NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Course title: Principles of Macroeconomics

Course prefix, number, and section number: Econ 2301 0852

Semester/Year of course: Spring 2024 2^nd 8 weeks

Semester start and end dates: 3/18/24 – 5/11/24

Modality (Face to face/Synchronous or Asynchronous online/Hybrid): Hybrid

Class meeting location, days, and times: TR 8:20 – 9:50 FMHS

Lab meeting location, days, and times: N/A

Semester credit hours: 3

Course description: An analysis of the economy as a whole including measurement and determination of Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply, national income, inflation, and unemployment.  Other topics include international trade, economic growth, business cycles, and fiscal policy and monetary policy.

Course prerequisites: None

Required course materials: Registration in the course gives you access to the e-book needed for ECON2301.  You do not need to purchase a separate textbook.  

Inclusive Access is a partnership between NCTC and McGraw-Hill Education, to provide the best learning resources on the first day of class. Students can gain access to McGraw-Hill’s adaptive online platforms with the latest version of the eBook at a discount. If students would like to purchase a physical copy of the textbook, they can order a discounted loose-leaf version through McGraw-Hill.

Students who drop before the add/drop date will have their book fees credited back to their student account, and students who remain in the course will be charged a materials fee by the school to have continued access of the online platforms.  If you remain enrolled in the course but wish to opt-out of access to the book please email the NCTC Bookstore with your name and student number to nctc@texasbook.com.

Name of instructor: Melissa Blankenship     

Office location: FM 107

Telephone number: 972-899-8400 x8504

E-mail address: mblankenship@nctc.edu

Office hours for students:  

Monday (online via WebEx):  8am – 10am, 2pm – 4pm

Tuesday (FM campus): 10am – 11am, 1pm – 3pm

Wednesday (online via WebEx):  8am – 10am, 2pm – 4pm

Thursday (FM campus):  10am – 11am, 1pm – 3pm

Other days/times via request.  

The best way to reach me is to email using the Canvas inbox.  I will answer emails received Monday through Friday between the hours of 8am and 5pm, and will answer any emails received after 5pm at the beginning of the next week day.  Emails will not be returned on the weekends unless they are considered critical.  Critical issues, for the purposes of this course, are technical issues related to an exam.  If you have a technical issue with Canvas or Connect, please contact the appropriate help desk first, and then contact me.  Helpdesk contact information is provided in the Course Introduction in Canvas.

Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.  

SYLLABUS CHANGE DISCLAIMER

The faculty member reserves the right to make changes to this published syllabus if it is in the best interest of the educational development of this class. Any such changes will be announced as soon as possible in person and/or writing.

SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

List of graded assignments:

Reading Assignments 10%

Homework Assignments 10%

Quiz Assignments 5%

Participation 10%

Projects 15%

Exams 50%

Final grade scale:  

A 90-100

B 80-89

C 70-79

D 60-69

F Below 60

Late work policy:

Late work is not accepted – please do not ask.  Sometimes life gets in the way, so I will drop the lowest reading, homework, and quiz grades at the end of the term.  If you have a conflict with an exam date, arrangements can be made for you to take the exam early.

SEE CANVAS FOR THE COMPLETE COURSE CALENDAR, OUTLINE, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF GRADED WORK, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIAL.

COURSE POLICIES

Academic Integrity Policy: Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, academic falsification, intellectual property dishonesty, academic dishonesty facilitation and collusion.  Faculty members may document and bring charges against a student who is engaged in or is suspected to be engaged in academic dishonesty.  See Student Handbook, “Student Rights & Responsibilities: Student Conduct ([FLB(LOCAL)]”.  

Instructor-specific Academic Dishonesty Policy:  

AI/Natural Language Programs (NLPs)/Large Language Models (LLMs) Usage Policy: This information is used with permission and citation with gratitude to Princeton University: The McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning.

• Intellectual honesty is vital to an academic community and for my fair evaluation of your work.  All work submitted in this course must be your own, completed in accordance with the College's academic regulations. You may not engage in unauthorized collaboration or make use of ChatGPT or other AI composition software/NLPs/LLMs.
• Students must obtain permission from me before using AI composition software (like ChatGPT) for any assignments in this course. Using these tools without my permission puts your academic integrity at risk. 
• This course does make use of AI/NLPs/LLMs plagiarism checker software as such as “Turnitin” developed for the purpose of detecting the use of AI programs.
• Any violation of this policy will be considered academic dishonesty and will be documented and filed as such.  See Student Handbook, “Student Rights and Responsibilities:  Student Conduct ([FLB(LOCAL])”.

Academic dishonesty will be handled according to the Student Handbook.  Please don’t make me do that paperwork.

Attendance Policy: Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered.  All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies as determined by the instructor.  It is the student responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgement by the faculty member.  Approved college sponsored activities are the only absences for which a student should not be held liable and only when provided by a college official ahead of the absence.  Student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives.    Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered sufficient cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)

Additional Instructor-specific Absence Policy:  Regular attendance and participation in the course is vital to your success.  Your attendance will be part of your participation grade.

Withdrawal Policy

A student may withdraw from a course on or after the official date of record. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete a Withdrawal Request Form.

Last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is:  April 22, 2024

Student Learning Outcomes: (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog)

At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:

• Explain the role of scarcity, specialization, opportunity cost, and cost/benefit analysis in economic decision-making.
• Identify the determinants of supply and demand; demonstrate the impact of shifts in both market supply and demand curves on equilibrium price and output.
• Define and measure national income and rates of unemployment and inflation.
• Identify the phases of the business cycle and the problems caused by cyclical fluctuations in the market economy.
• Define money and the money supply; describe the process of money creation by the banking system and the role of the central bank.
• Construct the aggregate demand and aggregate supply model of the macro economy and use it to illustrate macroeconomic problems and potential monetary and fiscal policy solutions.
• Explain the mechanics and institutions of international trade and their impact on the macro economy.
• Define economic growth and identify sources of economic growth

Core Objectives: Critical Thinking, Communication, Empirical and Quantitative, Social Responsibility

COLLEGE POLICIES

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the Student Handbook.

ADA STATEMENT

NCTC will adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations.  See the OSD Syllabus Addendum. 

STUDENT SERVICES

NCTC provides a multitude of services and resources to support students.  See the Student Services Syllabus Addendum for a listing of those departments and links to their sites.

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS