Spring
2007
|
Instructor: Dr. Jacqueline
Khorassani |
Office Hours: 10:00-11:00
MWF and 13:00-14:00 TTH (with the
exception of Feb. 20, March 27 and May 1) and by appointment |
|
Office: Thomas 104 |
Voice: 376-4621 (Office),
Fax: 376-7501 |
|
E-mail: khorassj@marietta.edu |
Primary
Objectives
In this course we use economic models and
theories to analyze the causes and the effects of gender differences in labor
force participation, employment, earnings, housework, marriage, divorce, childcare,
education, … etc. In addition, we
discuss historical trends as well as current gender differences in the world
and engage in cross-cultural comparisons.
Our attempt is to give both genders equal time and space in this
course. To this end, we pay attention to
men’s issues and issues involving gender in general rather than solely covering
women’s issues. In those cases where one
gender receives outcomes less desirable than the other, however, our focus is
on alternative policies enabling the disadvantaged gender to rise to a higher
level in order to achieve parity between the two genders.
Secondary Objectives
In
this class various assignments are designed to enhance your
1)
analytical, problem solving, and
communication skills .
2)
ability to function as effective team
players with people from diverse backgrounds.
Econ 211
(Principles of Microeconomics)
The
Economics of Women, Men, and Work (Fifth Edition) by Blau, Ferber & Winkler, published by Pearson Prentice Hall.
My Teaching Philosophy
I
believe that straight lecturing is not the most effective way to teach economics. I also believe that you are capable of
studying and understanding most of the material covered in the book on your own
if you give it your best shot. Thus, I
am not going to stand here and repeat the chapters of your textbook
everyday. In other words, I am not
going to be a transmitter of
knowledge. Rather I view myself as designer.
Further, I view students as knowledge constructors
rather than sponges.
My task therefore, is (1) to design a map that
will lead you toward the construction of your knowledge; (2) to help you figure
out how to ask the right questions when you feel lost; (3) to ask you questions
in an attempt to find out if you are on the right track; (4) and to give clear
and meaningful answers to your questions. I realize that you are different form
each other. You have different
backgrounds, skills and learning styles.
That is why I use a variety of strategies and media in this class. I plan to give each of you as much support
and guidance as possible.
Your task is (1) to study the map; (2) to follow
the map; (3) to ask questions when you feel lost (I always prefer an stupid
question to no question as the alternative is remaining stupid.); (4) and to respond to my questions
(Be prepared to be wrong sometime. Being
wrong is okay as making mistakes is an inevitable part of learning.)
Our joint
task is to build a
learning environment in which we feel free and comfortable to express our
thoughts; to respectfully disagree with each other at times; and to learn from
each other.
Our main means of
communication is the classroom. You are
expected to attend classes on a regular basis and take notes on the upcoming
assignments and their due dates. I may
also communicate new information to you via my web page/email/voice mail/and
campus mail when necessary. Similarly,
please feel free to visit me in my office, call me at home, or e-mail me to
discuss your concerns and questions. I
have also made it possible for you to send me your comments anonymously via my
web page.
Attendance in
this class is mandatory. Missing a class affects your participation
grade. This holds unless you have an
excused absence. Classes missed
due to participation in college-sponsored co-curricular events are considered
excused absences. In order for the
absence to be excused, I must receive a written notification before
or immediately after you miss the
class. Regardless of the nature of your
excuse, it is your responsibility to contact me immediately after you
miss a class to find out about the new out-of-class assignment and everything
else you have missed.
Grading
The following
table shows the weight of different assignments in your final grade
|
3 Exams (100 points each) |
300 points |
|
Research Paper (100
points) |
100 points |
|
In Class & Out of
Class Assignments |
50 points |
|
Participation |
50 points |
|
Total |
500 points |
The students
will be evaluated as follows:
|
Total |
Grade |
Total (Percent) |
Grade |
|
490-500 |
A+ |
389-399 |
C+ |
|
461-489 |
A |
361-388 |
C |
|
450-460 |
A- |
350-360 |
C- |
|
439-449 |
B+ |
339-349 |
D+ |
|
411-438 |
B |
311-338 |
D |
|
400-410 |
B- |
300-310 |
D- |
|
|
|
299 and below |
F |
You are
responsible to keep track of the points you have earned throughout this
semester.
