skip links
Online Courses

ECON 2 - Principles of Macroeconomics

Instructor: Gina Webster
Email Instructor

Course Description

Economic analysis of the theory of income determination. National income analysis, business cycles, the consumption function, the multiplier, fiscal policy, monetary policy, money and banking, the public debt, economic growth and development, comparative economic systems and international trade. Strongly recommended: English 1A eligibility and Mathematics 65 or an appropriate skill level demonstrated through the Mathematics assessment process.

The goal of this course is to teach you how to use the tools of macroeconomics to understand the world around you.  This course will prepare you for future coursework in economics and business, and most importantly, it will provide you with a basic framework for analyzing economic problems within the context of the business environment. 

The emphasis will be placed on the development of analytical thinking and problem solving skills.  In addition, you will have numerous opportunities to enhance your written and oral communication skills, and master your ability to work in teams.

To take this class, you must have daily access to a computer with an Internet connection and experience using a web browser. You will also need to utilize your college Zonemail account. Learn more about Zonemail.

Check the college catalog for CSU/UC transferability and to see if this course meets AA/AS degree requirements.

The instructor may drop students who miss the first meeting of a course. The first meeting of online or hybrid Distance Education courses is the first day of the class as specified in the class schedule listing.  For these courses, instructors may drop students who do not log into their Blackboard course and/or complete indicated activities by the third day of classes.

This class begins Aug 18 and ends Dec 21.

On-Campus Meetings

There are no required on-campus meetings for this class. You can attend an OPTIONAL, on-campus orientation to Online Learning on June 10 (6:30-8 p.m.), Aug 10 (1-2:30 p.m.), or Aug 12 (6:30-8 p.m.). All sessions will be in Room 2420 on campus. Virtual sessions will be offered on the Internet on June 15 and Aug 19 from 5:30-7 p.m. Learn more about these orientations, which are NOT course-specific.

How This Class Operates

This course will be broken down into 18 weekly sessions. Each session will start on a Monday and end on a Sunday. Note that this is not a self-paced class. Each week you will cover a new topic and complete a new set of graded assignments. To complete the assignments, you will need to access an Internet website dedicated to students and professors of economics: http://www.aplia.com. Aplia registration instructions will be available on the Course's Blackboard on the first day of class.

Class Activities

You are required to complete the following tasks during the weekly sessions:

  1. Read the appropriate chapter posted on the Aplia site. (Aplia is a web site dedicated to students and professors of economics)
  2. Review the accompanying Study Guide provided on Aplia.
  3. Complete as many Study Guide assignments as you can. 
  4. Review the PowerPoint lecture presentation, along with the accompanying Lecture Notes provided on Aplia.
  5. Complete all Aplia assignments.

Class Project

In addition to the weekly assignments, you will be required to complete a two-part Research Project. To complete the first part of the Project, you will be asked to select a macroeconomic topic from a list of topics provided by the instructor. You will research the topic focusing on "the economics" of the issue. Based on your research you will create a Power Point Presentation, which you will then share with your classmates. To complete the second part of the Project, you will be asked to select one of your classmates presentations and review it. Based on your review you will write a critique of the Presentation focusing on to the following questions:

  1. What have I learned from the Presentation about the given topic?
  2. What are the key economic concepts pertaining to the issue?
  3. What was I hoping to learn from the Presentation, yet haven't?

How Students are Graded

There will be 500 points possible, including:

  1. Aplia Graded Assignment: 350
  2. Research Project Part I: 100
  3. Research Project Part II: 50.

Your final grade will be determined based on the following scale:

A=90-100%
B=80-89%
C=70-79%
D=60-69%
F<60%

 

Succeeding in an Online Course

Students who succeed in online courses tend to be independent, self-motivated learners with good computer skills. If you are a procrastinator who relies heavily on the instructor for motivation, can't use a computer too well, have taken less than 21 units of college credit in your lifetime, and/or have a grade-point-average under 2.0, you should probably consider enrolling in a face-to-face course instead.

Also, don't enroll in this class if you believe the myth that learning online requires less effort than learning face-to-face. This course covers the same content and has similar activities as the face-to-face version of the course; only the method of delivery changes.

LPC offers a tutorial called "Succeeding in an online course" that will not only tell you if you are a good fit for online learning, but it also offers many strategies -- among other pertinent information -- that will help you succeed online. Please complete the tutorial.

Blackboard

This course will use the Blackboard course management system as its virtual classroom. To learn how to log in to Blackboard, go to the Blackboard Login Procedures page. Once you enroll, you will not be able to log in until the first day of class.

Register for this course

Page last modified: April 27, 2010