ECONOMICS USA: PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS
TeleWeb COURSE

Welcome to LCC's Economics USA: Principles of Economics Tele-Web course! This material outlines the course content and requirements. Read this material thoroughly!

Please, feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. My office hours are listed below. I may be reached by phone, fax or e-mail. If I am out please, leave your name, phone number, any message or question you have, and the time and day that you called. I will return your call.
 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is equivalent to the Econ 200, Principles of Economics: Introduction lecture courses offered ar LCC. The same material will be covered, in the same order.This is the first of the three economic principles courses offered at LCC and is a pre-requisite for ECON 201 and ECON 202. In this introductory class the student is introduced to the basic tools and concepts used in modern economics. In particular, the course introduces the use of graphs; the importance of scarcity; the measurement of economic activity; the role of prices, supply and demand; the business cycle, unemployment and inflation. The course will also briefly introduce current economic policy issues e.g. pollution, taxation, poverty and inequality, and international trade.
 
COURSE OBJECTIVES

This course is designed to prepare students for future economics courses (ECON 201 and ECON 202) as well as to enable students to better understand and evaluate economic policy debates. The objectives of the course are for the student:

        1. to master the basic economic tools, terms and concepts.
        2. to evaluate economic issues and policies utilizing basic economic methods.
        3. to become prepared to take ECON 201 and ECON 202.
        4. to begin to think "economically": There is no such thing as a free lunch!

REQUIREMENTS

Since this is a video and internet supported course there are several requirements specific to this course. Due to the nature of this course students will find it necessary to access all of the materials on my webpage for this course and to actively monitor their e-mail accounts for messages broadcast . Students enrolled in the course are required to:

        1. provide the instructor with an active e-mail address;
        2. actively monitor their e-mail, at a minimum once a week;
        3. have access to the internet in order to access course material from my                          webpage;
        4. view all 10 videotaped lessons;
        5. complete all assigned reading;
        6. utilize all of the available material on the course webpage:   
            http://teach.lanecc.edu/martinezp;
        7. complete and return all assignments to the instructor by the due date;
        8. complete all exams as scheduled.
 
TEXTS

        1. REQUIRED: Economics, 6th Edition, Stepen L. Slavin, McGraw-Hill Irwin, (2002)
        2. REQUIRED: Material on my EconUSA webpage           
            (http://teach.lanecc.edu/martinezp/EconHome.htm)
        3. RECOMMENDED: Answer Key for Economics by Slavin
     
 
GRADING

Course grades will be based on two exams and 4 homework assignments, 350 total points. Letter grades will be given on a percentage basis with plus and minus grades within these ranges:

ASSIGNMENTS

All the assignments will be available online. Assignments must be completed and/or recieved in the Social Science Dept. no later than the due date identified below. Assignments may be hand delivered, mailed, faxed or e-mailed. All assignments must be legible. Therefore, be certain that assignments sent by fax are written dark enough to properly transmit. Be certain that all e-mailed assignments are formatted to be accessed by MSWord 6.0 and are cut and pasted into the body of the e-mail. Please do not send attachments.. Assignments received after the due date will have POINTS DEDUCTED for each day the assignment is late.
 
EXAMS

Both exams will be given in the Social Science Testing Lab:

        LOCATION: 4th Floor, Center Building, Room 456
        HOURS: Monday to Thursday 10AM to 8PM, Friday 10AM to 5PM.

You may take each exam at your convience during the scheduled time. You should always allow at least 1 hour for each exam, so you should never arrive for an exam after 7PM Monday through Thursday, or after 4PM on Friday.

Both exams may also be taken at the following LCC Centers during their normal operating hours. Students choosing to take the exams at the Centers MUST INFORM THE DISTANCE LEARNING OFFICE OF THEIR CHOICE AT LEAST 10 DAYS PRIOR TO THE FIRST SCHEDULED DATE OF THE EXAM.

If due to an emergency, you are unable to take an exam when it is scheduled you must contact the instructor to re-schedule. Additionally, the exam MUST BE TAKEN WITHIN A WEEK of the scheduled time to earn full credit.

