INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMIC THEORY Ec11
Department of Economics
Autumn
2008
Tufts University
Rajeev
H. Dehejia
Course information
Section 4: Tu Th 3.00 pm
– 4.15 pm (Braker 220)
Section 5: Tu Th 4.30-5.45
(Barnum 104)
Office Hours: Tu Th 1.30 pm – 2.30 pm
Prerequisite: EC5 or EC1 + EC2 or equivalent
Contact information
Office: Braker 114A
Telephone: 617.627.4689
E-mail:
Rajeev.Dehejia@Tufts.edu
Required Texts
Hal Varian, Intermediate
Microeconomics, 7th
edition. Available at the campus bookstore, online, or in an e-book edition
(http://www.nortonebooks.com).
Online Workbook:
http://econ.Aplia.com (see attached page).
Robert Frank, The Economic
Naturalist.
Grading
Your
grade will be based on homework (20%), an in-class quiz (20%), a written
assignment (10%), class participation (5%), and a final exam (45%).
Written
Assignments
The
homework assignments are online exercises on the Aplia website. There will be
approximately 10 homework assignments. These are to be completed individually,
are graded, and count toward your final grade. An assignment missed for any
reason – including legitimate sick days, religious holidays, and computer
glitches – will be counted as zero, but each student has two Òfree
passes,Ó meaning that the two lowest homework scores will dropped. These free
passes are intended to cover legitimate reasons for missing a homework
assignment. DonÕt use a free pass unless there is absolutely no other choice.
Practice exercises may also be made available. These will be clearly
designated, and will not be graded.
In
the written assignment students are asked to identify a real-world phenomenon
and then to provide an analysis of the situation using the theories and ideas
developed in class. The submission can be no more than one page. The first
paragraph should describe the situation, and the second paragraph provides a
succinct analysis. Any diagram must also fit on the same page. Submissions must
be in complete sentences and as jargon-free as possible. Topics that have been
used in previously published books or newspaper articles are not allowed as
topics. Examples can be found in The Economic Naturalist. Students will be randomly assigned to one of three
deadlines. Some students will be selected to present their submissions in
class. The submission will be graded out of 10 points, including presentation
where applicable.
Students
will be assigned short take-home questions to which one or two randomly
selected students will be asked to give brief oral responses in the next class.
This is used to determine the class participation grade.
If you miss a test without a
valid excuse, your grade will be a zero. Medical or personal reasons will have
to be verified by the Office of the Dean of Students.
Lecture Schedule (subject to
revisions announced during class)
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Part
1 |
Consumer
Theory and Market Equilibrium |
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Chapters
1-2 – Introduction, Budget Constraint |
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Sep 04 |
Chapter
3-4 – Preferences and Utility |
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Sep 09 |
Chapters
4-5 – Utility and Choice |
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Sep 11 |
Chapter
5 – Choice |
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Sep 16 |
Chapter
6 – Demand |
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Sep 18 |
Chapter
8 – Income and Substitution Effects |
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Sep 23 |
Chapter
14 - Consumer Surplus. Written
assignment deadline 1. |
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Sep 25 |
Chapter
15 –Market Demand |
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Sep 30 |
Chapter
10 – Intertemporal Choice |
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Part
2 |
Firm
Theory |
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Oct 02 |
Chapter
18 – Technology |
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Oct 07 |
Chapter
19 – Profit Maximization |
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Oct 09 |
Chapter
20 – Cost Minimization |
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Oct 14 |
Chapter
21 – Cost Curves. Written assigment deadline 2. |
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Oct 16 |
Chapter
22 – Firm Supply |
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Oct 21 |
Quiz |
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Oct 23 |
Chapter
23 – Industry Supply |
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Oct 28 |
Chapter
16 –Equilibrium |
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Oct 30 |
Chapter
24 – Monopoly |
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Extra
Topics* |
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Nov 04 |
Chapter
28 – Game Theory |
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Nov 06 |
Chapter
12 – Uncertainty |
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Nov 11 |
No
class (Unversity hoiday) |
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Chapter
34 – Externalities |
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Nov 18 |
Chapter
17 – Auctions |
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Overflow |
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Nov 27 |
No
class – Thanksgiving |
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Dec 02 |
Overflow |
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Dec 04 |
Overflow |
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Dec 07 |
Overflow |
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* These are optional topics, some of which will be covered
based on time constraints. |
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Student
Registration and Payment Instructions |
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