Syllabus for ECO-490

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS


COURSE DESCRIPTION

International Economics presents an in-depth examination of the basic principles of international economics. The course broadens your perspective on the growing economic interdependence of nations—how it happens and how it affects lives around the globe. Topics such as industrial policy and strategic trade policy, comparative advantage theory, exchange rate determination and forecasting, international trade in services, environmental regulatory policies, and international competitiveness are covered.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing this course, you should be able to:  

  1. Define economic interdependence.
  2. Distinguish between absolute and comparative advantage.
  3. Describe the operation and effects of tariffs and identify major non-tariff barriers to trade.
  4. Summarize the history of trade protection in the United States.
  5. Describe major regional trading agreements and organizations.
  6. Explain the operation of the foreign exchange market.
  7. Identify the tools of international economic policy.
  8. Discuss the activities of the International Monetary Fund.

COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to complete your coursework. Some course materials may be free, open source, or available from other providers. You can access free or open-source materials by clicking the links provided below or in the module details documents. To purchase course materials, please visit the University's textbook supplier.

Required Textbook

ISBN: 978-1285854359

COURSE STRUCTURE

International Economics is a three-credit online course, consisting of six modules. Modules include study materials and activities.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, take a proctored online midterm examination, and complete a final project. See below for more details.

Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.

Promoting Originality

One or more of your course activities may utilize a tool designed to promote original work and evaluate your submissions for plagiarism. More information about this tool is available in this document.

Discussion Forums

In addition to posting an introduction to the class in module 1, you are required to participate in seven (7) graded online discussions, each focusing on an international economics issue.

Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a discussion question and at least two subsequent comments on classmates' responses. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

Written Assignments

You are required to complete six (6) written assignments, consisting of eight essay questions each. The written assignments are on a variety of topics associated with the course modules.  One assignment, discussed below, has two parts.

When you have completed all of the assigned reading for a particular assignment, prepare your essay answers to the assignment questions. Use all of the relevant parts of the textbook. Be sure to refer to these directly in your answers. Of course, do not copy the answers word-for-word from the course materials. Answers must be in your own words. Be sure to make appropriate references.

Please answer each essay question as completely as possible (a minimum of about 150 words). Edit your assignment before submitting it. Be sure that you have addressed all required questions and every part of each question. Check your document for accurate spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Make sure that all sentences are complete and that paragraphing is appropriate.

Please note that Written Assignment 4 has two distinct parts to it. Besides answering the 8 essay questions in Part 1, you are required to make a preliminary submission concerning your final project trade analysis. You can get specific information about this preliminary project submission in the appropriate written assignment. Complete details about the project are in the Final Project area of the course Web site.

Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software.

Midterm Examination

International Economics requires you to take a proctored midterm examination. The midterm is a closed-book exam. It is two hours long and covers material assigned in Modules 1-3. It consists of multiple choice and short essay questions.

As you prepare for your exam, you may want to:

For the midterm, you are required to use the University's Online Proctor Service (OPS). Please refer to the "Examinations and Proctors" section of the Online Student Handbook (see General Information area of the course Web site) for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures. You are strongly advised to schedule your exam within the first week of the semester.

Online exams are administered through the course Web site. Consult the Course Calendar for the official dates of exam weeks.

Statement about Cheating

You are on your honor not to cheat during an exam. Cheating means:

If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in an exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

Final Project

You are required at the end of the semester to submit a final project in which you will compare international trade between two developed countries. This final project will be worth 20 percent of your final grade for the course.

Please note that in addition to submitting the final project trade analysis, you must make one preliminary submission containing information about your project. For specific information about this preliminary step, see the Final Project area of the course Web site. This area of the Web site will also provide details about the final paper.

For details regarding the due date see the Course Calendar.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

A

=

93–100

C+

=

78–79

A–

=

90–92

C

=

73–77

B+

=

88–89

C–

=

70–72

B

=

83–87

D

=

60–69

B–

=

80–82

F

=

Below 60

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of study course) or D or better (for a course not in your area of study), based on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.).

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

ACADEMIC POLICIES

To ensure success in all your academic endeavors and coursework at Thomas Edison State University, familiarize yourself with all administrative and academic policies including those related to academic integrity, course late submissions, course extensions, and grading policies.

For more, see:


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