ASSIGNMENT	MATERIAL COVERED	POINTS	DATE DUE
Assignment 1	Graphing	10	M. OCT. 6
Assignment 2	Production Possibilities	10	M. OCT. 6
Assignment 3	Supply and Demand	30	M. OCT. 13
Assignment 4	Gross Domestic Product	20	M. OCT. 20
Optional Review Session	material thru Week 5		M. OCT. 27
Midterm Exam	material thru Week 5	100	NOV. 3 - 6
Assignment 5	Consumer Price Index	10	F. NOV. 21
Assignment 6	Taxation	10 Extra         Credit	M. DEC.1
Optional Review Session	material Wk 6 thru Wk 10		M. DEC. 1
Final Exam	over new material only	100	DEC. 8 - 10
Total Points (Approx.)		280

Due to the lack of contact between the students and instructor Telecourse Exams usually result in lower average scores. If you score low on the first exam, doing well on the homework assignments will be essential to raising your scores.

The midterm Exam will test the Supply and Demand material (Ch. 2) more heavily than the other material. It is essential to understand this material. The Final Exam will include material from the midterm, particularly the Supply and Demand material.
 
OPTIONAL REVIEW SESSIONS
There will be two optional review sessions provided during the term. While these are optional, I strongly recommend attendance since I have added a lot of material to raise the analytical level of the tapes and text to match those of the other Econ 200 courses. These will be the only times to personally interact with me other than through electronic media or during an office visit.

        REVIEW SESSION 1 MON. OCT. 24, 5:00 - 6:30
        REVIEW SESSION 2 MON. DEC. 5, 5:00 - 6:30
 
This is not a self-paced, individualized course:
ALL EXAMS AND ASSIGNMENTS MUST COMPLETED AS SCHEDULED.
 
VIEWING THE VIDEO TAPES
Taking a telecourse requires a disciplined and controlled environment. Watching each program will require your undivided attention. It is wise to prepare yourself by doing all the steps indicated in the student telecourse manual.

There will be one 30 minute program telecast on AT&T Broadband Cable 23 each week. (See schedule for exact times). If you have any technical difficulties recieving Cable 23, please call the station at 463-5319.

The videos are also availble for viewing at all of the following locations, during their normal operating hours:

        * LCC Library
        * Downtown Center, Eugene
        * LCC Cottage Grove Outreach Center, 5th and Washington, Cottage Grove
        * LCC Florence Outreach Center, 3149 Oak, Florence
        * LCC Community Learning Centers:
                    Churchill High School 1850 Bailey Hill, Eugene
                    Thurston High School 333 58th Street, Springfield
                    Willamette High School 1801 Echo Hollow Rd., Eugene
                    Oakridge High School 47997 West 1st Street, Oakridge
 
ENROLLMENT, WITHDRAWALS, INCOMPLETES, NO CREDIT

Students are academically and financially responsible for maintaining their own registration status in the course.

• Telecourse students must obtain the the telecourse syllabus and complete a blue student information card before the end of the first week of classes.

• If students enroll after the first week of classes they must immediately contact the instructor and the Distance Learning Department to ensure proper enrollment and to obtain the syllabus and complete the student information card.

• Students wishing to withdraw must do so before the Friday of the 8th week of courses. Students must make any changes in their registration status via ExpressLane (see LCC's Schedule Classes for instructions) according to official procedures. Students requiring an Incomplete or No Credit grade must contact the instructor for approval. All registration changes are governed by the policies in the LCC Catalog.

• Any tuition refund is based upon the date of official withdrawal. It is the student's responsibility to officially drop classes. See the current LCC Class Schedule for refund policies.

DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES

If you need support or assistance because of a disability, you may be eligible for academic accommodations through Disability Services. For more information, contact Disability Services at (541) 747-4501, ext. 2150, or TTY 741-3079, or stop by Building 1, Room 218 or contact Nancy Hart (541) 463-3010.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Lane Community College is committed to providing a working and learning environment that is free from discrimination, harassment and retaliation.  Lane is committed to equal opportunity in education and employment, affirmative action, diversity, and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.  The college prohibits discrimination in admissions, employment and access to college programs, activities, and services on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, marital status, familial relationship, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, disability, religion, expunged juvenile record, or veteran status. This commitment is made by the college in accordance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations. For more information contact José Ortal, Director of Affirmative Action/Diversity/ Equal Opportunity, 463-5801.