Syllabus
ECON 345: International Trade
Spring 2008
Section W01, TR 2:00 - 3:15 pm, McElhaney Hall 205
Instructor: Dr. Stephanie M. (Brewer) Jozefowicz
Email:  Stephanie.Jozefowicz@iup.edu  (Note:  I tend to check email fairly infrequently.)
Economics Dept. Phone: 724-357-2640
My Office Location: McElhaney Hall 202B
My Office Phone:   724-357-2642
Office Hours: Mondays 3:45 - 4:45 pm, Tuesdays 8:30 - 9:15 am & 12:20 - 1:50 pm, Thursdays 8:30 - 9:15 am & 3:20 - 4:20 pm, or by appointment
Course Website:  http://www.chss.iup.edu/smjozef/brewerteach.html
Course Prerequisites: ECON 121 and ECON 122, or permission of the instructor
Course Description: Study of the microeconomic segment of international specialization and exchange, including theories of international trade and their application to commercial policies; historical survey and examination of current problems of international trade; and the institutional setting of international trade.
Course Objectives: This course aims at helping students understand:  1) The theories of trade advanced to explain why nations trade. 2) The impact of free trade on a nation’s current standard of living and its future economic growth.  3) National commercial policies, why and how governments interfere with trade, and the welfare effects of managed trade.  4) Multilateral  trade-liberalization agreements–the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the World Trade Organization.  5) Customs union theory; the various stages of economic integration, and case studies in economic integration.  This course also aims to improve student writing through a variety of writing opportunities both in and out of the classroom.

 Textbook and Supplemental Reading Materials

Robert J. Carbaugh, International Economics, 11th edition:  The textbook is designed to facilitate learning both inside and outside the classroom.  Reading assignments from the text are included on the course outline and will be mentioned about once a week.  You will know what you should be reading if you check the course outline.  Lecture material will make more sense if you read the text first; the text will make more sense if you attend lecture first.  Although exam questions are based on the lecture material, the text parallels the lectures.  Hence, the readings in the text should be thought of as a supplement to the lecture material.  You will likely want to bring the textbook with you to class.

Supplemental Readings Course Packet, ECON 345–International Trade, Dr. Stephanie Jozefowicz:  This course packet is available at Copies Plus (formerly known as Copies Now).  Included are sets of longer readings, shorter news articles, and exams from my section of this course taught during the Spring 2000 semester.  We will almost daily be using readings from this packet, so you need to bring it with you to class.
 
 

ECON 345 Website

I have set up a website for this class.  The specific html address location is given above.  (This page is linked off of the Department of Economics website, as well, if you cannot remember the address.)  A variety of information will be accessible via this website.  I intend to update an “Announcements” page after every class.  Announce-ments will include the topic of the lecture material covered in class on a given day and any homework/in-class/ extra-credit assignments collected or announced that day.  Additionally, there is a link to the website operated by South-Western College Publishing for the Carbaugh textbook–you may want to investigate the supplementary resource materials provided at this website.
 
 

Assignments and Grading Policy

International Journal: You will keep a current event journal of news articles related to international economic issues.  Articles must include either international trade or international finance issues, but the U.S. does not have to be a part of the focus of the article.  You are responsible for finding two articles per week for Weeks 1-10 as listed below in the course outline section.  You may clip the articles from a newspaper or news magazine or print the articles from the web (English only, please).  The completed journal, along with a journal paper based on the collected news articles, will be due Tuesday, April 1 by 3:15 pm.  The combined journal and journal paper assignment will account for 5% of your final course grade.  See the separate handout assignment for more details.

Writing Assignments:  Periodically, writing assignments will be made.  Whether you graduate and enter the work force or continue in school for an advanced degree, communicating through writing will be a necessary and often used tool skill for you.  Hence, I consider using writing as another instructional goal for this course.  Writing assignments should be formatted with one inch margins, use Times New Roman or Arial 11-point font, and be double-spaced.  The length of assignments will be specified at the time the assignment is given.  Writing assignments will be graded on the basis of organization, content, grammar, and punctuation.  Please hand in two copies of all writing assignments.  One of the papers will be graded and returned to you; the other paper will be retained in my files.  You may hand in a rough draft of any writing assignment one week before the due date for instructor feedback regarding the quality of your work and suggestions for improvement.  Writing assignments will comprise 5% of your final course grade.

