ECO 101.1 Fall
2006
Introduction
to Economics - Honors Mon./Wed.
11:00am
Prof.
Ross Weiner
5/139D
NAC - Tel. (212) 650-6213 Email:
[email protected]
Website: www.geocities.com/ccnyeconprof
Required Texts: Parkin,
Michael. Microeconomics, 7th Edition. Addison Wesley Longman,
2005.
Wolff,
Richard D. and Stephen A. Resnick. Economics: Marxian Versus Neoclassical,
2nd Edition. Johns Hopkins
University Press, 1987.
Course Requirements: Two Exams:
I. Wednesday,
October 18, 2006
II. Wednesday,
November 29, 2006
Group
Project and Presentation (See Below)
Approval
Deadline: Wednesday, October
25, 2006
Paper
Due: Wednesday,
December 13, 2006
Grading Policy: Two
exams are offered on the dates indicated above.
The two exam scores each count for 30% of your final grade. The
remaining 40% comes from the group project and presentation.
There
are NO MAKE UP EXAMS for this course. Unexcused absence from an exam will
result in a grade of zero for that exam. Employment responsibility, broken alarm clocks,
travel plans, exams in other courses, etc. do not constitute excused
absences. If you must miss an exam, be
sure to see me ASAP (at least TWO WEEKS) prior to the exam to arrange
alternative plans. I remain the sole
decision maker as to whether or not an excuse from an exam will be granted.
Emergencies
(e.g., medical) resulting in an absence may be granted an excuse upon
review by the instructor.
Additionally,
I do not offer extra-credit work under any circumstances. You are expected to perform at your best on
all regularly assigned work. Doing so
avoids the need for any type of extra-credit work.
I will not grant
grades of incomplete. The expected
workload for this course is spelled out in this syllabus. If you have any reason to believe that you
will not be able to handle the expected work during the course of the semester,
it is strongly recommended that you drop the course immediately.
Cell
Phones, Beepers, and Other Noise-Creating Devices:
Please
shut off all noise making devices before class.
They are distracting to your fellow classmates as well as the
instructor.
Group
Projects and Presentations
You are required to team up with 1 other member of the
class in order to work on a project and presentation that applies some of the
concepts we will discuss in class. The
subject of this project will be of your own choosing, but must be approved by
me.
In order to gain approval, you must submit to me by the
date given above a one-page statement of your idea and how you intend to
explain what it is you are interested in.
Failure to do so will result in the loss of a letter grade on you final
project.
You will together
compose a 5-7 page, double spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman
paper that takes the issue that you choose and analyzes it using the concepts
discussed in class in any way that you see fit.
You are welcome to critique any of the concepts we have discussed, so
long as you do so in a professional, informed manner.
During
the final two-weeks of class each team will present its work to the class. Each presentation should last approximately
15 minutes.
The
paper will be handed in by class time on the date given above. Papers not handed in on time will receive a
grade of F.
Course
Outline:
I. Introduction to Course: Different
Economic Theories, Capitalism, and History
Wolff
and Resnick, Chap.1, pp. 1-37.
Parkin,
Chap. 1
II. Neoclassical Theory and Applications
(A) What are Markets: Demand and Supply
Behavior
Parkin,
Chap. 3, pp. 57-80.
Wolff
and Resnick, Chap. 2, pp. 38-50.
Parkin,
Chaps. 4 and 6, pp. 81-100 and 121-142.
(B) Scarcity and Human Preferences: The
Essential Determinants of Markets
i. Concept of Scarcity
Production-possibilities:
Parkin, Chap. 2, pp. 31-50.
Total
Product and Marginal Product: Parkin, Chap. 10, pp. 217-222.
ii. Concept of Preferences
Preferences
or Utility Theory: Parkin, Chap. 7, 151-168 and Chap. 8, pp. 180-184.
Wolff
and Resnick, Chap. 2, pp. 50-53.
(C) Deriving Demand Behavior: Preferences
and Income as Determinants
Parkin,
Chap. 8, pp. 169-172 and 176-184.
Wolff
and Resnick, Chap. 2, pp. 53-60.
(D) Deriving Incomes and Costs:
Preferences and Scarcity as Determinants
Parkin,
Chaps. 14, pp. 383-414.
Wolff
and Resnick, Chap. 2, pp. 61-82.
(E) Deriving Supply Behavior: Costs as
Determinant
Parkin,
Chap. 10, pp. 217-236 and Chap. 11, pp. 237-260.
Wolff
and Resnick, Chap. 2, pp. 82-85.
(F) Determination of Prices and Incomes
in the United States
Economy: Preferences and Scarcity as Determinants Once Again
Wolff
and Resnick, Chap. 2, pp. 85-87.
(G) Efficiency and Markets: Smith’s
Invisible Hand
Parkin,
Chap. 12, pp. 261-282.
Wolff
and Resnick, Chap. 2, pp. 88-95.
(H) Critique of Neoclassical Theory:
Essences, Monopoly Power, Externalities, Uncertainty, and Contending Theories
III. Class Theory and Applications
(A) Introduction
Wolff
and Resnick, Chap. 3, pp. 125-142.
(B) Organizing Concept of Class
Wolff
and Resnick, Chap. 3, pp. 142-154.
(C) Determination of Value
Wolff
and Resnick, Chap. 3, pp. 155-163.
(D) Capitalists and Laborers
Wolff
and Resnick, Chap. 3, pp. 163-179.
(E) Other Classes in Society
Wolff
and Resnick, Chap. 3, pp. 192-204.
IV. Comparing and Contrasting Two Economic
Theories
(A) Differing Organizing Concepts, Logics,
and Objects of Analysis
Wolff
and Resnick, Chap. 4, pp. 239-244.
(B) Social Consequences
Wolff
and Resnick, Chap. 4, pp. 244-256.
(C) Choices
Wolff
and Resnick, Chap. 4, pp. 256-268.