You will be given
three exams according to the following schedule. Each exam covers only the material covered since the
previous exam. Exams may consist of
multiple choice questions, essay questions, and graphical or numerical
problems. You may use in-class
assignments, out-of-class assignments, examples given in class, textbook
problems, as a guide to the types of questions that will appear on exams.
|
Exam
1 |
Exam
2 |
Exam
3 |
|
Monday,
February 12 |
Monday,
April 2 |
Monday,
May
7, 3:00 pm |
Make-up
Policy
If you miss an
exam and have an excused absence, I will meet with you to discuss your
options. If you miss an exam because of
an unexcused absence, you will receive a grade of zero on that
exam..
As noted above,
you may accumulate up to 50 participation points. To maximize your participation points you
must (1) attend classes; (2) actively participate in class by asking questions
and responding to questions asked by others; (3) be an active member of your
team.
A) Study
Assignments: At the end
of each class you will receive a study assignment (over and beyond a reading
assignment). When you come to the next
class, I assume that you are ready to discuss and/or answer simple questions
regarding the study assignment. The goal of some of the in-class-assignments
will simply be to test whether or not you have studied the assigned material.
B)
Out-Of-Class Assignments: You will frequently be given out-of-class
assignments consisting of numerical and analytical questions as well as
questions that requiring you to search in print and on line sources. I will collect and grade these assignments,
both for content and the disposition of the content. Unless
otherwise indicated in class, all OCAs must be typed. You may work
on these assignments in groups, but each student must write up his/her assignment
separately (no photocopies or duplicate papers). Occasionally, however, I may
require you to work on an assignment in teams of 2 or 3. In these cases, you will turn in one assignment for the entire team. A
penalty of 5 points will be imposed
on those who turn in their assignments one day pass the due date. No assignments will be accepted beyond the
day after the due date.
C)
In-Class Assignments: During this semester I will frequently
require you to complete a short individual or team assignment in class. If you
miss an in class assignment because of an excused absence, I will
discuss your options with you. If you don’t have an excused absence, you will
receive a grade of zero on your missed in class assignment.
D)
Research Paper: This paper is intended to allow you to
analyze the economic gender differences in an area that is either not covered
by the course or the coverage was not in depth.
For example, you may want to research the economic gender differences in
your field of study or the occupation of your interest. Alternatively, you may be interested to
analyze the economic gender differences in a country of your choice. Or, you may want to look at the gender
differences in programs such as welfare, pension plans, social security, ...
etc. In order to make sure that you are
on the right track and making continues progress toward producing an acceptable
paper, I am requiring you to complete this paper sequentially. The table below outlines the deadlines for
the completion of various stages of production of the paper and the numerical
values of different components of the paper. You are required to meet with me
at least four times (after stages 1, 2, 3 and 4) to discuss your paper.
|
Stage |
Deadline |
Value |
|
1. One paragraph describing the topic plus
at least two sources of information. |
February 16 |
10 points |
|
2. Observed similarities and/or
differences. |
March 9 |
20 points |
|
3. Theories regarding the similarities and
differences |
April 13 |
20 points |
|
4. Final draft |
April 27 |
30 points |
|
5. Classroom Presentation |
The week of May 7th |
20 points |
A penalty of 1 point per day will be imposed on those
students who don’t meet any of the above deadlines.
This paper should be approximately 12-19
pages long. It should consist of the
introduction of your topic and why it is important (1-2 pages). It should provide statistical or empirical
proof of existence or nonexistence of economic differences by gender (5-7
pages). It should consider theoretical
perspectives on the issue (4-7 pages). Finally, it should discuss related
policy implications (2-3 pages). The best papers will be summarized and
published in MACRO & micro.
Academic Dishonesty
"Dishonesty within the academic community is a very serious
matter, because dishonesty destroys the basic trust necessary for a healthy
education environment. Academic dishonesty is any treatment or representation
of work as if one were fully responsible for it, when it is in fact the work of
another person. Academic dishonesty includes cheating, plagiarism, theft, or
improper manipulation of laboratory or research data or theft of services. A
substantiated case of academic dishonesty may result in disciplinary action,
including a failing grade on the project, a failing grade in the course, or
expulsion from the College" (Marietta College Undergraduate Programs,
2006-2007 Catalog, p. 138).
In
order to familiarize yourself with the college policy please study the relevant
pages of Marietta College 2006-2007 Undergraduate
Catalog.
If you need
accommodations due to documented disability, contact the