Economics Syllabus
Allison Steele Enhanced Learning Center
Welcome to Economics! I am very pleased to have you in my class. Economic principles are used to explain choices you make everyday. For example, how many DVD players would you buy if they cost $5.00 each? What if they were $500.00 each? The choices you make based on the scarce or limited resources such as money that you have are explained with economic principles. If you care about the value of your dollar, you should have some interest in this class.
This course is required in order for you to graduate. I think this course is also required if you wish to be educated on your finances and the way the financial world works. Who doesn’t like money? It is very important that you understand how local, national, or global events can affect all of our dollars.
The following essential elements will be covered in this class:
1. Cost, Production, economic decision making.
2. Basic Principles of Economics and the U.S. free enterprise system.
3. Rights and responsibilities of consumers and businesses.
4. Role of the Federal Reserve System in monetary and fiscal policies.
5. Economic growth and stability, government taxes.
6. Comparative economic systems – Traditional, Command, and Market.
In this course, there are 5 Units or Modules in which you have 30 days to complete. Most students complete the course in 15-20 days, so if you take longer than 30 days, I will withdraw you from the course, and you must start over. After the daily work for each unit is completed, you will take (and pass) unit tests. Upon completion of the work and tests, you will be required to complete a project, which will count as 2 test grades.
If you complete the unit before the allotted number of days, that is great! You can move on to your next course and become one step closer to graduation!
The grading system is as follows:
5 Unit Workbook Sections 5 Daily Grades
5 Unit Tests 5 Test Grades
Project 2 Test Grades
Good Luck! I look forward to having you in my class. I will be available to help you, and I want you to succeed in this class.
Economics Course Outline
Allison Steele Enhanced Learning Center
Mrs. Matney
Unit 1 – The Basics of Economics and Economic Systems
· Chapters 1, 2, and 18.
Unit 2 – Demand, Supply, Equilibrium, and Competition
· Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7
· Budgeting and Planning
· Education and Salaries
Unit 3 - Labor, Wages, Taxes, and Business Cycles
· Chapters 8, 9, 13, and 14
· Personal Resume
Unit 4 – Spending, Money, Banking, and The Fed
· Chapters 10, 11, 12, and 15
Unit 5 - Economic Stability, International Economics, and Conservation
· Chapters 16, 17, 19, and 20
Project
Economics Project Directions
Mrs. Matney
Allison Steele Enhanced Learning Center
You may choose from two different projects for your final assignment in Economics. Read the directions for each project and choose the one that interests you most.
Project 1
For this project, you will research a businessperson or entrepreneur. You may choose any person that you are interested in or would like to learn more about, or you may choose a famous entrepreneur such as Michael Dell, Bill Gates, J.C. Penney, Mary Kay Ash, or any other appropriate businessperson. You must get your choice approved from me before you begin your project.
You may choose to present your research in an essay. The essay must be 1-2 pages in length. If you would like, this essay may be presented to the English department in order to possibly earn dual credit. If you prefer, you can present your research in a poster format using pictures, graphs, charts, and captions. If you would like to earn dual credit in Speech class, you may present your poster and speak about your research to the class.
The following guidelines must be included in your project:
1. Introduce the businessperson. (Include home state, age, business name, and a little history about the person.) Explain why you chose that particular person and business.
2. Discuss the success of the business and how the business grew. Include specific dates and numbers, if available. (Profits, losses, international markets?)
3. Include any hardships the business endured.
4. Explain what type of business it originated as and what type of business it is today. (Corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship)
5. What type of competition does the business face? (Monopoly, monopolistic competition, oligopoly?) You may need to review these terms and determine yourself what category the business falls under.
6. Describe what you have learned about the person/business. Include personal comments or opinions about the business.
This project counts as 2 test grades. Make sure it is nice and legible. You may use the computers/printers in class if necessary. Enjoy this project and learn about a business that is interesting to you!
Project 2
For this project, you will need to research career opportunities that you may be interested in. Visit www.bridges.com. Click on “create a new portfolio.” Ask me to enter the Site ID and Password and then you may complete the portfolio survey as well as create a user name and password. Your user ID should be your last name, first initial, and 6 digit school ID. Your password should be the same as your X drive password.
Once you have created your portfolio, you click on “Choices Explorer” to explore career options or “Choices Planner” to actually plan your route to achieve your goal. You may also click on the “Ability profiler” to take quick assessments to see what the system recommends for your career choices. Ask me for help as you work your way through the system. There is a tremendous amount of information on this site to assist you in your career options. You may find a lot of this information to be very valuable and helpful as you pursue your career goals. Once you have researched your career options, write an essay 1-2 pages of what you have found.
Include the following in your essay:
1. At least one or two career options that you would seriously consider.
2. Schools or universities that you may need to attend in order to pursue a particular career.
3. The starting salaries of the jobs that interest you.
4. The route that you would take in order to pursue one of these careers.
5. Discuss interesting or unusual careers that you may have not heard of.
6. Conclude with a paragraph telling me where you would like to be in 10 years.
If you do not wish to write an essay, you may present your findings in a poster detailing the above requirements. Again, it may be possible to gain dual credit in English or Speech. This site is a wonderful tool to learn about career possibilities for your interests.
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