Homework and In-Class Assignments:  Periodically homework and in-class assignments will be made.  These assignments may be problems from the text or other materials that I prepare.  In-class assignments will be due in class on the day they are assigned.  This means that if you miss a given class day in which an in-class assignment was made, you will not receive credit in the grade book for that assignment.  Generally, you will be asked to work in a small group as you complete in-class readings and assignments.  Learning to work better in groups and learning international trade course content are both instructional goals from these in-class assignments.  They are also important instructional tools.  Points will be deducted from any assignments turned in after they are due unless prior arrangements with the instructor have been made.  An assignment will not be accepted for a late grade once that assignment has been graded and returned to the class.  To be redundant, this policy means that if you miss a class, it is YOUR responsibility to check with a classmate to determine what, if any, assignments were made.  Not being able to reach me personally concerning assignments because you missed class is NOT a legitimate excuse for late homework.  If you know you will be missing the class in which a homework assignment is due, you can send the assignment with a classmate, turn in the assignment to me in advance, have it placed in my box (during normal business hours), or email the assignment to me attached as a Word or WordPerfect document.  Homework must be in my box or received as email by the end of the class period.  Homework and in-class assignments will count as 15% of your final course grade.

Attendance and Class Participation:  I believe class attendance and participation are closely linked with how well students learn and perform on exams.  All students will be expected to participate fully in the discussion of materials.  In other words, I expect you to be present in mind as well as body when you come to class.  Students routinely will be called upon to provide definitions of terms, examples for theories under consideration, and theories for examples under discussion.  This is non-punitive behavior–it merely enhances the learning environment.  Cardinal rule:  never, never, never cut class because you are unprepared:  such behavior will only compound how far behind you are.

Major exams:  There will be two major exams given in class during the semester.  Each exam will be worth 100 points, and each will count as 25% of your final semester grade.   The tentative exam dates are Major Exam #1:  Thursday, February 12 and Major Exam #2:  Thursday, March 27.  There will be NO make-up exams in this class regardless of circumstances.  You may choose not to take one (and only one) of the two in-class exams simply by informing me prior to the end of the exam period.  (Thus, you may decide during the course of taking an exam that you do not wish to hand in the exam.  If this is your choice, then DO NOT turn in the exam.  If you walk out the door with the exam in your possession, I will assume your final decision (in the words of Regis Philbin!) is to not have the exam to count as part of your grade.)  Any exam turned in to me at the end of an exam period WILL BE graded and WILL partially determine your course grade.  If you elect not to take one of the two in-class exams, the comprehensive final exam will take on the additional weight of the missed exam.  Exam questions will stress analysis including short essay questions, numerical problem solving, and defining economic terms or concepts.  Using graphs to illustrate your reasoning is a critical part of answering most short essay questions.  Any written answer that cannot be deciphered due to handwriting illegibility will be counted as a wrong answer.  Exams will be based on the material covered in class.  You may use a basic, non-programmable calculator on exams.  All cell phones and all MP3/ iPod/related devices should be turned off and put away before any exam begins.  Once the exam is handed out, you will not leave the room until you are ready to hand in the exam.

Final exam:  There will be a final exam given on Tuesday, May 6 from 12:30 - 2:30 pm in McElhaney Hall 205.  The final exam will have the same format as the major exams.  The final exam will be comprehensive, covering all of the course material for the whole semester.  The final exam will count as 25% of your final semester grade.  (This means that if you miss either the first or second major exam, then the final exam will count as 50% (25% + 25%) of your final semester grade.) You may use a basic, non-programmable calculator on exams.  All cell phones and all MP3/ iPod/related devices should be turned off and put away before any exam begins.  Once the exam is handed out, you will not leave the room until you are ready to hand in the exam.   Unless alternative arrangements are made before the final exam, a score of zero will be entered in my grade sheet for the final exam if you do not show up in the correct room and at the correct time for the final exam.

Extra-credit:  Under no circumstances will I give extra-credit work to individual students.  However, during the semester, I may offer optional class exercises for which extra-credit points can be earned.  Offering opportunities for extra-credit is subject to my discretion.

