUIZ
Chapter 5
Writing Assignment 1
Chapters 5
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Topic
Economics as a social science, Economic
reasoning, Macroeconomics , Microeconomics
Economic Analysis Tools: opportunity cost,
marginalism
Supply and Demand
Elasticity
Elasticity
QUIZ
Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Writing Assignment 1
MIDTERM
ASSESSMENT
Chapter 11
Rational consumer: Utility and demand
Week 9
Chapter 11
Preference analysis and consumer choice
Week 10
QUIZ
Chapter 6 &8
Chapter 8
Input and Costs, Producers’ surplus
Market: Perfect competition
Week 14
Chapters 9
QUIZ
Chapters 14 & 15
Writing Assignment 3
Chapters 14 &15
Week 15
FINAL EXAM
Week 7
Week 8
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Rational consumer: Utility and demand
Preference analysis and consumer choice
Costs, short run and long run
Market: Monopoly and Oligopoly
Market: Monopoly and Oligopoly
Notes
1. If you require special accommodations for exams (e.g., "time and a half"), you must provide
documentation and make arrangements with me PRIOR to the exam dates.
2. Incompletes will only be given to students who are passing the course, and even then, only in
very special circumstances. In the case where an incomplete is awarded, it must be removed
International University of Grand-Bassam
School of Business, International Relations, and Economic Policy
by the end of the next term that the student is enrolled (and within two terms regardless of
whether or not the student is enrolled) or it will automatically turn into an F.
3. Students who withdraw after the midpoint of each term will not be eligible for a "W" except
in cases of hardship.
4. All instructors must, on a date after the mid-point of the course (to be set by the Provost) give
a WF to all those students who are on their rolls, but no longer taking the class and report the
last day the student attended or turned in an assignment. If you plan to drop the class, do let
me know.
5. This course syllabus provides a general plan for the course; deviations may be necessary.