David Levine - Berkeley Haas



Synthesis of your Advice for Designing a Course

PHDBA 300

Spring 2010

Syllabus

• Explains the purpose of the class

• What you will learn

• Why what you will learn is important.

o This mission statement helps professors and TAs when preparing lectures, answering questions, or grading assignments.

• Explains administrative topics

o the workload for the course,

o information on grading,

o Professor & TA contact info and office hours

o where any required or recommended readings can be obtained: book store, on hold in the library, or on bSpace or another site.

▪ Which requires proper prior planning

• Create a logical order

• Includes the right amount of material

o Not too many topics

o Not too much detail

o Include optional enrichment material

• Stick to the syllabus

o A roadmap for students and instructors

o Students can use to make up missed talks

▪ Versus: Update the syllabus as needed

▪ Have optional material you can add if time permits or students are interested.

• Reserve the final classes under the assumption you will fall behind.

Assignments

• Purpose of assignments should be to:

o help students review and synthesize

▪ versus help them prepare for class

o spark student thinking.

• Topics tied to the key points

o For the course

o for the exam and

o for life

• Consistent with the contents in the lecture.

o & consistent with the notation of the lecture

• Explain objectives: what student to gain

o “Homework should help you become comfortable with the concepts covered in class

o “Papers will be background for your second year paper

• Clear expectations: an original analysis, thoughtful literature review, new idea,…

• Draft answers to problem sets prior to assigning and distribute answers soon after

Lectures

• Work on them a lot!

• Explain importance of the topic to students

• Create a logical order that flows

o Include some optional material if time permits and/or students are interested.

• Consistent approach as the textbook

o Versus: Present alternative ways to think about a problem

• Teach to all the students, not just the A+ student

o One way to avoid teaching too fast is to improve interaction. By raising questions and see students' response, you can go in a more appropriate pace.

• Repeat back ambiguous questions to assure understanding

• Avoid unfamiliar references

• Use the board well

o Plan how to manage the available board space so transitions are clear

o Keep up material till all have had a chance to take notes

o Write slowly, neatly, and away from hard-to-see edges.

• Distribute lecture notes

o versus make students take notes

Course websites and course management systems

• Help keep the class organized.

• Students may easily be contacted with class changes

• Students check the website if they have missed class for an assignment or syllabus.

• Ensure that students have all of the materials

• Post as many materials as possible to bSpace, etc.

• Opportunity for additional links to further information for curious students.

• Emails and weekly updates to bSpace

• Versus have only 1 channel of communication [Debbie]

E101B Macroeconomics

Spring 2009

Professor David Levine

levine@haas.berkeley.edu

Office: F671 Haas, phone 642-1697

Office hours: Monday and Wednesday 11-12 in F671, or just stop by, call or email.

The GSIs are:

|GSI |Email |Office location |Office hours |

|Todd Fitch |todd.fitch@ |Haas F689 |Fri. 10-11 |

|Shishu Peng |shishu@berkeley.edu |F678 |Fri. 12-1 |

|Will Wright |will_wright@mba.berkeley.edu, |F621 |Tues. 4:30-5:30 |

|Matt Holman |matt_holman@mba.berkeley.edu |F689 |Fri. 12-1 |

Contents

E101B Macroeconomics 1

Basics 4

Course Requirements and Assignments 4

Reading List 6

1. Introduction Wed. Jan. 21 7

2. Measurement - January 26 8

3. Economic Growth 8

4. Unemployment Error! Bookmark not defined.

5. Inflation (& Deflation) Error! Bookmark not defined.

6. Money, Interest and Income Error! Bookmark not defined.

7. Monetary and Fiscal Policy Error! Bookmark not defined.

8. Introduction to the Open Economy Error! Bookmark not defined.

9. Open Economy & Trade Error! Bookmark not defined.

10. Unemployment, Inflation, and Policy Error! Bookmark not defined.

11. Topics: Financial Crises & Global Warming Error! Bookmark not defined.

12. Macroeconomics Policy Debate Error! Bookmark not defined.

13. Final exam for both sections: Thurs. May 21 8-11 a.m. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Links of Interest Error! Bookmark not defined.

News Sources & Policy Analyses Error! Bookmark not defined.

Data Sources and International Overviews Error! Bookmark not defined.

Sites Suggested by Classmates Error! Bookmark not defined.

