Course Syllabus

Course Information
Course Number-Section ECO 3310-501
Course Title Intermediate Microeconomic Theory

Term Fall 2007

Days & Times M, 7:00-9:45 p.m.
Location CN 1.304

Instructor Contact Information

Instructor Ozge Ozden
Office GR 2.816
Office Phone (972) 883-4914
E-mail Address oxe024000@utdallas.edu
Office Hours M, 5:00-6:00 p.m. or by appointment (email me to set an appointment)

Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions

It is assumed that the student has taken Principles of Microeconomics (ECO 2302), Techniques for
Economic Research (ECO 3304) and either Applied Calculus I (MATH 1325) or Calculus I (MATH 2417).

Course Description
This is an intermediate-level course in microeconomic theory. Topics include the theory of the household
(utility maximization and demand), the theory of the firm (cost minimization/profit maximization and
supply), market structure (competition, monopoly, oligopoly), and (time permitting) markets for factors of
production.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

The objective of this course is to broaden and deepen the student’s understanding of microeconomics so
that this understanding can be brought to bear upon further economics courses and the student’s decision-
making abilities in his/her life.

Required Textbook: Pindyck and Rubinfeld, Microeconomics (6th ed.)

Required Material: Weekly homework assignments are found on the Aplia website. Therefore, you
are required to register individually at the Aplia site to do the assignments, which will count for part of
your grade. The cost of Aplia is $35 per student for this class for the semester. You may register and use
the website until 09.05.2007 without paying the fee. If you are considering dropping this course during the
drop/add period, do not make a payment until you are sure. You will need to pay the full amount before the
end of the grace period to continue using the site. You may pay online with a credit card or personal check,
or you can mail a check or money order to the address provided on the Aplia site.

Course key:

Student registration and payment instructions for Aplia are as follows.

Course Syllabus Page 1

Registration instructions:
1. Connect to http://www.aplia.com.
2. Click the System Configuration Test link below the Sign In and Register sections to make sure you can
access all of the features on Aplia'
s website. This takes just a few seconds and tells you how to update your
browser settings if necessary.
3. Return to http://www.aplia.com.
• If you have never used Aplia before, click the New Student button and enter your Course Key:
SW5F-2MGG-AXYR. Continue following the instructions to complete your registration.
• If you have used Aplia before, sign in with your usual e-mail address and password and enter your
Course Key when prompted: SW5F-2MGG-AXYR. If you are not prompted for a new Course
Key, click the Enter Course Key button to enroll in a new Aplia course. Enter your Course Key
when you are prompted.
4. If you understand your payment options, pay now. Otherwise, postpone your purchase decision by
choosing the option to pay later. Your payment grace period ends at the end of the day on 09/05/2007.

Payment instructions:
Pay Aplia Directly
• Purchase access to your course directly from Aplia on our website for $35.00 USD. (The website
includes content that has been customized for your textbook and course.)

You will only need to register once. After the registration process is complete, you will not need to enter
the course key again. For technical problems or problems signing in, please send Aplia an e-mail by
clicking on the "Help" link in the upper-right corner of any page or by e-mailing support@aplia.com.

Disclaimer: I am not financially affiliated with Aplia and receive no monetary benefit from requiring this
material.

Suggested Reading: Pindyck and Rubinfeld, Microeconomics – Study Guide (6th ed.)

The Student’s Responsibility With Regard to Readings and Lectures: The student is responsible for
all lectures and assigned readings. The lecture will diverge from the reading where appropriate to reinforce
understanding of the material or to introduce ideas not contained in the textbook. Reading and lectures are
complements and should be consumed jointly. The student would be ill advised to miss lectures or to
neglect readings. If a student must miss a lecture, then he or she should arrange to obtain copies of lecture
notes from other students in the class. As is true with all economics texts, the reading will require a few
passes before the student will be comfortable with the material. If you have any problems with the course
material, you can ask me. For math-related questions, you can contact the teaching assistant at the Math
Lab. The Math Lab Schedule for Fall 2007 will be announced later.

