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SIRIUS COURSES

Syllabus Revised: 7/29/2010

Principles of Economics I

(Macroeconomics)

3 Credit Hours

Term/Year:

Reference Number:

Classroom:

Instructor:

Office:

Phone Number:

E-mail:

Web Page:

IMPORTANT COLLEGE DATES

Course Start Date:

Drop with 100% refund

Withdraw with "W" grade

Course End Date:

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course in macroeconomics presents the foundations of economic analysis; the theory of

economic growth, development, and stabilization; current economic issues; and fiscal and

monetary public policy.

REQUIRED INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

The SIRIUS course package includes a book (e-book or print) and an online component available

through your course management system.

Book:

Sachse, A., Barrett, P. (2010). Principles of economics I: Macroeconomics. Jacksonville: Florida

State College at Jacksonville, SIRIUS. ISBN 13: 978-1-931997-28-7 (digital); ISBN 13:

978-1-931997-21-8 (print)

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LEARNING OUTCOMES

The primary objective of this course is to explore the subject matter of the field and to become

familiar with the vocabulary and concepts.

When you finish this course, you will be able to

• Compare and contrast the principles of scarcity, economic cost, and incremental

reasoning

• State the laws of demand and supply and define the terms demand, quantity demanded,

supply, and quantity supplied

• Explain the causes of changes in demand and supply and predict the effects of these

changes on the equilibrium price/quantity relationship

• Describe the determination of gross domestic product (GDP) and state the relationship

between GDP, net domestic product (NDP), national income (NI), personal income (PI),

and disposable income (DI)

• Define fiscal and monetary policy and demonstrate the mechanics of discretionary fiscal

and monetary policy

Specific Learning Objectives. Specific learning objectives are found at the beginning of each

chapter. Use the objectives to identify what the chapter will cover and what you should know

when you are finished reading. In a very real sense, this is much like skimming the headlines of a

newspaper before you delve into a particular story. The objectives provide you with a basic

framework for learning and understanding; however, these objectives should not limit your

knowledge of or interest in the subject.

LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (COURSE PLATFORM)

The online component of the course is delivered in the learning management system supported

by your college.

TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS

Please use the following checklist to determine your computer readiness. You should

own or have access to

• Computer with personal access to the Internet (e.g., computer with a modem or cable

modem connection)

• An e-mail account

• Web-browser software--at least Internet Explorer 7.0, Firefox 3.0, Safari 3.1 or above

• Windows XP or Vista or higher operating system (or MAC OS X or higher)

• Anti-virus software

• Word-processing software

• The latest versions for plug-ins, including Acrobat Reader, Flash Player, JAVA, and

Quicktime

• Additional hardware, including speakers

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ACCESSIBILITY

If you require specific accommodations to complete this course, contact your college’s

coordinator for disability services; you may also wish to notify your instructor.

HYBRID/BLENDED or FACE-TO-FACE COURSES

If you are taking this as a hybrid/blended or face-to-face course, please note the following.

1. There will be a one-hour orientation session held in a campus classroom or lab during the

first week of the course. All students enrolled in this section of the course must attend the

orientation session.

2. This course, when taught in a 16-week format, has a minimum of two hours of face-to-face

meeting time with your instructor each week. If you are taking this class in a shorter format

(12- or 8-weeks), the number of weekly contact hours will increase (2.5 hours per week for a

12-week course and four hours per week for an 8-week session). These meetings will be held

in a campus classroom or lab each week the class is in session. The sessions are designed to

improve student success and are required for student attendance.

3. During your face-to-face meetings, some of the time will be spent with your instructor

formally covering new topics and new information. This time will also be used to discuss

real, current events of the economy. For example: What did the Fed say at the latest meeting?

What are the latest unemployment figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics? What

do they indicate? This is also your opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback. Your

instructor may also choose to use interactive activities during your face-to-face time as a

means of reinforcing learning. These sessions may be oriented around increasing interactive

learning among students and between students and the instructor.

