Economics 4381-501 Course Syllabus Fall 2005

Instructor: Dr. Susan Dadres (sdadres@ smu.edu)

I will provide my UTD email and office information when I have it
You can reach me at SMU (or leave voicemail) 214-768-3288

Text: The Worldly Philosophers, 7th ed., by Robert L. Heilbroner

This class is designed for non-majors, so class lectures will include some basic economics (both
microeconomics and macroeconomics) not found in the book. You will be tested over basic
economic principles as well as the material presented in The Worldly Philosophers. Exams will
include multiple choice, true/false, graphing questions, and short answer questions. Some
questions will test your knowledge of economic principles and others will test your knowledge of
the lives and contributions of the great economists.

A class such as this typically involves a lot of discussion and submission of a lengthy research paper,
but the class size is too large for the typical approach. Therefore, classes meetings will include
lecture (with questions and comments encouraged) as well as some time spent in small discussion
groups. I will give you questions to discuss in groups and I will need to collect written answers to
some of these questions to ensure that everyone gets credit for attendance and participation. Over
the course of the semester, you will have the opportunity to participate in 12 discussion groups and
to submit 12 Group Assignments, but I will only count your 10 best grades in this average. Your
average on Group Assignments will be worth 25 percent of your class average. The rest of your
class average is based on your three exam grades (25 percent each) .

Exam I Tuesday, September 20: covers material presented in lectures 8/23 – 9/13 and
Chapters 1 – 4

Exam II Tuesday, October 25: covers material presented in lectures 9/27 – 10/18 and
Chapters 5 – 8

Final Exam Tuesday, November 29: covers material presented in lectures 11/1 – 11/22 and
Chapters 9 - 11

Your four grades are averaged to find your course grade, using the following scale:
90-100% = A, 80-89% = B, 70-79% = C, 60-69% = D, 0-59% = F

Miscellaneous Information:
You may request a grade of Incomplete in the course only if at least one-half of the work has been
completed with a passing grade and an emergency prevents you from completing the remainder.
The last day to drop a class is Thursday, October 20th and it is your responsibility to formally drop
the class if you want to receive a grade of “WP” (if you simply stop attending, you will receive a
grade of F). See me on or before the drop date if you are concerned about your performance and
want information on your standing.

All class meetings are in MC 2.410, 7:00 – 9:45 p.m. Exams are also in MC 2.410 and will
begin promptly at 7:00 p.m. You will be given 1 hour and 45 minutes to complete your
exam (so exams are collected at 8: 45 p.m.) UNLESS you require extended time. If you
need academic accommodations for a disability, such as extended testing time, please
meet with me to make appropriate arrangements.