Syllabus,
4th Unit, Economics 423, Fall 2007, Professor Hackett
This
4th unit "lab" session meets on Wednesdays at 11 am in SH 115. Note
that this syllabus supplements the overall course syllabus used in Hackett's
course, which contains contact information and class policies.
We
will engage in two different types of activity in our weekly lab meetings
during the semester:
1.
Lecture/Discussion: This portion of the lab will serve as an extension of the
material covered in the course. In general we will use this time to develop
simple math models of the material covered in the 3 unit lecture portion of the
course.
2.
Development of Excel simulation models. I will provide some assistance with
these in class, and you will do the rest as homework. You will print out your
work and turn it in. They will then be corrected, graded, and returned. Note
that Economics majors need to save a permanent archive disk copy of all of
their Excel simulations for their Econ 490 capstone portfolios before they
graduate
Your
grade for this 4th unit will be based on the quality of your Excel simulations
and on your class participation.
Schedule:
Week
1: Introductions, review of syllabus, discussion of assignments. Review of some
basic Excel.
Week
2: Lecture/Discussion: Algebraic equilibrium analysis of competitive markets
and welfare. Homework: Start first Excel assignment (competitive markets).
Week
3: Help session for the first Excel assignment. Click here
to see a sample Excel exercise with some useful tips.
Week
4: First
Excel assignment DUE. Review the solutions, correct the Excel work. Lecture/Discussion:
Algebraic equilibrium analysis of competitive markets and welfare with negative
externalities.
Week
5: Lecture/discussion: Finish up the algebraic equilibrium analysis of
competitive markets and welfare with negative externalities. Click here for
the PowerPoint lecture outlines. Homework: Start second
Excel assignment from handout given in class (negative externalities).
Week
6: Review for exam (note that your midterm exam on Thursday will include
material covered in these lab sessions). Help session for the second Excel
assignment.
Week
7: Second
Excel assignment DUE. Review the solutions, correct the Excel work. Lecture/discussion:
Model of dynamically efficient allocation of a non-renewable resource and Hotelling's rule. Click here
for a link to Powerpoint slides on this material.
Week
8: Lecture/discussion: Finish up the model of dynamically efficient allocation
of a non-renewable resource and Hotelling's rule,
start coverage of the bioeconomics of a marine
fishery.
Week
9: Lecture/discussion: Finish up the bioeconomics of
a marine capture fishery. Click here for
the PowerPoint lecture outlines. Homework: Start third
Excel assignment (bioeconomics of a fishery).
Week
10: Help session for the third Excel assignment.
Week
11: Third
Excel assignment DUE. Review the solutions, correct the Excel work. Lecture/Discussion: Forestry economics.
Week
12: Lecture/Discussion: Finish up forestry economics. Homework: Start fourth
Excel assignment (Forestry economics. click here for
a sample Excel simulation to help you get started).
Week
13: Review for exam. Help session for the fourth Excel assignment.
Week 14 Fourth Excel assignment DUE. Review the solutions,
correct the Excel work. Homework for last lab: Write a brief two-page review of a greenhouse gas control
policy for a state or a region, such as the European Union's cap-and-trade
system for greenhouse gases, RGGI,
Week
15: Two-page
review DUE.
Round-table discussion of homework findings. Students turn
in one-page papers for a grade.