Humor Error! Bookmark not defined.

[pic]

Basics

Course Abstract:  Macroeconomics concerns the environment of business including recessions, financial crises, unemployment, exchange rates, international trade deficits, and inflation. We spend a lot of time examining government fiscal, monetary and trade policies. This courses uses current events around the globe as case studies to understand how macroeconomics influences politics and business. The class is based on lectures that rely on class participation; that participation, in turn, requires reading, problem sets, and knowledge of current events.

Class: Andersen Auditorium

Monday – Wed. either 9:40-11 or 12:40-2.

Units: 3 units

Enrollment: If have questions about enrollment or the waitlist, please visit or contact the Haas undergraduate office. I do not control enrollment.

Course Requirements and Assignments

Grading:

Midterm (March 11) 25%

Final 55%

Homework 10%

Class Participation 10%

Homework: You are welcome to work in a group of 2 or 3, but must hand in individual homework prior to class. Homework should be handed in on bSpace (see below).

Class participation: Students are co-producers of each class. It is imperative that each student come to class prepared by completing the required reading, answering the required discussion questions, and completing any homework assignments. Class participation is required and makes up 10% of your grade.

There are multiple measures of class participation:

▪ Recording yourself as present and prepared at the start of each lecture and section;

o To pass you are required to use the with the i>clicker (see below) to record yourself as present and prepared for at least 75% of the lectures and sections. The recording takes place the first minute of class.

o Excused absences are not held against you. If you are absent for a medical reason (including caring for a family member), please email my assistant Milton Fong (mfong@haas.berkleey.edu).

▪ Answers that reflect being prepared for class when I ask you to participate;

o I call on students every day. Thus, all students must prepare all discussion questions prior to class. If you are unprepared one day, do not record yourself as present and ready to participate. If I cold call you after you make that declaration and you are obviously unprepared you risk failing the class. If you do not like being cold-called, please talk to me and I will preview questions with you.

▪ Voting with the i>clicker when I submit questions to a class vote (see below);

▪ Good questions or comments in class and/or office hours (mine or the GSIs);

▪ Good questions, comments or suggested links on the online discussion forum on the bSpace (see below) or sent directly to the GSIs:

o If you have questions regarding the content in the class, please send them to the team of GSI’s at gsiuba110@lists.haas.berkeley.edu;

o If your question is specific to section logistics or office hours, please email your GSI directly; and

▪ Participation in the cartoon caption contest.

Effective class participation either asks a thoughtful question or is a comment that:

▪ addresses the topic being explored;

▪ shows evidence of preparation and listening;

▪ moves the discussion forward by building on (not repeating) previous comments; and

▪ contributes to our understanding.

The i>clicker: You are required to purchase an i>clicker remote for in-class participation. The i>clicker allows you to respond to questions I pose during class; you will be graded on that feedback and on participation. We will use the i>clicker every day in class, and you are responsible for bringing your remote daily.

You need to register your i>clicker remote online before class January 28. You must have come to class at least once and voted on at least one question prior to this registration. Once you have voted on a question, go to registration. Complete the fields with your first name, last name, UC student ID, and remote ID. The remote ID is the series of numbers and sometimes letters found on the bottom of the back of your i>clicker remote.

Final: Thursday May 21 at 8 a.m. (exam group 14). Place to be announced.

Review sessions: There will be review sessions before the midterm and the final exam. You are invited to ask questions to the GSI’s and myself in person or by email. The review session will consist solely of responding to your questions. Note: There are no office hours or replies to questions in the 24 hours prior to an exam.

Email: Readings and messages will be emailed to you. You are expected to read your email several times a week.

Class bSpace: The bSpace site, UGBA 101B Macroeconomics, has an updated version of this syllabus, copies of all homework assignments and answers, discussion forums, and en email archive for this class. An introduction to bSpace is at . If you are not receiving class email, please check with CalNet that your email address is correct: .

