ECONOMICS
Course Syllabus
2005/2006
MR. JON STREBLER STUDENT OFFICE HOURS:
ROOM B-2, (619) 525-7455 x. 3002 Daily -
jstrebler@sandi.net Most
days - During lunch
By appointment - After school
TEXT: The Economy Today, 8th Edition, by Schiller
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This year-long class serves the needs of both IB and
non-IB students. It is based on the IB
Economics curriculum, but with certain accommodations made for students who are
seeking a regular economics credit and who do not intend to take the IB exam. The course deals with very tangible things
that are going on in the real world.
This class will help students make sense of social, political, and
financial developments in the real world.
It is recommended that students be concurrently enrolled in the course International
Trade, since numerous topics studied in Economics will be more
fully explained and explored in that class.
This Economics class serves several functions. Its primary purpose is that which is mentioned above - familiarizing students with how the economy works, and helping them see why that matters. The course also features a Government component (and students must pass a Government exam) to satisfy the state and district requirement for seniors. At the same time, since it follows the IB curriculum, this is an introductory-level college course that goes into more depth than other schools' economics classes. Finally, this class is designed to prepare students to take and pass the IB Economics examination. All students will take the IB Economics exam as their final exam, whether they sign up to take the official, IB-administered version or not.
Economics is more and more an international discipline, and the IB economics curriculum continues to increase emphasizing global considerations. In fact, some 40% of the IB curriculum and exam deal with international matters, in three main areas: international trade, international finance (mainly currency markets), and international development. This last topic is more heavily weighted than any other in the IB economics curriculum, as helping lesser developed countries improve their quality of life becomes critically necessary. The environment is a critical factor in one's quality of life, and the curriculum deals with this issue not just in the international unit, but throughout the course.
STANDARDS & OBJECTIVES: Standards
and goals are differentiated in this class so that students can earn either a
regular economics credit or an IB economics credit. Students seeking a regular economics credit
are accountable for meeting the following
- understand common economic terms and
concepts and economic reasoning
- analyze the elements of
- analyze the influence of the federal
government on the American economy
- analyze the elements of the
- analyze the aggregate economic behavior
of the
- analyze issues of international trade
and explain how the
IB
students must meet state economics standards, but also the four main IB objectives
that they:
- have
an understanding and knowledge of economic concepts and theories
- apply
economic theory to a range of circumstances and a variety of situations
- analyse information through the use of economic
concepts and theories
- evaluate
concepts and theories from different economic perspectives
Additionally, IB
students will demonstrate advanced understanding through assignments that make
greater use of higher level skills such as analysis, evaluation, and
synthesis.
GRADES: Your grade will be determined as follows:
TEST AND QUIZZES- 50 %
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS * 40 *
PARTICIPATION
10
TOTAL - 100 %
* Includes 10% for GCWs (Guided Course Work) that IB students must do.
Tests and quizzes are normally curved; other than that, grades are: 90% and above for an A, 80-89% for a B, and 70-79% for a C. A and B grades are rarer in IB Economics than in most other classes. This is not because the material is so difficult; it's mostly because students think that they don't need to do the required reading and assignments.
Important Comments about Grades:
In order to let all students succeed in this course, there are different requirements for those students seeking a regular Economics credit and those seeking weighted credit for IB Economics. Students will choose their status (regular or IB), but may change their status as the year progresses, although this may not always be easy to do.
Coursework is divided into mandatory and optional categories. Mandatory work will generally be fairly easy to do; optional work will be more challenging and is actually required for the student seeking an IB credit. An example of optional work is the portfolio of four GCWs that is required for IB students.
All students will take the same quizzes, tests, and exams, which are written to IB standards. Since IB courses are weighted one letter grade higher, those students working for a regular economics credit will have their quiz, test, and exam scores raised by one letter grade. Thus, for example, if a "regular" student earned a "C" on a test, that test grade would be adjusted up to a "B".
ACADEMIC SUPPORT:
You should feel free to check on your grade at any time. You can do so in person or via email (see office hours and email address at the top of the first page). If you are having difficulties, the instructor is more than happy to help in any reasonable way. Individual tutoring and alternative assignments are just two possibilities that might work for you. The main point is to talk with the instructor about what's going on, and your particular needs, before it's too late.
CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS:
General: Students are expected to act in ways that enhance the learning culture of our school. Respect for individuals and property is essential for all students to succeed and for everyone to get along. Students may not eat, drink, or chew gum in class for reasons that will gladly be explained. As a matter of courtesy, students should remove any head coverings and sunglasses upon entering the classroom. The school's dress code will be enforced, as will its policies on attendance, zero tolerance, academic honesty, Personal Listening Devices (PLDs) and Personal Communication Devices (PCDs). Profanity or other offensive language will not be tolerated. Bathroom passes will not be allowed during the first 15 or last 15 minutes of the period.
Homework: Put your assignments on the instructor's desk before the bell rings if you want to receive credit for them. Late homework is ONLY accepted because of an excused absence, in which case you have 2 days after returning to hand them in. It is the students responsibility to request missed homework.
Testing: Tests count twice as much as quizzes, and exams count twice as much as tests; all of them are curved, except for the year-end government exam. Quizzes and minor tests cannot be made up - your test grade component (50%) will be based only on the tests and quizzes taken. Exams cannot be made up if your absence is unexcused. Exams must be made up the same day you return to school from an excused absence, so make sure you're ready when you return.
Academic Integrity: Students are responsible for knowing and following the school's policies on academic honesty and test avoidance, as explained in the Student Handbook.
Website: All students must sign up at http://schoolnotes.com/92101/streb.html to be notified of weekly assignments and special messages pertaining to the class. This website is a critical way for students to know what is expected of them, and they must check it weekly. Computers are accessible on-campus for those who dont have them at home. I didnt know we had to do (fill in the blanks) because I didnt check the website is NOT an acceptable excuse.
COURSE CONTENT & KEY DATES
Tentative
(subject to change)
UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO
ECONOMICS - 7 WEEKS
Text Chapters
1,2,3,4,5,20
September 6-15: Chapters 1+2, An
Overview, and The
September 16-27: Chapter 3, Supply and Demand
Sept 27-Oct 4: Chapter 20, The
Demand for Goods
October 4-20 Chapter 4, The
Public Sector
Trial GCW due October 20/21
October 20-24: Chapter 5, National Income Accounting
October 25-28: Unit
Review and Test:
UNIT 2: MAJOR PROBLEMS 5 WEEKS
Text: Chapters
6,7,8,12,23, 24, 25, 26, 28
Oct 28 31: Chapter 8, The Business Cycle;
November 1-8: Chapter 6, Unemployment
GCW #1 due November
15/16
November 8-16: Chapter 7, Inflation
November 16-18: Chapter 12, Deficits and Debts
Nov 28 Dec 2 Chapter 28, Environmental Protection/Externalities
Dec 5 Chapters 23-26, Market Structures
December 6-8: Unit Review and Test
UNIT 3: FISCAL & MONETARY POLICY 4 WEEKS
Text: Chapters 9,10,11
December 913 Chapter
9, Aggregate Spending;
GCW #2 due December 13/14
Dec 14 Dec 18: Chapter 10, Potential instability
January 2-6: Chapter 11 Fiscal Policy
January 9-11: Chapter 13 & 14 Money and The Fed
January 12-20: Chapter 15 Monetary Policy
January 23-24 Unit Review & Exam
UNIT 4: THEORY vs. REALITY 5 WEEKS
Text: Chapters 16, 17,
18 (with a preview of Development Economics, Old Chapter 37)
Jan 25-Feb 3: (Old) Chapter 37 Development Economics
February 6-10: Chapter 16 Supply Side Theories
GCW # 3 (on
Development Economics) due February 8
February 10-17: Chapter 17-Growth and Productivity
February 21-24: Chapter 19- Theory and Reality
February 27-28: Unit
4 and 5 Review and Test
UNIT 5: GLOBAL
ECONOMICS 6 WEEKS
Text: Chapters 18, 35,
36, (old book) 37
March
1-8: Chapter 18 - Global
Macro
March 8-21: Chapter 35- International Trade
March 21-29: Chapter 36- International Finance
GCW #4 due March
30/31
Mar 30-Apr 5: (Old) Chapter 37- International Development: Review
Apr 6-18: Unit 6 Review and Test
UNIT 7: FINAL EXAMS 5 WEEKS
April
19-May 11: IB Exam and Government exam preparation
May 12-13?: IB Exam-The Real Deal
May 16-19?: IB Exam class final
May
19-Jun 6: Government review
June 7/8:
UNIT 8: PERSONAL FINANCE 1 WEEK
Text: Chapter 34
June 8-20: Investing,
Budgeting, Financial Planning