Economics 5202

Fall 2010

Prof. Francis Ahking

Office:  Mont 336 Hours:  MW: 11 a.m. - noon, and by appointment e-mail:  francis.ahking@uconn.edu Telephone:  6-3026

The following textbooks are highly recommended but are not required.  You can purchase Williamson's book from the UConn Co-op, the other recommended text is out of print.  Other sources are also available.  For example, you can get a new or used copy from Amazon.com at a discount.  Williamson's textbook is also available as an e-textbook from Coursesmart.com for a 180-day rental with download.  You could also purchase a used 3/e of Williamson's text at a big discount.  You'll be responsible for the changes, however.  The major change in the 4/e is the addition of a chapter.  Although this is not an entirely new chapter, it has been greatly expanded from the 3/e, and made into a standalone chapter.  

	"Macroeconomics", 4/e, by Stephen D. Williamson, published by Pearson, Addison Wesley The publisher's website contains a set of PowerPoint lecture notes which can be freely downloaded.
	"Modeling Monetary Economies", 2/e, by Bruce Champ and Scott Freeman, published by Cambridge University Press   We will only cover a few chapters from this book, and therefore may not make it worthwhile to purchase.  You can purchase a used copy from Amazon.com for $11.00 + shipping, however.

In this course, you will be introduced to a variety of Macroeconomic models, and examine the range of problems that these models are designed to address.  The emphasis will be on model building and problem solving.  We use a microeconomic foundation approach to macroeconomics.  Among the models that we'll be examining are long-run growth model, "real" business cycle model, monetary business cycle model, and over-lapping generations model.  Although intermediate level of microeconomics and macroeconomics are not prerequisites, I will assume that you have prior economic training up to intermediate microeconomics and macroeconomics.  In addition, you will need to know sufficient mathematics to handle differential calculus, and matrix algebra.  A good source for the mathematics review would be Michael W. Klein’s “Mathematical Methods for Economics”, chapters 12 – 15.  Please see me if you need more information about your background preparations.

A Note about plagiarism.  The University and the Department take cheating and plagiarism very seriously.  You are welcomed to discuss the homework problems among yourselves, or with graduate students of years past.  However, what you turn in to me for a grade must represent your own effort.  If you are not clear about what this means, check with me.  I will adhere very strictly to the University’s policy on cheating and plagiarism.

There will be about 10 homework problems assigned.  But these will not be collected nor graded.  Rather, I'll post solutions to them.  I encourage you to work through these problems, or at least be similar with the solutions, since I believe that they are important self-assessment tools and will be very helpful on your various examinations.  Your grade for this class is based entirely on one mid-semester and one final examinations.  

The following course outline is subjected to change.  I recommend that you read all the assigned chapters, even-though my lectures will not cover every topic.  I will occasionally supplement my lectures with additional lectures of my own.