Fall 20045
|
Instructor:
Dr. Jacqueline Khorassani |
Office
Hours: 14:00-15:00 MW
and 9:30-10:30 TTH and
by appointment |
|
Office:
Thomas 104 |
Voice:
376-4621 (Office), Fax: 376-7501 |
|
E-mail:
khorassj@marietta.edu |
What is Regression Analysis?
In simple terms,
regression analysis deals with the application of statistical methods to
economics and other social and/or behavioral sciences. More broadly, it is
concerned with
(1)
estimating relationships between
two or more variables. Some of these
variables are traditionally known as economic variables such as price, interest
rates, income, consumption, cost of production, advertising expenditures,
profits, and sales while others may be non-economic variables such as gender,
race, age, weight, faith, number of children, years of experience, geographic
location, climate, population, corporate structure, political party
affiliation, and campaign expenditures.
(2)
confronting theories with facts and
testing hypotheses involving behavior of economic/non-economic variables.
(3) forecasting the behavior of variables.
This course is open to all students who meet the
prerequisite regardless of their major.
Upon the completion of this course you will be able to
produce an empirical research paper, where you will use
the real world data to test your discipline-related
theories empirically and predict the behavior of the variable of
your interest. (In
fact, this is exactly what students majoring in economics will be doing in Econ
421.)
Dennis Halcoussis, Understanding Econometrics, Thomson
Sout-WesternAddison Wesley Longman, 2005.
For statistical estimation, we will use EViews,
Student Version 3.1 (or higher) Quantitative Micro Software,
Math 123 or
Psychology 285, and permission of instructor.
Means
of Communication
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.
In addition, 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 my office or my home, fax me, 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.
I am a firm
believer in the system of checks and balances. I will try to give you feedback
on how you are doing in class as frequently as possible. If your performance in
class does not meet your expectation, please feel free to ask me for help. Together, we should be able to find a way to
increase your productivity. Similarly, I
am asking you to give me feedback on how I am doing as your instructor. To make
it easier for you to share your concerns with me, I have made it possible for
you to send your comments to me anonymously via my web page. I will read your comments and respond to them
on my web page.
Attendance Policy
Attendance
in this class is mandatory. If you miss a class in which an in-class
assignment was given, you will not be given a chance to turn in that assignment
later. 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.
|
2
Exams (30% each) |
60% |
|
Other
Assignments |
40% |
|
Total |
100% |
You will be
evaluated as follows:
|
Total (Percent) |
Grade |
Total
(Percent) |
Grade |
|
97
and above |
A+ |
77-79 |
C+ |
|
93-96 |
A |
73-76 |
C |
|
90-92 |
A- |
70-72 |
C- |
|
87-89 |
B+ |
67-69 |
D+ |
|
83-86 |
B |
63-66 |
D |
|
80-82 |
B- |
60-62 |
D- |
|
|
|
59
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:
|
Exam 1 |
Thursday, September 29 |
|
Exam 2 |
Thursday, November 10 |
|
Exam 3 |
Friday, December 9,
8:30-11:00 |
Only your top two exams count toward your course
grade. All exams are comprehensive in the
sense that they
cover all material from day one through the most recent
class.
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.
Assignments
Due to the fact that this course is
heavily application oriented, I will give assignments frequently. Some of these assignments have to be
completed in class (ICAs) while others may be due the next class day (OCAs).
The ICAs carry 5 points while the OCAs carry 20 points. If
you miss a class in which an in-class assignment was assigned, you will lose the opportunity to turn in that assignment later unless you have an
excused absence. Also, a penalty of five points will be imposed on those students who, for any reason, turn in their
out-of-class assignments the day after the due date. No out of class
assignments will be accepted beyond the day after the due date. When calculating your final grade, I will drop your lowest grades on the
"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, 2005-2006 Catalog, p. 135).
In
order to familiarize yourself with the college policy please study the relevant
pages of Marietta College 2005-2006 Undergraduate
Catalog available at http://mcnet.marietta.edu/~records/Catalogs/UG%20Catalogs/index.html
If you need
accommodations due to documented disability, contact the
Our plan is to
cover the entire book in order. A weekly detailed outline will be posted on the
web.