Section is required.

|Time on Friday |Room |GSI |For Lecture |

|10:00 - 11:00 AM |C230 |Matt Holman |9:30 |

|11:00 AM – noon |C230 |Matt Holman |9:30 |

|2:00 - 3:00 PM |C230 |Shishu Peng |9:30 |

|3:00 - 4:00 PM |C320 |Shishu Peng |9:30 |

|8:00 - 9:00 AM |C220 |Todd Fitch |12:30 |

|9:00 - 10:00 AM |C220 |Todd Fitch |12:30 |

|12:00 - 1:00 PM |C230 |Will Wright |12:30 |

|1:00 - 2:00 PM |C230 |Will Wright |12:30 |

Class representatives

|Class |Class Rep |Email |

|9:30 |Calvin Chang |calvinchang@berkeley.edu |

| |Tiffany Zhu |tiffanyzhu@berkeley.edu |

|12:30 |James Lee |revolution@berkeley.edu |

| |May Lee |mayyoulee@berkeley.edu |

I appreciate feedback of any sort.  Please send comments directly to me or if you prefer to the GSIs or class reps.  Please give feedback early and often.

Etiquette: You are entitled to attend lectures and sections other than your assigned class.

To avoid distracting classmates, please use your laptop only for note-taking and make sure your phone makes no sound. I or a GSI will confiscate any offending laptop or cell phone. Offending students may pay $10 to Challenge for Charity to redeem their hardware (or explain to me in writing why that charge is a financial hardship).

Students who are late to class distract their classmates. If you know you will be late and have a good excuse, please email me ahead of time. Unexcused latecomers should wait by the lower door, enter as a group 10 minutes after class begins, and sit in the front row on the side by the door. I assume any tardiness is due to eagerness to study the material to be ready for class. Thus, I frequently cold-call students in the latecomers’ section. Unfortunately, as these students had extra time to prepare, they do not receive class participation credit. As no student would risk interrupting class to visit a café, if you come in late holding a coffee or other snack, I will assume it is for me. Thus, please deliver it to me as you enter.

There is zero tolerance at the Haas School of Business for cheating on an exam or homework or by clicking someone else’s i-clicker for them. [pic]

Reading List

The textbook is Macroeconomics, by N. Gregory Mankiw (sixth edition).

The class will be based around real-time cases of the global macroeconomy, as described in the Financial Times. Thus, you must read the Financial Times at least 5 days a week.

If you purchase the textbook from ASUC or Ned’s, the Financial Times is included for no additional cost. Mail in the card that comes with new copies of textbook and choose either a paper copy mailed to you or online access. If you prefer the online access, it is probably faster to email useducation@ with your name, access code, email, address, Professor name (David Levine), class (Macroeconomics, UGBA 101B) and school name (UC Berkeley).

If you purchased your textbook separately, you can order 15 or more weeks of the FT either in print or electronically at:

o       FT Newspaper & :

• FT Electronic Edition & :

There may be special deals for students available on the Web as well. Members of Facebook’s college network may have access to free online FT for 12 months: . I am not endorsing this provider; just pointing you to a link.

All dates in the syllabus below are approximate.

|1. Introduction Wed. Jan. 21 |top |

Required reading:

o       "The Science of Macroeconomics," Mankiw Chapter 1

Homework #0: Due the first day of class:

1. Please look in the Financial Times and find a story that fits your name:

A) If your first name begins with A-D, find a story concerning why living standards and output per capita differ so much between countries. That is, a story on long-term determinants of output and living standards.

B) If your first name begins with E-K, find a story concerning persistently high or low unemployment and/or inflation.

C) If your first name begins with L-O, find a story concerning interest rates, money supply, and central bank policies.

D) If your first name begins with P-S, find a story concerning exchange rates and one or more of trade deficits, the current account, capital controls, or capital mobility.

E) If your first name begins with T-Z, find a story concerning government macroeconomic economic policy and/or corruption.

|2. Measurement - January 26 |top |

Required reading:

• "The Data of Macroeconomics," Mankiw Chapter 2

Homework #1: Due before class Monday Jan. 26 (hand in using bSpace):

1. List three ways in which GDP over- or understates a nation's typical standard of living.

2. List 2 reasons why the CPI might over- or understate the true inflation rate.

3. What are 3 reasons why it matters if the CPI is accurate?

Optional Readings:

•        Measuring the National Economy: A set of notes discussing in detail national income concepts such as value added, GDP, GNP and their measurement problems.

•        The Bureau of Economic Analysis maintains the U.S. national income and product accounts: GDP, C, I, G, NX, etc.  Their tables are at .