4. All other course-related activities will be conducted online.

FIRST WEEK OF CLASS

You should complete and submit the Learner Agreement indicating that you agree to abide by

the course conditions outlined in the syllabus. You should then introduce yourself on the

Discussion Board.

LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Students learn through interactions with each other, with the instructor, and with written,

auditory, and visual learning materials. To facilitate interactive learning among learners and

between learners and faculty, a major goal of this course is to encourage the development of

learning communities--that is, to help learners and faculty get to know and better understand

each other. Towards this end, the instructor will post a brief written biography introducing

herself/himself; this will be available online as a part of the first week of class. Learners are

asked to also introduce themselves by posting a brief biography on the Discussion Board--a

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picture is also recommended. In addition, a discussion forum (Cyber Café) has been provided to

informally discuss things with other classmates without intervention of the faculty member. The

Cyber Café will also be a useful place to find classmates interested in forming the team required

in this course, if your instructor does not assign you to teams. Finally, the Discussion Board will

contain a place where you can post questions for the instructor.

DISCUSSION

The business model of today is for persons to work as teams. To prepare for such activities, all

learners are asked to participate in online discussions.

One discussion question, worth 20 points, is included for each chapter. In all formal discussions,

you are to first read the question carefully, post an answer to the question, read the responses of

your classmates (or team members if it is a team discussion), and then post replies to your

classmates. Learners who participate in discussions are likely to experience a higher level of

learning and retention of the information contained in the course. To encourage your active

participation in the course, you will receive credit for your contributions to the discussions.

Your discussion grade will be based upon the thoroughness, accuracy, and insightfulness of your

responses. You will also be graded based upon your use of correct spelling and grammar and

correct sentence and paragraph format (ALWAYS spell check your responses) and the number

and depth of your responses to other student posts.

Example of a discussion question:

Find the price of something in the 1950s--a house, car, gasoline, or

something else that interests you. Note the item, the price, and the year.

Compare it to the cost of the same item today. Are you surprised by the

price difference?

What social perceptions do you think prevent us from keeping an accurate

perspective on price indexes over the years?

Post your response on the Discussion Board. Add support for your

discussion by citing external references; be sure to list each URL. Then

read and respond to the posts of your classmates.

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ASSESSMENTS

Your performance in this class will be evaluated in several ways: chapter quizzes, discussion

questions (as noted in the previous section), written assignments, a midterm and final exam and a

team project, All work must be completed on time.

Quizzes

There is a 10 item quiz covering material for each chapter; each quiz is worth 20 points. Upon

completion of the material and activities in each chapter, you should take the online quiz. The

quiz items are drawn from large data bases, and you may retake the quiz as many times as you

choose without penalty. The quizzes are not timed. Your goal should be to achieve a score of

80% or higher on each quiz.

Current Events--Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Every day we hear and read about the economy on the radio, on television, in the newspaper, on

the Web, and in magazines. This assignment is your opportunity to evaluate what an article or

news story has to do with economics. You will complete a short (less than five minutes or 500

words if your class is all online) briefing on a selected article or topic and explain how this

illustrates a principle or topic in economics. Give a brief summary of the article; then, tell which

part of the article applies to economics and how it applies. Your article must be recent, within the

past 90 days.

Each student will present an article/topic. When? Check the Calendar of Activities. Each week,

you will see an entry such as “Extra! Extra! 1, 2, 3, 4.” This means that in this week, students

with numbers of 1, 2, 3, and 4 will each present an article. How do you know what your number

is? Your instructor will randomly assign your numbers on the first day of class.

This assignment is worth 40 points. If you are taking this class as a hybrid or fully face-to-

face course, your professor will tell you how s/he prefers you to do this assignment (oral or

written). If you are taking this assignment in a fully online format, you will submit your

Extra! Extra! assignment to the appropriate assignment drop box for grading and to the

designated Discussion Board area to share with your classmates.

Economic Analysis Paper

In this paper, you will explain at least one economic principal you have read about in a short

newspaper, magazine, or journal article. Do not use multiple sources. Your article must be

recent--less than three months old. Do not use advertisements, editorials, blogs, Wikis, or

Websites such as Ask.com or About.com as your source article. The source must be a recognized

newspaper, magazine, or journal article. Online newspapers and magazines are acceptable.