 Summary of grading:
                    International Trade Journal:                   5%
                    Writing Assignments                               5%
                    Homework/In-Class Assignments:       15%
                    Major Exam #1:                                     25%
                    Major Exam #2:                                     25%
                    Final exam:                                            25%
                                                                                  100%

Grading scale:  The standards are based on the below percentage distribution.  Changes to the distribution may be made at the instructor’s discretion, but any changes will be strictly in your favor in terms of expanding the ranges to include lower grade percentages.  A:  90 - 100%, B:  80 - 89%, C:  70 - 79%, D:  60 - 69%, F:  <  60%.
 

Miscellaneous

Many students may find it beneficial to discuss the course material with one another.  You are encouraged to share helpful suggestions for studying and mastering the material.  There is an underlying principle of learning when working together in small groups like this–you can determine what you know as you are forced to explain the concepts and problem solutions to one another.

You may wish to bring colored pens/pencils with you to class.  For some graphical analyses, I will use different colored font/chalk/overhead markers in my presentation.  Some students have expressed that having colors of their own greatly enhances their ability to understand their notes.

I follow the policy outlined in the IUP Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures with regard to cheating and academic dishonesty.  I will give an incomplete only for the specific reasons outlined in the IUP Incomplete policy, so please don't ask for exceptions to these rules.  Both policies can be found in the Undergraduate Catalog 2007-2008.

If you historically have not regularly checked your IUP email, you should begin to do so.  I sometimes may email the class information, and I only will use your assigned IUP email address.  Furthermore, I ask that you only use your IUP email account to email me (you can use the I-mail web interface from any computer if you don’t have Outlook Express or other similar program set up for your IUP email address) and that you include “ECON 122" as the first part of the subject line.  We’re all overwhelmed by junk mail, and this should aid our communication with one another so that we don’t accidentally delete important messages.

 If you qualify for services through the IUP Advising and Testing office, please talk with me sooner rather than later about what accomodations you plan to seek if they are directly related to this course.  Additional IUP services that you may wish to explore: the Writing Center (http://www.wc.iup.edu/).

I will be available for questions or comments about class during my office hours.  I will arrange to see you by appointment if you are not able to come see me during the designated office hours.  Please talk with me to arrange any appointments.


Course Chapter Coverage and Suggested End-of-Chapter Study Questions

Note: The following Study Questions will be considered “fair game” for exam coverage unless otherwise specifically noted in class.  While some questions may be formally assigned and graded as part of in-class/homework assignments, non-assigned questions remain as “fair game.”  Additional questions may be added to the list via in-class announcements.

  Ch. 1:  The International Economy
    ▸    #2, 3, 7, 8, 10

  Ch. 2:  Foundations of Modern Trade Theory
    ▸    #1, 2, 3, 6, 10, 12

  Ch. 3:  International Equilibrium
    ▸    #1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12

  Ch. 4:  Trade Model Extensions and Applications
    ▸    #1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 11, 13

  Ch. 5:  Tariffs
    ▸    #1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15

  Ch. 6:  Nontariff Trade Barriers
    ▸    #1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 16

  Ch. 7:  Trade Regulations and Industrial Policies
    ▸    #1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12

  Ch. 8:  Trade Policies for the Developing Nations
    ▸    #1, 5, 6, 8, 10

  Ch. 9:   Regional Trading Arrangements
    ▸    #2, 3, 4, 6

Ch. 10:  International Factor Movements and Multinational Enterprise
    ▸    #1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
 

Summary of Important Dates for the Semester

(Announcements about upcoming homework, in-class assignments, and extra-credit opportunities will be made in class, as well as confirmation of/changes in the tentative exam dates.)
   
Week 1:  January 14-January 20    

Week 2:  January 21-January 27    
        Drop/Add on Banner ends Sunday, January 20
        No classes university-wide (Martin Luther King Day):  Monday, January 21

Week 3:  January 28-February 3

Week 4:  February 4-February 10    

Week 5:  February 11-February 17  
MAJOR EXAM #1: Thursday, February 12

Week 6:  February 18-February 24      

Week 7:  February 25-March 2        
Note:  My classes and office hours are cancelled February 26 - 29 (Tuesday-Friday).  I am traveling to and attending the National Council for Economic Education Economic Summit (Washington, D.C.) and the National Association for Economic Educators Professional Development Conference (Baltimore). A replacement application assignment for missed class time will be given.