•        National accounts from other OECD nations are at , with more data at

•        Angus Maddison has computed growth rates for up to 2 centuries for as many nations as possible. His GDP estimates along with several others are collected at , which also has data on financial variables (stock prices, exchange rates, interest rates, etc.).

| |top |

|3. Economic Growth | |

Required reading:

o       Mankiw Fig. 7-1 (p. 187), Fig. 7-6 (p. 197), and Fig. 7-13 (p. 210 and related case study on population growth); middle of p. 226-234; and the Appendix to chapter 8 “Accounting for the Sources of Economic Growth.”

Discussion questions

1. What are three important factors of production (e.g., land, labor, etc.) that make industrialized nations richer than they were 150 years ago (and richer than non-industrialized nations are today)?

2. What are three policies or characteristics of the nation that encouraged the currently industrialized nations to industrialize earlier than other nations?

3. What is a specific policy that would cost-effectively promote accumulation of one of the factors of production you mentioned?

Hint: Cost-effective policies usually affect decisions at the margin; that is, they minimize rewarding people or companies for doing what they would do anyway. For example, Mankiw pp. 226-227 discusses the tax break on individual retirement accounts that proponents claim will increase national savings. Because the tax break is not targeted at the margin, it can actually reduce national savings. Also, specific policies are not “promote X”, but explain how you propose to promote X.

4. Will China or India grow faster in the next 20 years? Good answers will discuss both proximate determinants of growth via accumulation (physical capital, etc.) and deeper factors that, in turn, promote accumulation of the proximate factors.

Note: During class we will debate this issue.  Your preparation should include an effective brief for both sides of the debate.

Hint: Your answers might use some of the phrases: License Raj; barefoot doctors, and/or Great Leap Forward. It might look at human and physical capital stocks both today and a generation ago.

In the spirit of this class, this is a real-time case. You might start your exploration with a survey such as Wikipedia’s article “Economy of India” [] or The Economist [countries/India] with subscription, or through Long Library.

I recommend you peruse recent Financial Times articles. Nice introductions are in the “Engaging India” series of columns [].

David Levine January 19, 2005

Business Administration 259C Industrial Relations

Paper Assignment

The most difficult assignment in this course is the term paper. The paper presents an opportunity for you to do some original research on the topic of your choice.

The assignment consists of five parts: a prospectus, a checkpoint, a rough draft, refereeing, and a final paper.

Prospectus should be handed in by Feb. 17, and is due in class March 3. (That is, students who wait till March 3 are already behind schedule, but I will not penalize them.) The prospectus is a two paragraph statement of the problem your paper will examine. It contains a question you will examine (e.g., "What do U.S. senators think of the new Japanese management system recently begun in Congress?"), a data source ("I used to be a U.S. senator, and can gain access to my former colleagues."), and a methodology ("I will survey all 100 senators.").

Checkpoint should be handed in by March 3 and is due March 17. The checkpoint assignment explains your access to your data source, and includes a rough draft of your survey, questionnaire, statistical methodology, etc. This assignment is one type-written page, with attachments. By the time the checkpoint has been turned in, you must have already checked whether your planned data source is available; for example, will a sufficient number of senators agree to fill out your survey?

A shockingly long time is needed to identify a topic and data source. Start thinking about the topic soon, and do not be surprised when due dates come around and you cannot gain access to your data.

A complete rough draft of the paper is due at 5 p.m. on Friday May 6. I will not read this draft, but it must be handed in and complete. That is, it needs an introduction, literature review, data description, methods, results, discussion, tables and bibliography. An email submission is fine.

Refereeing: A second copy of your rough draft must be refereed a classmate, and you must referee another classmate's draft. A referee makes comments about a paper to ensure high quality. The referee should check that the analysis is complete and convincing, as well as improve the clarity and organization of the paper. The referee should provide comments within 48 hours of receiving the paper. A copy of your referee's comments (one or two pages) should accompany your final draft.

The Final Paper is due at 5 p.m. May 13. The completed paper should be 12 to 20 double-spaced pages (excluding graphs, charts, etc.). Authors of longer papers will be summarily executed (unless the paper is very, very good).

Group papers can involve two people and can be up to 26 pages.

Topic: Feel free to pick any topic you wish. I am happy to discuss these topics with you. I have compiled a list of possible topics, but you are invited to choose any relevant topic of interest.

All papers must follow the guidelines in “How to Present Results.” These instructions are important for clarity; thus, papers must follow them.

Note: Referees are responsible for noting discrepancies between a draft paper and these instructions.

