School of Business and Economics

Department of Economics

Course Name
Introduction to Microeconomics
Course Code
Eco 101, Section: 06
& Section No.
Semester Fall 2020

INSTRUCTOR AND DEPARTMENT INFORMATION

Instructor Name Nazneen Imam

Office NAC 831 C
Office Phone +880-2- 55668200, Ext: 1813
Email Address
[Link]@[Link]
Please write your Name, NSU ID#, and Section when you email me
Please note, responses to emails might take 24-48 hours.
Department Economics
Relevant Links Google Classroom: [Link] Code: ln5ilox

COURSE AND SECTION INFORMATION

Class Time & MW 08:00-09:30

Location For online classes: [Link]
Course No Prerequisite
Prerequisite(s)
Course Credit 3:0
Hours
Course Description Introduction to Microeconomics (ECO 101) introduces the basic concepts and techniques
applied in Microeconomics. The topics covered in this course will help to understand the
behavior (“decision-making") of ‘economic agents’ (consumers and producers), which
will lead to understanding how prices and quantity of outputs to be produced and sold are
determined in the corresponding market/industry. This course is also designed to
discuss the various market structure (different states of a market under which
economic agents
interact) of an economy.
Course Objectives The objective of the course is to understand the basic economics concepts such as
scarcity, opportunity cost, marginal thinking, advantages of specialization of labor and of
trade undertaken based on comparative advantage, the role of demand and supply in
determining prices and quantities in a market economy, etc. Focus is also given on welfare
analysis in terms of consumer and producer surplus and the effects of government
intervention in the market on the surpluses. Understanding various concepts related to
supply sides (production and cost both in short-run and long-run), different market
structures (perfect competition, monopoly, duopoly/oligopoly, and monopsony) are also
an objective of this course. Real-world case studies, as well as economic news in
newspapers/magazines, will be
introduced to students in order to correlate textbook concepts with the real world.

Page 1 of 5
Student Learning On successfully completing this course, students will be able to understand that
Outcomes (SLOs) economics is the study of how society manages its scarce resources. While understanding
the management of scarce resources, students will learn the basic principles of
Microeconomics analytically. Particularly, they will be able to
1. Understand Microeconomic concepts and principles relating to how people make
everyday decisions at the individual, household, and firm/industry levels. They
will be able to understand basic concepts related to decision-making, such as
opportunity cost, trade-offs, scarcity, production possibility frontier, equity, and
efficiency. They will understand how rational agents think at the margin to make
choices.
2. At the individual household level, they will learn about utility maximization and
how the individual demand curve is derived in this process. They will learn to
apply the elasticity concept, determine equilibrium price and quantity, and
estimate changes in economic welfare using concepts such as consumer and
producer surplus.
3. At the firm level, students will be able to solve decision problems relating to
production, cost, pricing, profits, competitive strategies, etc. This includes
concepts such as (total, marginal, average) production, costs, profits, equilibrium
price, and quantity at the firm level and the industry level.
4. They will also understand the operations of different types of the market structure
under which agents interact.
5. In general, students' analytical skills will be sharpened, and they will be able to
think like an economist.

TEXTBOOKS

Required

1. Roger A. Arnold, Economics, 13th Edition, Thompson South-Western Cengage Learning.

Supplementary

2. N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Microeconomics, 8th Edition, South-Western Cengage Learning.

TEACHING STRATEGY

Given the current scenario, all the classes will be taken through Google meet. The link is posted on Google
classroom. I will prepare slides for each lecture, and you can download them from the Google Classroom
website. I will mostly base my lectures on those slides to discuss topics in the book. However, you are advised to
read the book for the exam preparation as those slides are not perfect substitutes for the book chapters.
Moreover, I will use graphs and several examples in the context of Bangladesh, outside textbooks, and slides.
Therefore, it is your responsibility to take notes on supplementary materials covered in class. The tentative
lecture outline is provided below, which is subject to change depending on the situation:

No Topic Lecture Chapter

 1 Introduction to Economics (Thinking like an Economist) 1, 2 Ch. 1
2 Economic Activities: Producing and Trading 2, 3, 4 Ch. 2
3 Supply and Demand Theory 5, 6, 7 Ch. 3
4 Supply and Demand Applications 8, 9 Ch. 5
5 Elasticity 9, 10 Ch. 20
6 Consumer Choice: Maximizing Utility and Behavioral Economics 11, 12 Ch. 21
7 Production and Costs 13, 14, 15, 16 Ch. 22
8 Product Markets and Policies: Perfect Competition 17, 18, 19 Ch. 23
9 Product Markets and Policies: Monopoly 20, 21 Ch. 24
10 Product Markets and Policies: Monopolistic Competition, Oligopoly and 22, 23, 24 Ch. 25
Game Theory
11 Quiz III and Syllabus review for the final exam 25

Accessing the Google Classroom:

Google Classroom will be used to post announcements, lecture slides, and other class-related materials. You are
responsible for checking it on a regular basis.

In order to access Google Classroom, go to [Link] sign-in with your NSU email > click
the plus sign at the upper right corner > Join the section-13 of ECO 101 with code eqyg5l5

COURSE EVALUATION

The course evaluation criteria are given in the following table.

Grading tool % contributing toward the final score

Midterm Exam 40
Final Exam 40
Quizzes/ Home-works/ Assignments 15
Attendance 5
Total 100

The weight distribution and the assessment methods might change as per the directives of the
authority.

GRADING POLICY

NSU’s grading and performance evaluation policies will be followed in assigning your grade.

EXAMS AND MAKE UP EXAMS POLICY

Online exams:
 You must upload your answer scripts according to the instructions within the assigned time.
 Uploading scripts after the assigned time will be subject to penalty
 You must keep your camera turned on while taking an exam.
 Un-submission or resubmission of the answer scripts will result in getting zero in the exam.
 Make sure to number your pages in the answer script.

Quizzes:
There will be three quizzes, but best two will be counted. The quiz accounts for 15% of the course grades. The above
table provides the details of the grading scheme. There will be O make-up for q uizz(es), under any circumstance.
N

Midterm exam:
There will be no make-up exam if missed. However, if there is a major circumstance that prevents a student from
taking any of the two exams, the student May be allowed to appear in a make-up exam. Student(s) must provide me
with official documents that prove their reason for missing the exam. If permission is granted, the date and time of the
make-up exam will be set by the instructor, and the student is asked to contact the instructor for further information.
Please note:
 You must come prepared for all your exams.
 You must come on time.
 Being late does not necessarily guarantee that you are going to get extra time for writing your tests and exam.
 You must bring your own pencil, pen, eraser, calculator, and any other permitted items that you may need,
and you are allowed during the tests and exams.
 All cell phones must be switched off.
 Any deviation from the standard procedures will not be taken lightly.
 Any unfair means adopted in the tests and exam will be seriously dealt with.
 Academic misconduct or failure to comply with the NSU Examination Code of Conduct may result in F.

COMMUNICATION POLICY

All communications should take place using my official email. Announcements made in the classroom will override any
statement made here. It is your responsibility to be aware of any announcements made in the classroom.

APPROPRIATE USE POLICY

All members of the North South University community must use electronic communications in a responsible manner.
The University may restrict the use of its computers and network systems for electronic communications subject to
violations of university policies/codes or local laws or national laws. Also, the university reserves the right to limit
access to its networks through university-owned or other computers, and to remove or limit access to material posted
on university-owned computers.

CLASSROOM RULES OF CONDUCT

1. The ground rule for our class is respectful, open communication. We have many things to learn from
one another. Every single question is appreciated!

2. When you come to the class, you become part of a learning community. