This course introduces students to macroeconomics, the study of the economy as a whole. Students will learn about the key macroeconomic indicators of GDP, unemployment, and inflation, and then apply these concepts to analyze economic behavior. The topics covered in this course include choice and scarcity; supply, demand, and its applications; GDP and economic growth; unemployment and inflation; the aggregate demand-aggregate supply model; Keynesian economics and Neoclassical economics; fiscal policy; money and banking; monetary policy; policy applications; globalization and trade; exchange rates and international finance; and Inequality, Poverty and Discrimination.
This is an open access textbook available online at no cost.
Mandatory UNE-approved webcam – To be used during proctored exams
In lecture courses, students should be able to:
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
On the course start date, students will have access to orientation. This must be completed to be able to gain access to the first module in the course. Students must complete the first module to gain access to the next one. We recommend that students spend about 15 hours per week to complete a course in 16 weeks. When trying to complete the course in less than 16 weeks, we typically see students do this successfully within 12-14 weeks. Instructors will be timely in grading and feedback, but it will not be instant.
MIDTERM AND FINAL EXAM
These exams account for 40% of your grade and are designed to review important concepts found in the module materials. Each exam has 50 multiple choice and/or True or False questions, covers several modules and you will have 80 minutes to complete each exam.
Both the midterm and final will be proctored. The University of New England has contracted with ProctorU to provide students with the most convenient online exam proctoring system. Upon enrollment into the course, you will register with ProctorU and establish a login name and password. This will give you access to all of ProctorU’s services.
When you’re ready, you will schedule your exam time with ProctorU at least 72 hours prior to taking the exam. Please refer to the full requirements for proctored exams in the Policies section below. You must purchase the Official UNE External Webcam to take your proctored examinations. Remember to order your webcam at least three weeks prior to scheduling your first proctored exam.
The exams are closed book, closed notes, and no additional resources may be used during the exam session. The exams are also closed for review. You will not be able to review these exams at any time. You may contact your instructor for specific feedback on your exam.
PRACTICE QUIZZES
Module quizzes should help evaluate your performance and readiness to take the exams. Quizzes are assigned for every module covered in the course. Collectively, quizzes account for 20% of your final grade. You will have 15 quizzes, two attempts for each quiz. You will have 90 minutes to complete each attempt.
You will NOT be able to see the answers to the questions you missed prior to your next attempts. However, you will be able to see which quiz questions you missed.
WORKSHEETS
Each week you will have a worksheet. You will have one attempt with the possibility to submit a second/final attempt the following week. I recommend that each week, you read and re-read the modules and any associated material posted until you are confident in your understanding of the material and then attempt the assigned worksheet.
DISCUSSION BOARD POSTS
There will be four discussion board posts. You can access these forums under the weekly Modules. You are required to create a new thread with a response to the question posted in the Forum Description. Once you create your thread, you will be able to view other threads in the forum by your classmates. You are then required to post a response to at least two of your classmates’ threads.
SHORT-ESSAY
You are required to write one essay that should have a maximum of 500 words. The essay should be completed in .doc, docx or .rtf format using APA format. The essays are not meant to be research papers. They are summary reports that link topics you have been learning in class to current economic news found in media articles. The basic idea of the essay is to allow you to read, think and write on the assigned topic while relating basic theory to real life.
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Assignment | Grade Weight |
---|---|
Midterm Exam (Modules 1-8, multiple choice questions) | 20% |
Final Exam (Modules 9-15, multiple choice questions) | 20% |
Quizzes (15) | 20% |
Assignments (14) | 20% |
Discussion questions (5) | 20% |
Total | 100% |
Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
COURSE OUTLINE
Week 1 – Why Study Economics
Week 2 – Economic Way of Thinking
Week 3 – Supply and Demand
Week 4 – Applications of Supply and Demand
Week 5 – GDP and Economic Growth
Week 6 – Unemployment and Inflation
Week 7 – Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply
Week 8 – Keynesian and Neoclassical Perspective
MIDTERM
Week 9 – Money and Banking
Week 10 – Monetary Policy
Week 11 – Exchange Rates and International Capital Flows
Week 12 – Fiscal Policy
Week 13 – Macroeconomic Policy around the world
Week 14 – International Trade and Globalization
Week 15 – Inequality, Poverty, and Discrimination
FINAL EXAM
Week |
Topic |
Readings/Resources |
Assignments |
1 |
Why Study Economics |
|
|
2 |
Economic Way of Thinking |
|
|
3 |
Supply and Demand |
|
|
4 |
Applications of Supply and Demand |
|
|
5 |
GDP and Economic Growth |
|
|
6 |
Unemployment and Inflation |
|
|
7 |
Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply |
|
|
8 |
Keynesian and Neoclassical Perspective |
|
|
Midterm |
Midterm Exam |
||
9 |
Money and Banking |
|
|
10 |
Monetary Policy |
|
|
11 |
Exchange Rates and International Capital Flows |
|
|
12 |
Fiscal Policy |
|
|
13 |
Macroeconomic Policy around the world |
|
|
14 |
International Trade and Globalization |
|
|
15 |
Inequality, Poverty, and Discrimination |
|
|
16 |
Final |
|
Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you - they will monitor course progression and provide assistance or guidance when needed. Please don’t hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, course materials, billing, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.
Questions? Visit the Student Support Science Prerequisites page
Check Brightspace for specific instructor and support specialist contact information.
The Student Lounge Discussion Board is a designated support forum in which students may engage with each other and grapple with course content. Feel free to post questions, seek clarification, and support each other, but be mindful of UNE's Academic Integrity Policy.
Your instructor will monitor this forum. However, if you are seeking specific and timely answers to questions about course content or your personal grades, please contact your instructor via course messages. For questions about course materials, program policy, and how to navigate and proceed through the course, please contact your Student Service Advisor through the Student Portal.
The University of New England has contracted with ProctorU to provide students with the most convenient online exam proctoring system. This system provides a simple, no cost to the student, secure, online proctor for exams and allows the student to take all the exams at home and on their own schedule.
Upon enrollment into the course, each student will register with ProctorU and establish a login name and password. This will give the student access to all of ProctorU's services. When ready, students will schedule each of their proctored exams with ProctorU. Exams must be scheduled at least 72 hours in advance to avoid fees. Prior to taking their exams, students must be sure that they have downloaded any required additional software. They must also be sure their testing site's connection meets the minimum requirements by using ProctorU's "Test It Out" utility.
Upon the exam day and hour, students will log in to ProctorU and click on "exams". After following the procedures outlined at ProctorU's website, the student will log in to Brightspace and locate their correct exam. The proctor will then allow student access to that exam.
Students must use ProctorU and must follow all proctoring requirements for their exams to be credited. Please contact your instructor for specific feedback.
Students will receive two attempts at all proctored examinations. The higher score of the two attempts will be calculated into the final grade. Students can schedule their second attempt by following the same ProctorU instructions as with the original exam.
All students are encouraged to utilize a second attempt on their exams in order to improve their overall performance in the course.
Discussion topics cover events or materials related to this course that contribute to a deeper understanding of key concepts and allow you to interact with your classmates and the instructor. Each discussion topic may require you to conduct internet research, read additional materials, visit a specific webpage, AND/OR view a short video before writing a response following the specific guidelines in the discussion topic prompt.
To earn full credit you will need to post a response to the discussion topic, respond to the original posts of other students, and then contribute meaningfully to an ongoing discussion. You may need to post your initial response before you will see any posts from your classmates. For special cases where one or two students are accelerating faster through the course, the instructor will participate in the discussion so that everyone has the opportunity to interact.
Please see Brightspace for a full description, along with specific guidelines, for each discussion topic. Discussion board assignments should be completed, along with all other assignments in the course, in the order that they appear. Due to the course design, you may be unable to take a proctored exam if you do not complete all assignments that appear prior to that exam.
Please also refer to the Grading Policy/Grade Breakdown section of the syllabus to learn the percentage of your grade that each discussion is worth.
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Programs: Technical Requirements
A schedule of lectures and assignments is included in this syllabus. This is, however a self-paced course and you can complete the course in less time.
Please visit the enrollment page to review the withdrawal and refund policies.
Students are expected to attempt and complete all graded assignments and proctored exams by the end date of the course. View the incomplete grade policy..
Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, only the student may request official transcripts. This may be done online by going to the University of New England Registrar website and following the directions on the page.
To view your unofficial UNE student transcript:
To request your official UNE student transcript:
Please review your Unofficial Transcript prior to requesting an Official Transcript.
After you click Submit Request, your official transcript will be put into the queue to be printed in the Registrar's Office.
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.
© 2024 University of New England Online | 1 (855) 325-0896