Welcome To Macroeconomic Theory!!

My name is Jack Wegman, and I will be your economics instructor for the upcoming semester.

Economics is a great subject. It’s a fun course, and it will help you understand yourself and the world around you.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or suggestions.

I look forward to having you in my class for the next seventeen weeks.

Course Format

This is an online class. Two video lectures will be posted weekly. You will be sent an announcement through Canvas letting you know that the lecture is available.

In addition, there will live ZOOM office hours/discussion sessions:

W - 10:00am - 11:00am

TH -10:00am - 11:00am

It is highly recommended that students attend one or both of these discussion sessions, and come prepared having viewed the lectures, and completed any weekly assignments.

Although study session attendance is not required, students who regularly attend the discussion sessions, and do the weekly readings have a much greater chance of doing well in the course.

Contact Information - Class Schedule - Office Hours

Contact - email - jwegman@santarosa.edu

I send a lot of emails and announcements using Canvas during the semester. Check your email daily. You should add my email to your email address book.

First Day of Class - August 17, 2020

Last Day of Class - December 11, 2020

Final Exam - December 18 - (12:01pm) - December 20 (11:59pm)

Textbooks and other required course material:

McConnell/Brue/Flynn - ECONOMICS - 19th ed You may purchase this textbook at the SRJC bookstore.

You may also purchase the textbook at Amazon or any other textbook website. Make sure that you do NOT purchase the International Edition by mistake!!

The textbook is available at the SRJC library at the reserve desk. The call number is HB171.5 .M47 2012. You will need the call number in order to check-out the textbook.

FREE TEXTBOOK!!

Principles of Economics 2e

Principles of Economics 2nd ed. - https://d3bxy9euw4e147.cloudfront.net/oscms-prodcms/media/documents/Economics2e-OP_I2ne43X.pdf

FREE TEXTBOOK!!

Economics - Rittenberg and Tregarthen - https://resources.saylor.org/wwwresources/archived/site/textbooks/Principles%20of%20Economics.pdf

You will also need:

Problem Sets-3.pdf

Economic Report of the President 2019 - https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ERP-2019.pdf.

(we will use pages 636-37, 640-41, 662-69, 672, 681, 688, 690)

FREE TEXTBOOOKS AND OTHER MATERIAL THAT CAN HELP YOU UNDERSTAND ECONOMICS!!

FREE DEFINITIONS OF TERMS!!- provided by Dr. Paul M. Johnson - Auburn University

MULTIPLE CHOICE STUDY QUESTIONS - http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0077337727/student_view0/index.html
http://www.mcconnell18e.com

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis - Economic Lectures - https://www.stlouisfed.org/education/economic-lowdown-podcast-series

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis - videos - https://www.stlouisfed.org/education/economic-lowdown-video-series

Math Prerequisite - Math 155 - Completion of College Algebra Is the Prerequisite for this course

Here are a few examples of math problems that you will encounter in this course. Please be sure that you feel comfortable with these kinds of problems. If you don't feel comfortable, consider looking back at your algebra notes, getting a math tutor, or waiting a semester to enroll in this course;

1. Y = 300 + .75(Y - 800) + 1000 + 500 solve for Y

suppose that C = 300 + .75(Y - 800), what is the value of C based upon your answer for Y in question #1?

2. 2X - 3Y = 100 graph the equation, and be sure to find the values of the X and Y intercepts

3. 5Y = 100 - 3X graph the equation, and be sure to find the values of the X and Y intercepts

Y X

30 100

40 150

4. Given the X, Y coordinates indicated above, find the equation of the line. Graph it. Be sure to find the values of the X and Y intercepts

5. If the price of gasoline increases from $3.69 to $3.81, how much did the price of gasoline increase on a % basis

6. If there are 47 students in my class, and 35 students get a grade of C, what % of students in my class got a C?

7. If the price of gasoline decreases from $3. 81 to $3.69, is the % change in the price of gasoline the same as in question #5?