WebCT / e-mail / announcements

WebCT for this course: https://webct.utdallas.edu
Students can use WebCT to communicate and discuss over micro theory with others in the class.
For e-mail correspondences e-mail me at oxe024000@utdallas.edu through only your UTD accounts. Do
not e-mail me via WebCT, I will not check those e-mails. For details, see “E-mail Use” on page 5.

Announcements, homework assignments and course materials regarding this course will be posted on
Aplia. Students are required to check Aplia regularly to get informed about the updated announcements and
assignments.

Course Syllabus Page 2

Schedule of Topics
Listed below is a schedule for topics to be covered in class. The schedule of topics is tentative; we may
slow down when necessary or speed up when possible. For this reason, you need to attend class to know
exactly where we are. The dates for the exams are subject to change; they will be given after we have
completed the material covered in the chapters listed prior to the tentative dates of the exams and lectures
associated with those chapters. However, the date of the Final Exam is scheduled by the UTD, and
therefore it is not subject to change.

Week # Date Topics Textbook Readings

1 Aug.20 Introduction Ch. 1
2 Aug.27 Supply and Demand Ch. 2
3 Sep.3 No Class - Labor day
4 Sep.10 Consumer Behavior Ch. 3 (omit secs. 3.4 & 3.6)
5 Sep.17 Individual and Market Demand Ch. 4 (omit sec. 4.6)
6 Sep.24 EXAM 1
7 Oct.1 Production Ch. 6
8 Oct.8 The Cost of Production Ch. 7 (omit secs. 7.6 & 7.7)
9 & 10 Oct.15 & Oct.22 Perfect Competition Ch. 8 & Ch. 9
11 Oct.29 EXAM 2
12 Nov.5 Monopoly Ch. 10 (omit secs.10.5-10.7)
13 & 14 Nov.12 & Nov.19 Oligopoly Ch. 12
Ch. 14 (omit sec. 14.4) &
15 Nov.26 Markets for Factor Inputs* Ch. 10 (secs. 10.5 & 10.6 only)
16 Dec.3 FINAL EXAM

* These chapters will be covered, if time permits.

Grading Policy
The course grade will be based on three exams and homework, weighted as follows:

Assignments: 20%
Exam 1: 25%
Exam 2: 25%
Final Exam: + 30%
Total: 100%

Exam grades will be scaled according to the highest score in the class on any exam to 100%. Then letter
grades are assigned according to the following:

96-100% A+ 80-84 B 64-68 C- 0-52 F

92-96 A 76-80 B- 60-64 D+
88-92 A- 72-76 C+ 56-60 D
84-88 B+ 68-72 C 52-56 D-

Course & Instructor Policies

Policy Regarding Examinations: The student is required to take the exams in class at the same time as
his or her classmates. If the student does not take an exam with the rest of the class then he or she will be
given a make-up exam that is different from the original exam. The make-up exam questions are likely to
be more difficult, especially when the student has had more time to study than did his or her classmates.

Course Syllabus Page 3

You must have an acceptable reason (medical problems or family/job emergency) to miss an exam. You
must support any medical reason with a written document from a doctor. For other situations, you must
provide appropriate documentation to support your reason for missing an exam. If you do not have a valid
excuse for missing any exam, a grade of zero (0) will be assigned for that exam.

Final Exam: The FINAL EXAM is scheduled by UTD for Monday, December 3, at 7:00 pm in CN 1.304.
All students are required to take the final at that time. No exceptions will be granted.

Homework Assignments: Weekly homework assignments and deadlines are found on the Aplia website
(http://www.aplia.com). By completing regular work in association with the lectures, you will better
prepare yourself for the lectures and exams in the course. Practicing and applying what you are learning
from Aplia and lecture will better prepare you for class. Many assignments come in pairs of practice and
graded problem sets. The practice sets give you immediate feedback about whether your answer is right or
wrong and an explanation of the correct answer. They are not counted as part of your homework grade. Use
them to check your understanding of the material. If you are confident, you can go directly to the graded
problem set, and refer back to the practice set only if you want some additional help. The graded problem
sets have a firm due date. You can change your answers as many times as you like before the due date has
passed. Once the due date has passed, the grade will be recorded and it will not be possible to change your
answers or complete the assignment at this point. In other words, Aplia assignments must be completed by
the due date. The software does not care whether you have an excuse or not. These assignments are posted
in advance. Do them early to avoid any emergencies preventing your completion before the due date. After
the due date, you will be able to see the correct answers and the explanations for graded problems.