You are welcome to use this term paper for your statistics, econometrics, or research methods classes if the professor of that class agrees.

Business Strategies for Emerging Markets Spring 2006

MBA & EMBA 257-4 David I. Levine

Research Project

The research project is your opportunity to study business strategies in emerging markets in some depth. You get to identify an important issue, choose how to tackle it, identify the information you need, and argue for your preferred solution. The research project is done in groups of three or four. The project makes up 50% of your course grade.

Typical projects examine a strategy issue faced by a particular company, NGO, or public sector body, although more academic topics are possible (e.g., “Do the OECD rules on corruption ‘level the playing field’ for nations that had already banned corruption?”) The organization may be one in which you are working or have worked, one in which you would like to work, or one in an industry you know something about or would like to know more about. Your project should address a specific question. For example, “Should this company enter a particular market, and if so how?” or “How can this business franchise its business model to other nations?” or “Should this regulatory body shift its mode of regulation?” or “How can this regional government redesign its health care delivery system?”

There are three guidelines for choosing the strategy question your project addresses. First, it should be a question that you are excited about. Second, it should be a question that matters to business or whose answer is useful to the organization you are studying. And third, your question should be specific enough that you can treat it carefully and thoroughly; if your question is too broad, your project will not get below the superficial level.

Your final project should be 16-20 (double-spaced, 12 point font, 1 inch margins) pages long, plus tables or appendices. About the first third of the text should pose the problem and give the necessary background. The rest of the project should present your answer and the analysis necessary to convince your reader it is the right one.

An important goal of your paper is to narrow the problem sufficiently that you can do substantive analysis. I do not want a little bit on many questions; I want a convincing answer to one question. Most answers should involve some analysis with numbers and all papers will carefully cite their sources.

I will give you feedback throughout the semester on your project. In order to do so, there are several deadlines your group needs to meet.

• Feb. 8: Turn in a page that includes your group membership, what company or sector you have chosen, and what the company does and that suggests 2 or 3 possible strategy questions. I’ll return your note with feedback about which questions I think are most likely to generate successful projects.

• Class break during February: Meet with me as a group before, in between, or after class to discuss your project. In this meeting, you should be prepared to discuss which question you’ve chosen and sketch out how you are going to answer it.

• Prior to spring break: Turn in a 4-5 page very rough draft or preview of your project. It does not need to be polished, but it does need to show me that you have some idea what the answer to your question is. This is not a graded assignment. The purpose is for me to be able to give you feedback midstream. The better and more complete your draft, the better feedback I’ll be able to give you.

• April class breaks: Optional group meetings if you’d like to discuss your project again with me.

• Sunday May 7, 11:59 p.m.: Final projects due. A Word or PDF attachment to an email is the standard format but hard copy delivery by Friday May 3 is fine.

 

How to Present Results

Reporting Statistics

Authors must work hard to make their results easy to follow. Thus, a reader should be able to understand a table without reference to the text and the text should stand by itself, even if a reader ignores the tables.

Variable names should be self-explanatory. The text should flow without ever showing that the reader has encountered a variable name. For example, "Each plant visit by a social scientist corresponded to 3.1% higher voluntary turnover per month (SE = 0.9%, P < .05)" is much better than "The coefficient of SCISTUD on VOLTUR was .031* (.009)," which is better than "S and V were significantly related." In short, nobody should know what passed between you and your computer in the middle of the night.

Variable names in tables have units, unless obvious (e.g., age in years). Name your dummy variable Male or Female, but not Sex.

Often variables are proxies for conceptual variables. If you want to measure complexity, but your variable is log(employment), name the variable employment (if all variables are expressed in logs) or log(employment), not complexity.

Each table has number. When journals permit, it is helpful to have a meaningful title: "Wages Do Not Rise with Tenure," not "Wages."

All statistical tests include the name of the test, the test statistic, and the significance level. Include a brief description of complex procedures at the bottom of the table. Notes also remind readers of the meaning of complicated variables.

Each estimated equation lists the dependent variable and sample size. If one of these is constant for an entire table, list it only once. Always include measures of goodness of fit such as R² or log-likelihood. Usually include a test of the significance of the entire regression (such as an F test for ordinary least squares), and appropriate residual diagnostics (such as Durbin-Watson statistics and heteroskedasticity tests).

Coefficients should include standard errors or t statistics, and some indication of statistical significance (P values or * for P  ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download