ANSWERS:

1. Y = 4800

C= 3300

2. Y = 2/3X - 33.33 (50, - 33.33)

3. Y = 20 - .6X ( 33.33, 20)

4. Y = 10 + .2X (-50, 10)

5. 3.25%

6. 74.47%

7. no. 3.15%

Grading and Exams:

Exams: All exams are a combination of multiple choice and blue book. I try to make each part worth 50% of the exam. I also give 5 points to every exam just to make certain that I did not make any mistakes when grading your exam. Sometimes I even grade exams twice. I always try to give students the “benefit of the doubt”.

There will be three (3) 100 point mid-terms and a final exam. The final exam will be cumulative and worth 160 points.

The table below indicates the grading scale for three (3) mid-terms and a final exam.

Exam #1 100 points (80 minutes)

Exam #2 100 points (80 minutes)

Exam #3 100 points (80 minutes)

Final Exam 160 points (cumulative-120 minutes)

Total Available points - 460 points

Exams may be made up ONLY with a written medical excuse signed by an attending physician. There are no term-papers or extra credit projects.

A 90 - 100% 414 - 460 pts
B 80 - 89% 368 - 413 pts
C 60 - 79% 276- 367 pts
D 50 - 59% 230 - 275 pts
F 0 - 49% 0 - 229 pts

A grade of "C" is required for Credit if you are taking the class P/NP.

DRD Students:

"Students with disabilities who believe they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Disability Resources(527-4278)in the Bertolini Student Center as soon as possible to better ensure such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion."

SRJC Forms and FAQ's:

Petition to Waive College Regulations - https://admissions.santarosa.edu/sites/admissions.santarosa.edu/files/documents/petition%20for%20waiver%20of%20col%20reg%207-26-18.pdf

FAQ's regarding college policy - https://admissions.santarosa.edu/frequently-asked-questions-and-policies

UC and CSU Information:

All SRJC economics courses transfer to the University of California (UC), and California State University (CSU) systems. The primary difference between SRJC courses and four-year college courses at the freshman/sophomore level is the cost of the course, and the number of students in the classroom (35 - 45 at SRJC v 300 - 900 at CAL).

UC Berkeley Tuition

UC Berkeley - Econ 1 syllabus - Prof. Martha Olney - https://eml.berkeley.edu/~olney/fall17/econ1/syllabus.pdf

Sonoma State Tuition

You will complete the same level of college work in this course that students complete at the University of California. Homework is assigned every day, and all homework assignments require math applications. Homework assignments are reviewed every lecture.

You should plan to devote six hours per week to homework.

Student Learning Outcomes:

https://portal.santarosa.edu/SRweb/SR_CourseOutlines.aspx?CVID=23385&Semester=20127

Education and Teaching Experience:

M. A. Economics, University of Pittsburgh (1977)
M. A. Philosophy, University of Pittsburgh (1977)

B. A. Economics, California State University, Northridge (1974)
B. A. Philosophy, California State University, Northridge (1973)

Academic Experience
Santa Rosa Junior College
Instructor - Economics
1979 - present

Golden Gate University
Lecturer - MBA Program
1985 - 1989

College of Marin
Instructor - Economics
1980 - 82

Santa Monica College
Instructor - Economics
1977 - 1979

Cerritos College
Instructor - Economics
1977 - 1979

University of Pittsburgh
Teaching Assistant (GSI) - Economics
1975 - 1977

Presentations and Publications;

Brook Tauzer Lecture Series - Tauzer Lecturer - Award For Teaching Excellence - "Finding Values, Prices, and Happiness in the Dismal Science", February 14, 2013http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoqIOtlagKc

"Deficits, Debt, and Damnation: A Spiritually Uplifting Lecture on Economics"- Santa Rosa Junior College Professional Development Day - Fall 2009

"Economics - The First Lecture" - Santa Rosa Junior College Professional Development Day - Fall 2005

"The Structure and History of The Federal Reserve System" - Kiwanis Club - March 2000

"Good Policy Requires Good Numbers", Academic Senate Newsletter, March 1999, Volume 2, pp 3

"Failing to Understand the Phillips Curve: A Reply to Warren Brookes" San Francisco Chronicle, May 1988

"An Economic Analysis of Grade Inflation Using Indexing", College and University: The Journal of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers,
Winter 1987, pp 137 - 146