General Information for Economics 1, Fall 2008

Lectures: Mondays and Wednesdays, noon-1pm, Wheeler Auditorium

Professor: Kenneth Train, 659 Evans Hall, Office hours: Mondays 1-2pm, Wednesdays 2-3pm.

Head GSI: Natasha Avendano, 508-2 Evans Hall, email: navendan@berkeley.edu

Textbook: Principles of Economics, by Karl Case and Ray Fair, 8th or 7th edition. Either edition is fine. The CD Rom and study guides are NOT needed. The text is available at ASUC and local bookstores and at www.cTextbook.com and other online bookstores.

Slides for lectures: Copies of the slides are available as a booklet from Desktop Design Center, 100 Berkeley Square (corner Addison/Shattuck.) They are also available as pdf files within a zip file that can be downloaded from the class website or by clicking HERE. You may find it useful to bring the copies to class and write your own notes on them.

IMPORTANT: Attend your discussion section in the first week. If you are enrolled in Economics 1, you need to attend your assigned discussion section meetings during the first week of classes in order to stay enrolled; if it is impossible for you to attend, let the graduate student instructor (GSI) for your section know that you want to remain in the course. Otherwise the GSI will "mark" your name on the class list, which means that your space will be given to someone else.

Dropping the Course: If you are enrolled and do not want to take the course, you need to officially drop the course through TELEBEARS. To drop, it is NOT sufficient simply to miss section such that your GSI "marks" you. By a strange twist of TELEBEARS logic, being "marked" keeps you from taking the course but does not drop you from the course. If you are "marked" but don't drop, you end up receiving an F for the course.

Changing Sections: To change sections, use TELEBEARS. You should attend the section to which you are officially enrolled until you are actually admitted to another section.

Sections: Economics 1 is a four unit course. In addition to the two hours of lecture each week, you are expected to attend your assigned section, which meets twice a week for one hour. Graduate student instructors (GSIs) teach the sections under Prof. Train's supervision.

Problem sets: There will be five problem sets. The problem sets will be handed out in lecture (on days marked with a * on the lecture schedule.) They will be due in section about one week later. Problem sets will be graded only on the basis of whether or not you turn in answers in your own words -- not whether your answers are correct. You must turn in your problem set answers, written in your own words, to obtain credit for them.

Grading: Your course grade will be based on: Problem sets, 5%; First midterm, 25%; Second midterm, 25%; Final exam, 45%. Grading will be entirely separate for each GSI. Each GSI will grade the exams and problem sets, develop a curve, and assign course grades for his/her own students, subject to Professor Train's supervision and approval. Scores will not be compared across GSIs due to the fact that different GSIs teach and grade differently. It is expected that each GSI will give about 25% of his/her students A's of some kind, 35% B's of some kind, and the rest C's or below.

Pass/Not Pass: This course may be taken Pass/Not Pass, if you are otherwise free to do so. Pass/Not Pass students are expected to do the same work as graded students. If their final course grade is a C- or better, they will be awarded a Pass. Note: If you are planning to declare Economics as your major, you must take Economics 1 for a letter grade.

Midterm Exams: There are no make-up midterms. Students who miss midterms with reasons meeting University standards (that is, for reasons beyond their control) will have their other exams and problem sets weighted proportionately more. Reasons must be approved by the Head GSI.

Final Exam: The final exam for this course is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 15, 5-8pm. There will be no make-up final. If you know at this time, or anticipate the possibility, that you cannot take the final at the scheduled time, you should not take the course. If you miss the final exam for reasons beyond your control, you will (upon showing of documentation and approval by the department chair) receive an Incomplete for the course. Conflicts with recruitment interviews, sporting events, and musical performances will not be considered a reason beyond your control for missing the final exam and do not constitute a basis for rescheduling the final exam, proctoring of the exam at an alternative location, or receiving an Incomplete. If you are assigned an Incomplete, the Incomplete is completed by taking the final exam of a subsequent Economics 1 class within the University's required period of time.

Handouts: There will be periodic handouts in lecture and section. If you miss a lecture or section, you can obtain a copy of the most recent handout from an envelope posted outside 508-2 Evans. Also, most handouts will be posted on the course website.