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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "EC 316"
COURSE NAME: "International Economics"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Summer Session I 2012
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Merva Mary
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MTWTH 9:00-11:00
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisites: Junior Standing, EC 201, EC 202
OFFICE HOURS: MTW 8:30 to 9:00

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The course aims to provide students with a strong analytical framework to understand major issues in international economics (trade and finance).
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
The course surveys international economics.  Major topics include international trade theory, international trade policy, exchange rates, open-economy macroeconomics, and international macroeconomic policy.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
  • Introduce students to an analytical framework that can be used for understanding current events in the field of international economics.
  • Learn about and use sources of information related to the global economy and be mindful of measurement issues.
  • Ability to distinguish good economic arguments for international trade and international macroeconomic policy that include a systematic awareness of the cost and benefits that identify areas of uncertainty as well as difficulties encountered with empirical assessments.
  • Develop an awareness of the distributional consequences of a globalization and economic policy Developed skills in the critical analysis and presentation of these arguments through careful study and through active class participation.
  • Gain an historical understanding of international economics
  • Ability to write and communicate effectively.
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
International Economics: Theory and Policy, 9th Edition. Paul R. Krugman, Maurice Obstfeld, and Mark MelitzNew York: Pearson Addison-Wesley0-273-75409-2 Earlier editions of the Krugman Obstfeld textbook are fine for students to use though readings will follow the 9th Edition.   
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Four exams Each exam is in-class and includes essay and problem-solving.25 percent each.

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
Please see the University's description of A, B, C, D, and F.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Students are strongly encouragd to attend lectures as part of their education. Class participation is expected.
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

PART I: INTERNATIONAL TRADE THEORY

Week 1  

Chapter 1: What Is International Economics About?

Chapter 2: World Trade: An Overview (include the Gravity Model)

Chapter 3: Labor Productivity and Comparative Advantage: The Ricardian Model

                The Concept of Comparative Advantage
                A One-Factor Economy
                Trade in a One-Factor World
                Misconceptions About Comparative Advantage
                Box: Do Wages Reflect Productivity
                Empirical Evidence on the Ricardian Model

Chapter 4: Resources, Comparative Advantage, and Income Distribution

               Introduction to Specific Factors and Income Distribution
                The Political Economy of Trade: A Preliminary View
                International Labor Mobility 
                Case Study: Foreign Workers: The Story of the Gulf Cooperation Council
 
Chapter 5: Resources and Trade: The Heckscher-Ohlin Model

                Introduction (p. 110)
                Trade and Income Distribution and Factor Price Equilization (p. 121-134)
                 Read the Richard B. Freeman Article: "Are Your Wages Set in Beijing" Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 9, n.3, Summer 1995.
               

Chapter 7: Economies of Scale, Imperfect Competition and International Trade                   

                Economies of Scale and International Trade: An Overview
                Economies of Scale and Market Structure
               The Theory of External Economies
                External Economies and International Trade
                Box: Tinseltown Economics

Week 2

Tuesday First Exam Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7

PART II: INTERNATIONAL TRADE POLICY

Chapter 8: Firms in the Global Economy: Export Decisions, Outsourcing, and Multinational Enterprises

                Trade Costs and Export Decisions
                Dumping
                Multinationals and Outsourcing

Chapter 9: The Instruments of Trade Policy

                Basic Tariff Analysis 
                Costs and Benefits of a Tariff
                Other Instruments of Trade Policy
                Case Study: Europe's Common Agricultural Policy
               Case Study: An Import Quota in Practice: US Sugar   
                The Effects of Tariff Policy: A Summary

Chapter 10: The Political Economy of Trade Policy

                The Case for Free Trade
                Case Study: The Gains from 1992
                Income Distribution and Trade Policy  
                International Negotiations and Trade Policy

Chapter 11: Trade Policy in Developing Countries

                 Import-substituting industrialization
                Trade Liberalization Since 1985
                Trade and Growth: Takeoff in Asia
              
Chapter 12:  Controversies in Trade Policy

                Globalization and Low-Wage Labor
                Globalization and the Environment

PART III: EXCHANGE RATES AND OPEN ECONOMY MACROECONOMICS

Chapter 13: National Income Accounting and the Balance of Payments

                The National Income Accounts
                National Income Accounting for an Open Economy
                Case Study: Government Budget Reduction May Not Increase the CA Surplus
                The Balance of Payments Accounts
               Case Study: The Assets and Liabilities of World's Biggest Debtor

Week 3

Tuesday, Second Exam: Chapters  8, 9, 10, 11, 12

 

Chapter 14: Exchange Rates and the Foreign Exchange Market: An Asset Approach

                Exchange Rates and International Transactions
                The Foreign Exchange Market
                The Demand for Foreign Currency Assets
                Equilibrium in the Foreign Exchange Market
                Interest Rates, Expectations, and Equilibrium

Chapter 15 Money, Interest Rates, and Exchange Rates

                Money Defined: A Brief Review
                The Equilibrium Interest Rate: The Interaction of Money Supply and Demand
                 The Money Supply and Exchange Rate in the Short Run

Chapter 16: Price Levels and the Exchange Rate in the Long Run

                The Law of One Price
                Purchasing Power Parity
                Empirical Evidence on PPP and the Law of One Price 
                Explaining the Problems with PPP
                Box: Some Meaty Evidence on the Law of One Price

Chapter 17: Output and the Exchange Rate in the Short Run

                Determinants of Aggregate Demand in an Open Economy
                The Equation of Aggregate Demand
                How Output Is Determined in the Short Run
                Output Market Equilibrium in the Short Run: the DD Schedule
                Asset Market Equilibrium in the Short Run: the AA Schedule
                Short Run Equilibrium for an Open Economy
                Temporary Changes in Monetary and Fiscal Policy
                Macroeconomic Policies and the Current Account
                Gradual Trade Flow Adjustments and Current Account Dynamics

Week 4

Tuesday Third Exam Chapters  13, 14, 15, 16, 17

 

Chapter 18: Fixed Exchange Rates and Foreign Exchange Intervention

                Why Study Fixed Exchange Rates?
                Central Bank Intervention and the Money Supply 
                How the Central Bank Fixes the Exchange Rate
                Stabilization Policies with a Fixed Exchange Rate
                Balance of Payments Crises and Capital Flight
                Reserve Currencies in the World Monetary System
                The Gold Standard

 

Chapter 19: The International Monetary System, 1870-1973

                Macroeconomic Policy Goals in an Open Economy
                International Macroeconomic Policy under the Gold Standard, 1870-1914
                Box: Hume versus the Mercantilists
                The Interwar Years, 1918-1939
                Case Study: The International\Gold Standard and the Great Depression
                The Bretton Woods System and the International Monetary Fund
                The External Balance Problem of the United States
                Case Study: The Decline and Fall of the Bretton Woods System
                Worldwide Inflation and the Transition to Floating Rates

Chapter 20: Optimum Currency Areas and the European Experience

  Week 5: 

PART IV: INTERNATIONAL MACROECONOMIC POLICY

Chapter 21: Financial Globalization: Opportunities and Crisis


Chapter 22: Developing Countries: Growth, Crisis and Reform

                Income, Wealth and Growth in the World Economy
                Structural Features of Developing Countries
                Developing-Country Borrowing and Debt
                Box: Simple Algebra of Moral Hazard
                Box: What Did Asia Do Right?
                Lessons of Developing-Country Cases
                Reforming the Financial "Architecture"
                Understanding Global Capital Flows and Global Distribution of Income

Student Presentations – Wednesday and Thursday.

Exam 4  Friday, Chapters 18, 19, 20, 21, 22.