This is NOT a research paper. You are demonstrating in writing that you can recognize economic

principles in the real world, synthesize the concept, and apply it. Do NOT just summarize the

article. Tell how that story or article demonstrates an economic principle. Examples: How does

the article support the simple circular flow model? How does the article support the supply and

demand model? How does the article reflect what we’ve discussed on long-run growth?

Inflation? Banking?

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This assignment is worth 120 points. In the business world, written work is usually reviewed

and critiqued by other team members. You will work with classmates to ensure that your papers

are peer reviewed prior to submission.

Team Project

What topic in macroeconomics would you like to investigate in more depth? Participate in a team

(your instructor will notify you how teams will be formed), select a topic of interest to you and

your team members, and prepare a paper. You may develop your paper in one of the two

following ways:

1. Conduct a research review of the published literature, and write a concise summary and

evaluation of the research that is related to your area of interest. The review should contain a

description of information with research citations related to your topic of interest. You will

need to include the identification of any theoretical conflicts or controversies related to your

topic; also, any needs or questions for further research should be addressed.

2. The alternative is to identify and conduct a group project that is practical, real world, and

applicable to the learning objectives of this course and then write a paper describing the

project, its execution, and the findings.

All paper or project topics must be approved by the instructor. All completed papers/projects

must be in APA format.

The completed paper should contain a minimum of five pages. A formal paper (option 1 above)

should have a minimum of 10 scientifically recognized references. For projects (option 2 above),

the paper should first briefly explain the relevant economic theory you are applying and then

describe the project and its outcome. Some projects will have their own requirements which will

take precedence over these requirements. The paper should be double spaced and should use a

12-point Times New Roman font.

In addition to the content pages, a title page at the beginning of the paper should contain the title

of your paper, the team name, and the names of the students who participated in developing the

paper, the course number and name, and the term and year. Text should begin on the next page.

Your paper should have a one-inch margin bordering your text on all four sides.

Be sure that you make a copy of your paper; then, submit it as requested by your instructor.

Submit it to the drop box in the Assignments area. Your instructor will review the paper, identify

areas that may need more work, and return it to you in time for the team to make final revisions

before the final due date.

Remember--you must work together with other members of your group in gathering information,

and each team member must contribute to the development of the paper. Following submission

to the instructor, the team leader will post the paper on the Discussion Board, and each student

will have an opportunity to read and respond to the papers.

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The grade for the paper will be based on your use of economic theory, the thoroughness,

accuracy, and insightfulness of the coverage of the topic, correct usage of the APA format,

correct spelling and grammar, and correct sentence and paragraph format. (ALWAYS spell

check your paper.) The grade for the project will also reflect your use of data. All team members

will receive the same grade. The course shell contains help in applying the APA format to the

development of the paper and in participating in team activities.

Exams

Midterm Exam: The midterm exam is worth 120 points. The midterm is online. It is an open

book, open notes exam. You are limited to 90 minutes for completion. You will lose two points

for every minute you exceed 90 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE MIDTERM UNTIL YOU ARE

READY TO SIT DOWN AND COMPLETE IT. It is NOT like the quizzes; you have just one

opportunity to take the midterm. Once you open it, the 90-minute clock starts, and you must

complete the exam. DO NOT browse while taking the midterm exam. If you try to navigate away

from the exam while it is open, you will be locked out of the exam.

Final Exam: The final exam is worth 120 points. This exam is limited to 2 hours for

completion. You will lose two points for every minute you exceed 2 hours. DO NOT OPEN

THE FINAL UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO SIT DOWN AND COMPLETE IT. It is NOT like

the quizzes; you have just one opportunity to take the final. Once you open it, the 2-hour clock

starts, and you must complete the exam. DO NOT browse while taking the exam. If you try to

navigate away from the exam while it is open, you will be locked out of the exam.

GRADES

Your final letter grade will be determined by totaling the points for all of the above activities as

indicated in the chart below.

