ADVANCED PLACEMENT EUROPEAN HISTORY



ADVANCED PLACEMENT MACROECONOMICS AND MICROECONOMICS

2013-2014 Course Overview

Mr. Kuppens, Room 252 and 330

Nicholas.Kuppens@apsva.us

Course Descriptions

A.P. Macroeconomics is a one semester survey course equivalent to a first-year college course. It will provide students with a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to an economic system as a whole. The primary emphasis of this course will be on the study of national income, production, and price-level determination. Other topics will include measuring economic performance, fiscal and monetary stabilization policies, money and banking, economic growth, and international economics. The following is a list of AP College Board topics for this course with the approximate percentage of emphasis and time that will be placed on each topic and on the semester and AP exams:

1) Basic Economic Concepts (10%)

2) Measurement of Economic Performance (15%)

3) International Trade and Finance (10%)

4) National Income and Price Determination (15%)

5) Financial Sector (Money, Banking, and Monetary Policy) (15%)

6) Inflation, Unemployment and Stabilization Policies (25%)

7) Economic Growth and Productivity (10%)

Students will learn important economic models and will learn to develop and interpret models through extensive graphing and graphic analysis.

A.P. Microeconomics is also a one semester survey course equivalent to a first-year college course. It will provide students with a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to the functions of both individual consumers and producers in the economic system. The primary emphasis of this course will be on the nature and functions of product markets (where goods and services are sold) as well as the study of factor markets (markets where land, labor, and capital are exchanged). The role of government in providing and protecting public goods as well as equity in the economy will also be emphasized. The following is a list of AP College Board topics that will be covered in the second semester with the approximate percentage of emphasis and time that will be placed on each topic:

1) Basic Economic Concepts – brief review from first semester – and Consumer Behavior (10%)

2) The Theory of the Firm and the Nature and Function of Product Markets (60%)

3) Factor Markets (15%)

4) Market Failure and the Role of Government (15%)

Students will learn important economic models and will learn to develop and interpret models through extensive graphing and graphic analysis.

Rules

1) Bring a pen or pencil, paper, and homework to every class. We will not use the textbook in class, so you

may leave your text at home.

2) Students may bring bottled water to class.

3) I-pads, cell phones, laptops, tablets, and other personal electronic devices may be used in class but for

instructional or learning purposes only. Use of headphones, earphones, or other devices for listening to

music, streaming video, podcasts, etc. will not be allowed during class.

4) Be respectful of students, adults, and property.

Class Description and Expectations

This course will be taught similar to a college course. It will require a significant amount of time outside of class for reading and completion of problem sets – approximately two hours per night, four or five days per week. Students are expected to become more efficient with time management as the course progresses.

Classroom activities will include the following:

1) lectures, discussions, and student note-taking;

2) problem sets using economic models and graphing;

3) unit tests (about every three weeks); and

4) miscellaneous activities such as small-group work.

At the conclusion of the course, students will have a strong basis in both Macro- and Micro-economics and the ability to understand how dynamic changes in the world affect the economy.

Homework and the Use of Blackboard

All reading assignments will be from the McConnell & Brue text. Students are expected to read and complete chapter homework questions on each of the assigned chapters by the date due provided in the course syllabus (provided separately).

All homework will be posted on Blackboard for students to access if they did not received a copy of assignments in class or if they are absent from class. Blackboard will also have the following resources:

1) PowerPoint presentations used in class;

2) links to relevant internet lectures and presentations such as Khan Academy and

;

3) a discussion board to share opinions and ideas about current economics topics; and

4) course documents.

Text and Supplementary Resources

McConnell, Campbell R. and Stanley L. Brue. Economics: Principles, Problems, and Policies. 18th ed.,

Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin 2009.

Study Guide for Use with Economics. McConnell, Brue and Walstad. (Chapter homework & review

packets)

Dodge, Eric. 5 Steps to a 5 AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics, 2014-2015 Edition. New York:

McGraw-Hill 2013. – or equivalent AP exam review book

Ray, Margaret A. and Stone, Gary L., Advanced Placement Economics, Microeconomics and

Macroeconomics: Student Resource Manual. 4th ed., New York: Council for Economics Education

2012.

Activities for Application and Understanding

Students will be expected to engage in various critical thinking activities that will stress graphic construction, analysis, and interpretation. Students will be engaged in in-depth case studies and analysis to further understand content, to make connections from the curriculum to the real world, and to be able to apply the content accurately. Students will be assigned free response questions from AP exams administered between 1999 and 2013 along with other sources in preparation for unit exams and the AP Exam on May 15, 2014.

Grading Policy

I. Student grades reflect student achievement and not student behavior or attendance.

II. Quarterly grades will be calculated from the following forms of assessment.

1) Summative Assessment: Unit Tests (Multiple Choice and FRQs) – 70% of the quarter grade.

2) Formative Assessment: Homework, Quizzes, & Class work – 30% of the quarter grade.

Final quarterly grades will be calculated on the Arlington Public Schools scale:

A = 90-100%; C = 70-76%;

B+ = 87-89%; D+ = 67-69%;

B = 80-86%; D = 60-66%; and

C+ = 77-79%; E = 0-59%.

For quarterly grades, decimals of .5 and above will round up to the next highest number whereas decimals below .5 will round down.

Extra credit

Extra credit is available for students each quarter but will never count more than 5% of each quarter grade. Extra credit will not be given out 2 weeks before grades close. See me personally for assignments

III. Final Course Grades will be determined in accordance with APS Policy Implementation Procedure

20-5.150 (Communication – Reporting to Parents).

Students will receive a half a credit (.5) for each of the two semesters of the course. The final

semester grades will be calculated as follows:

1) Quarterly grades and the final exam will be converted into quality points as follows:

A = 4, B+ = 3.5, B = 3, C+ = 2.5, C = 2, D+ = 1.5, D = 1, E = 0

2) The final grade average for each semester will be calculated by averaging the quality points of

the two quarterly grades and the final exam. The quarterly grade quality points will be of equal

weight and will collectively make up 80% of the semester grade (40% for each quarter). The

final exam quality point will be worth 20% of the course grade and will be averaged with the

quarter grade quality points to determine the final quality point average as follows:

AP Macroeconomics: [(Q1 + Q2) x 40%] + [FE x 20%] = Final Quality Point Average

AP Microeconomics: [(Q3 + Q4) x 40%] + [FE x 20%] = Final Quality Point Average

3) Final Quality Point Averages will be used to determine a student’s final semester grade as follows:

|Final Quality Point Average |Final Grade |

|3.75 to 4.0 |A |

|3.25 to ................
................

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