Week 8:  March 3-March 9    

 Week 9:  March 10-March 16
       Note:  Classes are cancelled university wide (Spring Break!):  March 10-15

Week 10:  March 17-March 23    
        Students can view mid-term grades on Banner:  Monday, March 17, 8:00 am

Week 11:  March 24-March 30
        Individual Course Withdrawal Deadline: Wednesday, March 26
        MAJOR EXAM #2: THURSDAY, March 27 
        Total Semester Withdrawal Deadline: Friday, March 28

Week 12:  March 31-April 6

Week 13:  April 7-April 13

Week 14:  April 14-April 20    

Week 15:  April 21-April 27

Weeks 16 & 17:  April 28-May 11   
        Last Day of Classes:  Monday, April 28
        Reading Day(s): Tuesday, April 29
        FINAL EXAM: TUESDAY, MAY 6, 12:30 - 2:30 PM; LOCATION–MCELHANEY 205
        Spring 2008 Commencement:  Saturday, May 10
        Spring 2008 Semester Grades Available on Banner: 8:00 am, Friday, May 16


DR. STEPHANIE JOZEFOWICZ’S TOP TEN LIST
FOR A SUCCESSFUL SUMMER SESSION:

1.    Attend class regularly.  Missing class means you lose out on course lecture material that is vital to successful performance on exams, in-class assignments, and with valuable discussion with peers.    

2.    Be on time for your own benefit and out of consideration for others–the disruptions you cause by coming in late affect everyone (in economics, we call such impacts negative externalities).  Similarly, if you know you will have to leave before class ends, then sit by the door to minimize disruptions and interruptions for your classmates that will occur if you don’t sit near the door and have to stomp over the top of them and/or parade across the front of the room as you exit (furthermore, I would appreciate if you would kindly mention your need to leave to me before class starts).

3.    Having to get up and leave in the middle of class in the case of an emergency is one thing, but DO NOT make it a habit to wander into and out of lecture–this is rude and disruptive behavior that causes a NEGATIVE impact on your fellow classmates and makes your instructor grumpy.  Being asked to work with a neighbor or in a group should NOT be interpreted as a signal that you have a free pass to get up and leave class.

4.    KEEP UP--the materials build as the semester progresses--very few students can succeed by just studying the night before the exam.  You have many opportunities for working on sample exam questions between formal in-class and homework assignments, end-of-chapter questions in the textbook, and the course packet.  Students who perform at the top of the class generally are the ones who work on these sample questions and ask questions as they go about what they discover they don’t understand as well as they thought they did.    

5.    Take excellent class notes–write out explanations and examples of the concepts covered rather than just copying down the definitions or graphs–this will help you immensely as you work on assignments and as you study for quizzes and exams.  Additionally, look over your class notes and text readings before (yes, I said before!) coming to class–for each section of notes, go back and think how you can reorganize them so they make sense to you (students have found that making flow diagrams can help connect the material in a personally meaningful way).

6.    Make use of office hours–clear up questions as they arise and are fresh on your mind... generally students find I am friendly and helpful in office hours, and the additional one-on-one attention does wonders for truly comprehending the material.
    


7.    Realize at the outset that you may have really buckle down and approach studying for this class differently.  This class will require much more than basic memorization and regurgitation of definitions.  This class has the reputation of being “hard” for a reason.  Merely showing up every day for class is likely to be insufficient to secure an “A” or even a “B” letter grade.  You should plan on allocating time outside of class to working on practice problems from the course packet and textbook well beyond any formal homework assignments.  Historically undergraduate students have been advised time and again to plan on spending 3 hours studying outside of class for every hour of official class time....    

8.    Expect that we virtually always will have class every day and that we virtually always will stay the entire length of class.  Class time is a mixture of lecture/note taking, in-class problem solving, application exercises to news and pop cultural print and visual media sources, and peer discussion.

9.    Cell phone/MP3/iPod/related devices: double check and make sure that they are turned off before class starts.  Furthermore, they are to be turned off and placed completely out of sight during all exams.

10.    Just as you expect to be treated with respect, remember to treat your fellow students and me with the same high level of respect.


 

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