Additional problem sets may also be assigned in class throughout the semester. Students are encouraged to
form groups to work on the problem sets together and talk over micro theory with others in the class; but
students must turn in their own answers. If a student submits a homework that is copied from another
student’s work, then a grade of zero (0) will be assigned to both students for that homework. The
homework will be collected at the beginning of the class meeting (not before or after class) when the
homework is due. Late homework will not be accepted. You should turn in your homework in your own
handwriting (for example, don't photocopy your classmate' s answer and don'
t assign a classmate to write up
everyone's answer to one particular question). If you type your homework, you need to print it out and turn
in the hardcopy of your homework at the beginning of the class. Homework must be stapled. I will not
accept the homework which is sent to me as an attachment via e-mail.

Extra Credit: Students will be given random pop-quizzes during the semester. This extra credit will help
rounding your point grade to the next best letter grade if you are on the margin.

Academic Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Any student who cheats will be
subject to the harshest punishment possible.

General Attendance Policy: Class attendance is not required but it is strongly recommended and taken as
a sign of solid effort. Also, class participation may help the student and other students to better understand
the material. An attendance sheet will be passed around each class to keep record on who is attending the
class. If a student misses a class for any reason, he/she will be responsible to obtain the class notes from
his/her classmates and learn/understand perfectly the material covered in his/her absence (lectures as well
as textbook material).

Classroom Citizenship: Everyone in this class must be respectful to each other by not being late or
leaving early, and turning off his/her cell phone or putting it on silent mode. Any type of disruption is not
acceptable. If you have anything to say or would like to share your thoughts related to the material, just
raise your hand.

Field Trip Policies

Course Syllabus Page 4

Off-campus Instruction and Course Activities
Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law and University
policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities. Information regarding these rules and
regulations may be found at the website address
http://www.utdallas.edu/BusinessAffairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm. Additional information is available
from the office of the school dean. Below is a description of any travel and/or risk-related activity associated
with this course.

Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the
orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and each student
organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and
activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to Z
Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and
established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of
Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student
Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and
regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available
to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He or she is
expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and
administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such
conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such
conduct.

Academic Integrity
The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because the value
of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it
is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to applications for
enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or material that is not one’s
own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism,
collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to
disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is
unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for
details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism
and is over 90% effective.

Email Use

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between
faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues concerning
security and the identity of each individual in an email exchange. The university encourages all official
student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and staff
consider email from students official only if it originates from a UTD student account. This allows the
university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of all individual corresponding and the
security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be
used in all communication with university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T.
Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses. These
dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration procedures must be followed.

Course Syllabus Page 5

 It is the student'
s responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words, I cannot
drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a final
grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities, of the
university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of
academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to resolve the matter
with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter
called “the respondent”). Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and
evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the
respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response
provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is
not resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean of Graduate
or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an Academic Appeals Panel. The
decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic appeals process will be
distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where
staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the
semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be
resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to
complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline, the
incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.

Disability Services
The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities equal to
those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office
hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.;
and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments necessary to
eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be necessary to remove classroom
prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in the case of dog guides) for students who are blind.
Occasionally an assignment requirement may be substituted (for example, a research paper versus an oral
presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes enrolled students with mobility impairments
may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The college or university may need to provide special
services such as registration, note-taking, or mobility assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an accommodation.
Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty members to verify that the student has a
disability and needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact the
professor after class or during office hours.

Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for the travel to
and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property tax
under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

Course Syllabus Page 6

 The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding the
absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the exam
or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the
absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed
exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or
assignment within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of observing a
religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has been given a reasonable
time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor may request a
ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or his or her designee. The chief executive officer or
designee must take into account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor will
abide by the decision of the chief executive officer or designee.

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.

Course Syllabus Page 7