ADDENDUM TO SYLLABUS Economics 201, 202 and 330 Professor Heath I. HOW TO STUDY ECONOMICS The objective of this course is to give you a firm grasp on the basic principles and analytical tools which you need in order to think intelligently about economic problems; to participate as a citizen and leader in social debate and discussion about economic matters; or to pursue further study in the field of economics. To achieve our objectives -- a grasp of principles and analytical tools -- the main thing needed is THOUGHT. Mental constructs require thinking. To facilitate your thinking, however, the following suggestions are offered on "how to study". For each chapter in the text: 1. Read the "Summary" at the end of the chapter. 2. Then read through the chapter quickly to see how the authors organize the material. Think about what you are reading, but do not get bogged down in material that confuses you. 3. Read the Summary again CAREFULLY! 4. Turn back to the table of "Contents" and read the chapter headings there. Quiz yourself about each item in the chapter heading: Do you know what is being referred to? Do you get a general picture of the chapter? 5. Read the chapter again now CAREFULLY and THOROUGHLY. Make sure each paragraph makes sense to you. These steps may seem very time-consuming. Learning does take time, of course, but these methods actually represent the most efficient approach to this course. You will notice that I have not indicated which steps should precede and which steps should follow classroom presentation. Steps 1-4 should always be done before class; whether or not you also do step 5 before class is up to you. A final word: Studying economics requires time, time, and more time. Above all, do not cram. To make an "A" or "B", you will have to allot many hours to economics over the coming weeks and months. I would like nothing better than for you to do well in this course. Whether or not you make the necessary sacrifices is ultimately up to you, however. II. TESTING: There will be four quizzes and a final exam. Each quiz will comprise 50 questions, worth 2 points each, for a total of 100 points. The reading material will be more or less evenly covered on quizzes. It is important to note that quizzes will cover all reading assignments. The fact that a particular piece of information, or section of the textbook was not "covered" in class does NOT mean that it will be omitted from the quizzes. Students will be allowed to work the quizzes only on the dates scheduled, during the usual class period. One test grade will be dropped, but no make-up tests will be given, under normal circumstances. Quizzes will be of the multiple-choice variety. There are two reasons for using multiple-choice items: First, they make it possible to cover a broad range of topics in minimum space and time. Second, they can be graded by the optic scanner, which is an increasingly attractive method, the larger the class size. Regrettably, the size of this class is such that mechanical grading is all but necessary. Items will be of four categories: 1. Fact/Definition: straightforward questions testing knowledge of basic information. 2. Inferential: items which test the student's ability to apply the concept being tested to new circumstances. 3. Graphs/Tables: requires the student to interpret a figure or table. 4. Computational: requires calculations based on the concept being tested. There is obviously not one single-function multiple-choice test item, and thus it is jejune and naive to make such generalizations as "Essay tests are always better than multiple-choice test" or "I just don't do well on multiple-choice type tests." The multiple-choice tests used in this class have been prepared by educational testing experts, and provide remarkably accurate evaluation and diagnosis of student learning. The final exam will contain 100 multiple-choice items. No make-up finals will be granted and no one will be allowed to take the final early. The final will be cumulative. There will be no exemptions from the final, for any reason. The final grade may not be dropped. III. Grading: As stated above, you may drop your lowest quiz grade (but not the final). If you miss a quiz, for any reason, you will be assigned a grade of "0" for that quiz. It would then be dropped in calculating your grade. Note that only one such drop is permitted. If you miss two quizzes, then you will have one "0" that cannot be dropped. Your course grade will be calculated according to the following formula: (.6Q) + (.4E), where Q is the average of your quiz grades, and E is the final exam score. The numeric values are "weights" - which assign a degree of importance to each element in the formula. We shall use a 10-point scale and no "curve" will be imposed. Under no circumstances will grades be "upped a little"; 89.9 = A; 79.9 = C, etc. IV. OFFICE HOURS: Office hours will be posted on my office door. In addition to office hours, time can be set aside by appointment. My office phone number is 482-5728, and my home phone number is 235-7078. Feel free to call me at home, but after nine o'clock you should expect me to be especially nasty, brutish, and short. V. A NOTE ON ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS: Unfortunately, in many classrooms an adversarial relationship exists between professor and student. I strongly dislike such a situation. The correct relationship between professor and student is that of a partnership. The professor is the senior partner, the student the junior partner, in a cooperative educational endeavor. Let us assume this relationship and we shall have a productive term together. VI. A NOTE ABOUT THE HIGHER POWERS THAT BE: You are responsible for familiarizing yourself with the rules and procedures as outline in the USL Catalog. Policies therein will be strictly observed.