GRADED ASSIGNMENTS POINTS

Quizzes (12 @ 20 points each) 240

Discussion Board (12 @ 20 points each) 240

Current Events --Extra! Extra! 40

Economic Analysis Paper 120

Team Project 120

Midterm 120

Final Exam 120

TOTAL POINTS 1000

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A 900-1000 points

B 800-899 points

C 700-799 points

D 600-699 points

F 0-599 points

CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES

Week Topic Dates

Week 1 Introduction to Online Courses

Learner Agreement

Discussion Forum—Introductions

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter Quiz

Discussion Forum

Join a team for the Team Project

Week 2 Chapter 2. Economizing the Problem

Extra! Extra! Read all about it. Students with numbers

1, 2, 3, and 4

Chapter Quiz

Discussion Forum

Week 3 Chapter 3. Economizing the Problem Expanded

Extra! Extra! 5, 6, 7, and 8

Chapter Quiz

Discussion Forum

Weeks

4 & 5

Chapter 4. Supply and Demand

Chapter Quiz

Discussion Forum

Week 6 Chapter 5. Business Cycles

Extra! Extra! 9, 10, 11, and 12

Chapter Quiz

Discussion Forum

Week 7 Chapter 6. Money

Extra! Extra! 13, 14, 15, and 16

Chapter Quiz

Discussion Forum

Economic Analysis Paper is due the first class

meeting this week.

Week 8 Midterm Exam

Week 9 Chapter 7. National Income Accounting

Extra! Extra! 17, 18, 19, and 20

Chapter Quiz

Discussion Forum

Weeks Chapter 8. Aggregate Demand/Aggregate Supply

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Week Topic Dates

10 & 11 Model

Extra! Extra! 21, 22, 23, and 24

Chapter Quiz

Discussion Forum

Draft of the Team Project Due

Week 12 Chapter 9. Financial Intermediaries, Banks, and

the Federal Reserve

Extra! Extra! 25, 26, 27, and 28

Chapter Quiz

Discussion Forum

Week 13 Chapter 10. The Federal Reserve System and

Monetary Policy

Extra! Extra! 29, 30, 31,and 32

Chapter Quiz

Discussion Forum

Week 14 Chapter 11. The Public Sector

Extra! Extra! 33, 34, 35, and 36

Chapter Quiz

Discussion Forum

Week 15 Chapter 12. Fiscal Policy

Extra! Extra! 37, 38, 39, and 40

Final Team Project Due

Chapter Quiz

Discussion Forum

Final Team Project is due the first class meeting this

week.

Week 16 Final Exam Week

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR

FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE AT JACKSONVILLE STUDENTS

1. What learning management system is used at Florida State College at Jacksonville for the

online portions of this course?

This course is delivered in the Blackboard® online course platform.

2. What prerequisites are there for this course?

For Florida State College at Jacksonville students, a satisfactory score on reading and writing

placement tests (placement into ENC 1101) is a prerequisite for this course.

3. Where do I acquire the required texts and instructional materials for this course?

All SIRIUS course materials (e-book or print) can be purchased at your campus bookstore or

online from E-Follett. See the Student Orientation for further information.

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4. Do I have to have Internet access at home?

The College also has many student computer labs available to students who wish to use them.

5. What if I need special accommodations to take the course?

If you require specific accommodations to complete this course, contact Services for Students

with Disabilities; you may also wish to notify your instructor.

6. What is in the book and what is online?

The print or e-book contains Assignment Checklists for all chapters, concept maps, course

content, and real world examples. The course shell contains a “Course Information” section that

includes the Syllabus, Student Orientation materials, and information about the Team Project. A

“Course Content” area includes folders for each chapter which contain links to exercises and

activities to help you learn the material. These chapter folders also each contain a link to a

discussion question and a chapter quiz. The “Assignments” area contains information about the

Economic Analysis Paper, a Team Project Submission and Samples folder, and submission areas

for your assignments.

7. How long will I have to wait for a response from the instructor to my e-mail?

Faculty respond to e-mails within 48 hours.

