Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "EC 202-1"
COURSE NAME: "Principles of Macroeconomics"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2025

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Tulia Gattone
EMAIL: tulia.gattone@johncabot.edu
HOURS: TTH 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: MA 100 or MA 101; Recommended: EN 105
OFFICE HOURS: by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
An introduction to the basic principles of the macro economy, such as national income accounting, determination of national income, business cycles, inflation, unemployment, fiscal and monetary policy, macroeconomics in the open economy, and economic growth.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

The course will cover the following topics in macroeconomics: comparative advantage and trade, supply and demand, the data of macroeconomics - measuring inflation and unemployment, economic growth, the financial system, basics of finance, money, banking and central banks, inflation, exchange rates, balance of payments, aggregate supply and demand, business cycles, monetary and fiscal policy, and the optimum currency areas.

The course also aims to link the economic theory to current issues and debated questions. A focus will be devoted to the origins and consequences of the rising inflation on the world economy, the ongoing debate about the normalization of central banks’ monetary policy and the effects of the massive use of technology and artificial intelligence on the global labor market.

Students are strongly encouraged to read articles from “The Economist” (available at the University’s library), and the “Financial Times”, as well as to follow the daily news on the main economic events.

The course materials will be posted on Moodle, our leaning management system, available at http://moodle.johncabot.edu/ .

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

- Understand of basic macroeconomic concepts and how to use them to construct and follow a critical argument

- Learn to read data and evaluate sources of economic data

- Write and speak clearly and carefully so as to better articulate arguments.

- Locate data sources.

- Prepare visual presentations of an economic topic that demonstrates ability to properly document materials and convey information clearly and ethically

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments	Format	Local Bookstore	Online Purchase
Macroeconomics	N. Gregory Mankiw & Mark P. Taylor	Cengage Learning EMEA	978-1473768567

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Midterm n.1	The exam will be worth 100 points. It will cover all the material taught until a week before the exam day: multiple-choice questions and open-ended questions. Regardless of the format, the questions will be analytical.	20%
Midterm n.2	The exam will be worth 100 points. It will cover all the material taught from Midterm exam n.1 onward: multiple-choice and open-ended questions. Regardless of the format, the questions will be analytical.	20%
Project Presentation	The project assigned has the objective to:  find and document information;  use information that is relevant to illustrating the question/issue of concern;  present information in tables, charts, graphs that are visually easy to understand and properly documented;  test the student’s ability to summarize  and clearly present  the key elements of an issue in an oral presentation. Grading will be based on:  clarity of the presentation;  structure of the presentation and organization of the information Documentation of sources as well as graphs, charts, etc.;  appropriate choice of visual information that illustrates the issue clearly and professionally;  depth and insight of the research;  ability to use theoretical and empirical instruments to criticize/support an issue.	20%
Final Exam (comprehensive)	The exam will be worth 100 points. It will be cumulative, i.e., it will be about all the material covered throughout the course: multiple-choice questions and open-ended questions. Regardless of the format, the questions will be analytical.	40%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Week 1	Introduction	Relevant chapters from the textbook
Week 2	Measuring a nation’s wellbeing and the price level	Relevant chapters from the textbook
Week 3	The Real Economy in the Long Run	Relevant chapters from the textbook
Week 4	Midterm n.1
Week 5	Long-run Macroeconomics - Part. 1	Relevant chapters from the textbook
Week 6	Long-run Macroeconomics - Part. 2	Relevant chapters from the textbook
Week 7	Short-run Economic Fluctuations - Part. 1	Relevant chapters from the textbook
Week 8	Midterm n.2
Week 9	Short-run Economic Fluctuations - Part. 2	Relevant chapters from the textbook
Week 10	Short-run Economic Fluctuations - Part. 3	Relevant chapters from the textbook
Week 11	The causes and aftermath of the financial crisis	Relevant chapters from the textbook
Week 12	Common currency areas	Relevant chapters from the textbook
Week 13	Project presentation
Week 14	Review
		Final Exam Period See University schedule for the day and time. Comprehensive final exam.