Econ xxx
Intermediate Microeconomics
Fall 2005
Instructor xxx
Office hours: MF 10:00-11:00am
Office: Teaching and Administration Hall xxx
Email: xxx@mail.shufe.edu.cn
TA xxx
Phone: xxx-xxx-xxxx
Email: xxx@yahoo.com.cn
Course Meet 09/07/2005 – 12/29/2005; Room: xxx
Wed: 8:00– 9:40 am, Th: 10:05- 11:45 am
No Class: Oct 5-6 (National Day)
Added Class: Oct 8, Sat (moved from Oct 6)
Midterm exams date: Oct 28, Dec 14
Course Website http://www.shufe.edu.cn/xxx.htm
Textbook
Required: Hal Varian, Intermediate Microeconomics: A Modern Approach, fifth edition, W.W.Norton & Co., 1999.
Optional: Hal Varian, Microeconomics Analysis, W.W.Norton & Co.
Prerequisites
This course is an upper stream economics class in microeconomics. I will assume that you fully understand the fundamentals learned in introduction to microeconomics. This course is analytic in nature. Calculus is required for you to follow the lectures and do the homework.
Course Objectives
This course is designed to provide you a more rigorous understanding of tools to examine and analyze the behavior of consumers and firms and their interactions in the marketplace. The course will start with consumer theory, followed by firm theory. Having gained an understanding of both the demand side and the supply side of economies, we proceed to study how the demand and supply come together and lead to equilibrium in a market. We will learn the interactions of individual economic agent in different types of markets, in some cases incurring inefficient allocation of goods and services.
Preparing for Class
It’s better for you to read the relevant chapter(s) in ahead of the time. During class, I will focus on problem solving. If you read through the chapters ahead of time, this should be great helpful for you understanding the content of lectures.
Grading
There will have two midterm exams, one final exam, a number of homework assignments and randomly in-class quizzes. Grades will be determined as follows:
Quizzes 15%
Homework 15%
Midterm Exams (15% each) 30%
Final Exam 40%
Your percentage grade at the end of the term will be converted into a letter grade approximately as follows: the top 20% of the class will receive an A or A-, the next 30% a B+, B or B-, the next 30% a C+, C, or C-, and the bottom 20% a D+, D, D- or F.
At random points during the semester I will give quizzes (10 minutes each) in the beginning of the class. Therefore, it will not pay for you to come late to class or miss class.
The homework assignments include all the review questions corresponding to the chapters that we cover in the lectures. The answers that just simply copy those at the back of the book will be scored zero. They are due at the beginning of class on the listed dates.
Policies
I don’t accept any excuse for the missing of exams and quizzes unless you can provide proof of emergency such as serious illness. If you miss the exam or quiz for any reason that does not qualify as a proven emergency, you get zero. You can work with your classmates on the homework assignments, but you are not allowed to copy someone else’s work. TA has the right to do not grade the late homework assignment turned in.
Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty by the student code of conduct includes cheating on the assignments or exams; plagiarizing; altering; forging, or misusing a University academic record; taking, acquiring, or using test materials without faculty permission; and acting alone or in cooperation with another to enhance a grade, etc. A minimum penalty for academic dishonesty is a grade of zero. Other penalties may include a F in course and a complaint to university authorities so that they act consequently with the corresponding university policy.
Course Schedule (subject to change)
Consumer Theory
Sep 7-8 • Budget constraint (Varian Ch. 2)
• Preference (Varian Ch. 3) plus introduction to course topics, policies and requirements.
