Philip Leatherwood’s Classes

KIMEP

Spring Semester, 2001

90 points are required for an A+

85 points are required for an A

80 points are required for an A-

77 points are required for a B+

73 points are required for a B

70 points are required for a B-

67 points are required for a C+

63 points are required for a C

60 points are required for a C-

57 points are required for a D+

53 points are required for a D

50 points are required for a D-

Points are earned through a variety of activities, in class and out, as follows:

Final Exam (Required) up to 40 points

Any one of the following activities can substitute for the portfolio or the midterm exam, with permission of your instructor:

In effect, this is a 100 point system with 20 bonus points built in. There can be no extra bonus points except as substitute points on other projects. For instance; if you miss 2 points on a quiz, you might earn them back by doing a demonstration in class

The final exam is required of all students, no matter what your point total is up to that point. Midterm exam will be scheduled for the week of March 12—16. Exam grades will not be curved.

Quizzes will be offered on a regular basis, most often without notice. Quiz questions might cover material from assigned topics, or exercises might be given as review. Quizzes can never be made up. If you miss one, you simply earn the points through another activity.

The economics portfolio is a collection of economic observations and exercises, together with the objects that inspired those same observations. Start by buying a journal or daybook—en knishka—where you can write your thoughts about all the economics that happens around you. Collect, for example, pictures and advertisements and news articles and CD covers and tree leaves--virtually anything that you can put in a bag or a box—and write in your journal about how that thing relates to economics. For example: a tree leaf is from a resource that is used in the production of many types of goods. We use trees to help us produce furniture, paper, heat, buildings—all kinds things with explicit benefits. Trees also carry many implicit benefits, like shade on a sunny day and improving the look of a city street. There are all kinds of economic observations possible in connection with trees. Opportunity costs can be discussed, public policy questions, property rights, and externalities. Draw graphs. Take pictures of things. Record an interview with your grandmother about work and living conditions when she was younger. All of these items—the pictures and photos and cassette tapes and advertisements and labels and tree leaves--should be collected in a single container that will be turned in at the end of the semester. The container can be anything that will hold all of your portfolio—it might be a shopping bag or a bicycle box or a trash can or a wine bottle--and it should be decorated with economic graphs and other pictures. There is no minimum or maximum number of items required, but it is something you should be able to work on every day. A significant collection is possible by the end of one semester.

The deadline for your portfolio is April 27th. If you are going to do a portfolio and have not yet begun, you should begin now.

All papers will be defended in a 15 minute meeting with your tutor and/or instructor. First hand familiarity with the material will be tested.

Students who choose to do a Research Paper will face a primary task of gathering information. That information should be well defined and limited in scope, but a wide variety of topics is relevant and possible. The student might record the prices of related goods at the market; or trace the historic development of a specific economic idea; or examine money supply growth over the past ten years; or record oil prices and the discovery of new oil resources; or examine specific environmental costs of a particular industry (Aral Sea problems vs. agricultural production). There are thousands of possibilities. Try to find a topic that is of interest to you, and be sure to keep the aim of your research focused and narrow.

An Argumentative Paper allows students to write their own views on controversies in economics. It might be an opinion about economic reform in Kazakhstan, it might be a challenge to a particular economic theory, or it might be an argument for new regulations or policies. Arguments should be well supported, either with records of personal observations, or with references to respected authorities on the subject.

Papers have no minimum nor maximum length, but the number of points awarded will depend on both quality and length. The deadline for papers is April 20th.

The In-class Presentation is of some topic on the course outline, or closely connected. Students will be given up to 30 minutes to present the topic—to teach that topic--to their fellow students. They may prepare handouts, use the overhead projector, do in-class exercises or games, explain their own examples and explanations—anything to make the topic understandable, interesting, and fun. The number of points awarded will depend on the amount of preparation apparant, the availability of handouts and outlines, and the quality of presentation.

There are a limited number of time slots available for presentations, so these will be possible only with prior approval. Students wishing to do a presentation must submit an application by February 9th.

Qualified students can earn points by serving as tutors to one of their fellow students. Verification of tutoring will come with a journal of meeting times, activities, and handouts. This activity must be approved by February 16^th. Tutor journals are due by May 4^th.

Some students will be able to earn points by recording lectures and class discussions on cassette tape, typing into a computer, and saving the material to floppy disk. This activity should be pursued only if you are a capable (fast) typist, and if thorough review of lecture material is a good study method for you. Disks should be turned in by May 4^th.