& INFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (IAQ) IAQ: Am I actually expected to come to class? ANS:
Students are invited to
attend class. They are, however, responsible for the material presented
in class, some of which is neither in the textbook nor on the course
website. If you plan not to come to class or
if you think you are likely to fall into the habit of not coming to
class,
then this section of ECON 2030 is not for you.
IAQ: Do I need to be good at math to do well in this class? ANS:
You need only be competent at high-school algebra to keep the math from
being an obstacle to your doing well in the class. You should be
able to see the relationship between the graph of a straight line and
the
corresponding equation. You should be able to evaluate an
algebraic
expression and solve a simple linear equation. To check your math
skills,
simply take this four-problem test.
IAQ: Can I use some textbook other than the one assigned for the course? ANS:
It is highly recommended that you use the ninth edition of Karl E.
Case, Ray C. Fair, and Sharon M. Oster's Principles of Macroeconomics.
Having to guess which chapters in some other textbook are relevant and
having to deal
with some other author's mode of presentation would be an unnecessary
and
easily avoidable disadvantage. IAQ: Should I purchase notes from some commercial note-taking service? ANS:
Save your money. Many students have told me that they spent $12.00 for
notes and that the notes didn't do them any good. The best notes are
the
ones that you take--because they
remind you of what you saw
and heard in class.
FAQ: Should I dump the PowerPoint files to my printer? ANS:
No. The PowerPoint files are best used for review in the RUN
SHOW mode. Much of the instruction comes in the
dynamics built into the slides or in the transitions
from one slide to the next. If you want a hard copy of some of the
slides,
print very selectively. Also, some students like to print three or
six slides per page for taking notes in class.
ANS: Undoubtedly, students will find copies of old ECON 2030
exams. However, the organization of the course material and much of the
substance of the course has changed with the adoption of a different
textbook and in light of the recent turbulance in the macroeconomy.
Hence, the old exams are not faithful reflections of the current course
material.
FAQ: Are there any extra-credit assignments or special projects that will let me pull my grade above the next grade break? ANS:
No such opportunities can be offered to one student without their being
offered to all. Further, deviating from the syllabus in matters of
grade
determination can be a basis for formal action against the
professor (typically
by a student whose grade was almost-but-not-quite affected by the
deviation).
Although there is no extra credit available, there is extra weighting
on
the final exam. The opportunity to leverage your grade upward by
performing
well on the final is spelled out in the syllabus: If your final-exam
score
is higher than the average of your scores for the two one-hour
exams,
it automatically counts for half of your course grade.
FAQ: Is the final exam comprehensive? (This is the all-time MFAQ.) ANS: Yes, the final exam covers all the material presented during the semester. The final exam is the same as the one-hour exams in terms of length and format: 33 multiple-choice questions. The questions covering the early parts of the semester will not be identical to those appearing on the one-hour exams. About a third of the final (10 or 12 questions) will pertain to the material covered after the second one-hour exam. |