Sep 14-15 • Utility (Varian Ch. 4)
• Choice (Varian Ch. 5)
Sep 21-22 • Individual and aggregated demand (Varian Ch. 6 &15)
• Consumer surplus (Varian Ch. 14) Homework due on 21st
Sep 28-29 • Slutsky equation (Varian Ch. 8-9)
• Uncertainty (Varian Ch. 12)
• Asset markets and risky assets (Varian Ch. 11 & 13)
Firm Theory
Oct 8 • Technology (Varian Ch. 18)
Oct 12-13 • Profit maximization (Varian Ch. 19)
• Cost minimization (Varian Ch. 20) Homework due on 12th
Oct 19-20 • Cost curves (Varian Ch. 21)
• Firm and industry supply (Varian Ch. 22-23)
Oct 26 Review session Homework due
Oct 28 Midterm exam 1 8:00-9:30am
Markets
Nov 2-3 • Equilibrium (Varian Ch. 16)
Nov 9-10
• Auctions (Varian Ch. 17)
• Exchange and production (Varian Ch. 29-30) Homework due on 10th
Nov 16-17 • Welfare (Varian Ch. 31)
Imperfect Competition
Nov 23-24 • Monopoly behavior (Varian Ch. 25)
• Monopoly (Varian Ch. 24) Homework due on 24th
Nov 30,
Dec 1 • Oligopoly (Varian Ch. 27)
• Factor markets (Varian Ch. 26)
Dec 7-8 • Game theory (Varian Ch. 27) Homework due on 8th
Dec 14 Midterm exam 2
Market Imperfection
Dec 15 • Externalities (Varian Ch. 32)
• Networks (Varian Ch. 34) Homework due
Dec 21-22 • Public goods (Varian Ch. 35)
Dec 28-29 • Asymmetric Information (Varian Ch. 36)
Final exam between Jan 2 and Jan13. Last homework due
附3：研究生英文教学大纲样本
Advanced Microeconomics I
Fall 2005
Lecture Time: xxxx
Classroom: xxxx
Instructor: xxxx
Email Address: xxxx@mail.shufe.edu.cn
Office: Administration and Education Hall xxxx
Office Hours: Monday 13:00 - 16:30 or by appointment
Teaching Assistant: xxxx (xxxx@mail.shufe.edu.cn)
Required Textbook: Advanced Microeconomic Theory, by Geoff A. Jehle and Philip J. Reny
Recommended: Microeconomic Theory, by Andrew Mas-Colell, M.D. Winston and J.R. Green
Microeconomic Analysis, by Hal R. Varian
Course Description
The objective of this course is to familiarize students with mathematical techniques to solve standard microeconomic problems. Students will be able to develop models appropriate for different problems, present them in mathematical form, derive implications under maintained assumptions, and extend models to more complicated situations.
The main topics of course are consumer and producer theories. If time permits, I will give a brief introduction to partial and general equilibrium analysis. (These later subjects will be covered in-depth in Adv. Micro II.) Consumer and producer theories are important, not only because they serve as the building blocks of much of microeconomics, but also because they involve mathematical techniques that are commonly used in all areas of economics. One of the goals of the course is to train you to apply these techniques to analyze economic problems.
Evaluation
Homework assignments 20%
Term Paper 20%
Midterm Exam 30%
Final Exam 30%
There are 4 problem sets during the semester. Each is worth 5 points. The purpose of homework assignments is to help you understand economic models and master the techniques that are required to solve economics problems. You are encouraged to discuss the problem sets with other students. But you have to do your homework yourself. Homework is due on the third Monday after it is assigned. Late homework will not be accepted and will receive zero credit.
The term paper should contain a cover page, an essay, and a reference list. The cover paper should include your name and address, and an abstract that is less than 250 words. The essay should include an introduction, a literature review, a theoretical model, policy or empirical implications，and a conclusion. The essay should demonstrate your creativity and ability to conduct independent research. The subject can be either theoretical or empirical, and is not limited to consumer and producer theories. I encourage you to form a research group of four or five to carry out the research jointly. But each of you must write up your paper separately. The paper should be typed in WORDS and printed on A4 size paper. There is no page limit. The hard and electronic copies of the final draft are due by 17:00, Jan. 2, 2006. Each research group should make a ten minute presentation during the last class.
Midterm exam covers all lectures before the exam date (November 7). Final exam focuses on lectures after the midterm. The exam will be on January 2. Both midterm and final exams are mandatory. Makeup will be only given to those with legitimate reasons.
Grade Curve
Grade Percentage Score Range
Ａ 5％ 90－100
Ａ－ 15％ 85－89
Ｂ＋, 10％ 82－84
Ｂ 10％ 78 －81
B－ 10％ 75－77
Ｃ+ 10％ 72－74
C 12% 68 - 71
C - 12% 64 - 67
Ｄ 13% 60－63
F 3% < 60
This course is part of the core requirement in Master’s program. The average score is about 70.
Course Schedule
Date Lec Topic Reading Reading
Sept. 19 1 Introduction Math
Sept. 26 2 Preference and Utility 1.1－1.2 Problem Set 1
Oct. 3 National Day
Oct. 10 3 Consumer Optimization I 1.3
Oct. 17 4 Consumer Optimization II 1.3 Problem Set 2
Oct. 24 5 Marshallian Demand and Indirect Utility Function 1.4
0ct. 31 6 Expenditure and Hicksian Demand 1.4
Nov. 7 In-Class Midterm
Nov. 14 7 Properties of Consumer Demand 1.5 Problem Set 3
Nov. 21 8 Duality and Revealed Preference 2.1－2.3
Nov. 28 9 Risk, Uncertainty and Expected Utility 2.4
Dec. 5 10 Risk Aversion 2.4 Problem Set 4
Dec. 12 11 Production, Cost and Duality 3.1－3.4
Dec. 19 12 Competitive Firm 3.5
Dec. 26 Presentation
Jan. 2 Final Exam
Jan. 26 Post Grade
Note 1: The course schedule is subject to change
Note 2: Teaching languages are Chinese and English.
Note 3: Students are encouraged to read English-version textbooks.