8. What is proper e-mail etiquette?

E-mail to other learners and the instructor needs to be addressed in a manner appropriate to polite

interactions. Your instructor probably teaches more than one class section. To speed a response

to your question, please include your full name and section number.

9. What will help me succeed in this course?

• Strong discipline and desire to succeed. You’ll need to login to class often during the

typical week, motivating yourself to meet the requirements for success.

• Ability to work well independently. You’ll develop the support of fellow learners all taking

the same coursework together, but it will be different from a typical classroom environment.

If you work well independently, your chance of success is higher.

• Computer savvy. If you’re not familiar with the Internet and e-mail communication, we

recommend that you take a computer enrichment class prior to enrolling in this course.

Faculty assume you know how to access and send data on the Internet.

10. What are “I” grades and when are they used?

An “I” grade may be assigned at the instructor’s discretion upon request by the student to permit

the student time to complete required course work, which s/he was prevented from completing in

a timely way due to nonacademic reasons. The instructor may require the student to document

the request to assist in the decision. The instructor may choose not to grant the request. The “I”

grade should be considered only when the student has the potential to earn a passing grade if the

missing work is made up.

The instructor shall prescribe in a written agreement with the student the remaining course work

required for completion and removal of the “I” grade. A copy of this agreement will be kept on

file in the office of the appropriate dean. All work must be completed within the first eight weeks

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of the subsequent term unless the instructor agrees to a longer time frame (not to exceed one

year). When the work is completed, the instructor will submit a grade change form with the

grade earned. If the work is not completed within the prescribed timeframe, the “I” will

automatically change to an “F” grade. The student will be informed of the final grade assigned.

To be eligible for an “I” grade, the student must be passing the course at the time of the request

and must have completed at least 75 percent of the course work.

11. What is the Florida State College at Jacksonville Code of Ethics?

Consistent with The Code of Ethics of the Education Profession in Florida, 6B-1.06, Principles

of Professional conduct for the Education Profession in Florida, an obligation to the learner

requires that an individual shall not harass or discriminate against any learner on the basis of

race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status,

handicapping condition, sexual orientation, or social and family background and shall make

reasonable effort to assure that each learner is protected from harassment or discrimination.

12. What about academic dishonesty?

Academic dishonesty, in any form, is expressly prohibited by the rules of the District Board of

Trustees of Florida State College at Jacksonville. Academic dishonesty incorporates the

following:

• Cheating which is defined as the giving or taking of any information or material with the

intent of wrongfully aiding oneself or another in academic work considered in the

determination of a course grade.

• Plagiarism which is defined as the act of stealing or passing off as one’s own work the

words, ideas, or conclusions of another as if the work submitted were the product of

one’s own thinking rather than an idea or product derived from another source.

• Any other form of inappropriate behavior which may include but is not limited to

falsifying records or data; lying; unauthorized copying, tampering, abusing or otherwise

unethically using a computer or other stored information; and, any other act of

misconduct which may reasonably be deemed to be a part of this heading.

Any student alleged to have committed any act of academic dishonesty as defined herein shall be

entitled to due process as defined in District Board of Trustees’ Rule 6Hx7-2. 18 prior to the

administration of disciplinary action, including suspension and dismissal.

13. May I repeat this course?

Learners repeat a course in an attempt to improve a grade previously earned. State Board Rule

6A-14.0301 limits such attempts to courses where a “D,” “F,” or “FN” grade was earned. A

learner has only three total attempts in any course, including the original grade, repeat grades,

and withdrawals. Upon the third attempt in a course, the learner must be given an “A,” “B,”

“C,” “D,” or “F.”

When students repeat a course at Florida State College, only the last grade earned is calculated in

their cumulative grade point average (GPA). However, students with an excessive number of

“W” or “FN” grades and students who repeat courses to improve their GPA may jeopardize their

admission to programs in the Florida State University System (SUS) or other institutions.

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14. What if I experience technical difficulties?

If you are having issues with the Learning Management System, contact

FSCJ@supportcenteronline.com or call 1-866-886-4952 (toll free).