ECO
2003
LITERACY
IN FREE ENTERPRISE ECONOMICS
Ronda Credille, Ph.D.
Office
Phone: 417-328-1750
College of
Business and Computer Sciences
Taylor Hall
Disability
Disclaimer:
It is the desire of
Please read this entire document. There is a “Welcome” statement at the end!
I.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Title: Literacy
in Free Enterprise (LIFE) Economics
Credit Hours: Three
Prerequisite(s):
Sophomore standing and completion of
general education math requirement.
Description:
This General Education course will help the student develop an understanding of
economic systems based on freedom. It will emphasize the importance of
individual initiative and involvement in day-to-day community and business
matters. Developing literacy about individual responsibility in personal
and community decision-making is a primary concern.
II. MAJOR
OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE
1. To
develop critical thinking skills and apply them to personal, national, and
global economic situations.
2. To
communicate economic information through writing.
3. To
recognize and address ethical problems in our economic system.
4.
To understand the basic history of major economic events and theories.
5. To
understand the basic features of the free enterprise systems and contrast them
to alternative economic systems.
6.
To understand basic economic concepts as illustrated in tables, graphs, and
charts.
7.
To use economic principles to better evaluate personal decisions,
economic
policy, and different systems of social cooperation.
III.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS
Economics: Theory and Practice, Welch and Welch, John Wiley &
Sons, Inc., eighth edition 2007. NOTE: The 7th edition is not
acceptable.
Study Guide to Accompany Economics:
Theory and Practice,
Welch and Welch, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., eighth edition 2007.
IV.
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF RECOMMENDED SOURCES
Barrons, Business Week,
Forbes, Fortune, Time, Money, Newsweek, New York Times, U.S. News and World
Report and the Wall
Street Journal.
V. EVALUATION
OF STUDENT/SUBMISSION OF MATERIALS
Four multiple-choice exams – These exams are described in the
table that follows and within the course. The exams are to be taken online and
must be scheduled through SBU’s Department of Extended Learning (see course for details). After you complete
and submit an examination, the results will be posted within Angel. You can
find your examination scores by going to the Reports Tab. Total points = 400.
Six Reflection Essays - You will write a total of six 250 to
300-word papers addressing three of the issues from the microeconomic
chapters and three issues from the macroeconomic chapters (see course).
Each essay is worth 20 points and will be graded for completeness, depth of
reasoning, grammar, punctuation and spelling. Instructions for the essays
are found in the Lessons Tab. Total points = 120.
|
a. |
The essays are to be written in
Microsoft Word (12 pt Times New Roman font, double-spaced) and submitted
according to the instructions in the assignment (do not send as an e-mail
attachment). At the top of the page of each essay,
include your name, the course number, the chapter number and the issue about
which you are writing. |
|
b. |
Submit the essays for each unit
according to the schedule which follows in the Summary Outline. Use the Drop Box to send the essay. Do not
send by email |
|
c. |
When you submit a Reflection Essay,
please identify the document as follows: ECO 2003, essay #, and your name.
For example: ECO 2003:RE #1;
B. Smith. |
Study Guide Project – Complete all assigned
chapters of the Study Guide to Accompany Economics: Theory and Practice, eighth
edition. Complete Key Terms and
Concepts, Chapter Reviews, Exercises and Sample Exam Questions. The guide must be either hand-delivered
or postal-mailed to my office (address posted at the top of this syllabus) OR
to the Department of Extended Learning. Remember: Submit the study
guide fully intact—i.e., do not remove any of the pages prior to
submission. Do not submit photocopied
pages of the study guide. Submit the guide after you take the fourth exam. Total points = 100
Completion of a LIFE Journal - For each assigned chapter, you will TYPE
an entry of 50 to 100 words APPLYING (not
summarizing) concepts
presented in that chapter to an example from your personal life OR from a current or historical event.
Identify each entry by chapter number.
For the personal
finance section, select one
essay from the required readings and prepare an entry of how it applies to your
personal life. The total Journal must be
submitted as one document before taking the fourth exam. See
submission instructions in Lessons Tab.
Use the Drop Box feature to send the
essay. Do not send by email. Total
points = 60 (eleven chapters + personal finance section x five points
each).
Chapter Study Notes – Chapter notes are
available in Microsoft PowerPoint These notes are a study aid only.
Study Sequence - A good sequence is to: read the
assigned chapter in the text, review PowerPoint chapter notes (option), and
complete the study guide for that chapter.
|
EXAMINATIONS/MATERIALS |
POINTS |
|
GRADE SCALE |
|
First
Exam Chapters: 1, 2 & 3 |
100 |
|
612 to 680 points = A |
|
Second
Exam Chapters: 10, 13 & Personal Finance |
100 |
|
544 to 611.999 points = B |
|
Third
Exam Chapters: 16, 4 & 5 |
100 |
|
476 to 543.999 points = C |
|
Fourth
Exam Chapters 6, 7 & 8 |
100 |
|
408 to 475.999 points = D |
|
Reflection
Essays |
120 |
|
Below 408 points = F |
|
Study
Guide Project Chapters: 1-8; 10, 13 & 16 |
100 |
|
|
|
LIFE
Journal |
60 |
|
|
|
TOTAL
POINTS |
680 |
|
|
Not responsible for chapters 9, 11, 12, 14, and 15.
SUMMARY OUTLINE
Submission of at least one microeconomics Reflection Essay
First Exam
– Chapters 1, 2 & 3
Submission of
remaining microeconomics Reflection Essays.
Second Exam
– Chapters 10, 13 & Personal Finance
Submission of at least one macroeconomics Reflection
Essay.
Third Exam
– Chapters 16, 4 & 5
Submission of remaining macroeconomics
Reflection Essays
Submission of Life Journal
Fourth Exam
- 6, 7 & 8
Submission of Study Guide Project
VI.
FAITH INTEGRATION
The
Psalm 15
LORD, who may dwell in
your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy
hill?
He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
Who speaks the truth from
his heart and has no slander on his tongue,
Who does his neighbor no
wrong and casts no slur on his fellow man,
Who despises a vile man,
but honors those who fear the LORD,
Who keeps his oath even
when it hurts,
Who lends his money
without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
will never be shaken.
VII.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY STATEMENT
Any student taking a course taught in the
Welcome to this course
Should you have questions or concerns, you may e-mail
me at the address indicated in the course. I will attempt
to respond to your inquiry within 48 hours of receipt during the regular
fall and spring semesters. Keep in mind that a correspondence
course is a "self-help" course. Successfully completing it will
require discipline and effort on your part.
Economics is a challenging subject. Plan to spend a good deal of time preparing
for the exams. Remember, there is no substitute for careful reading. Use the
Study Guide book to assist you in your learning. Resist the temptation to use
the Study Guide as a substitute for reading the textbook. Also, resist the
temptation to look up the answers in the back of the Study Guide. Rather,
spend time working to discover the answer on your own and then use the key to
grade your responses. That approach will likely result in greater
understanding, improved retention, and better performance on the exams.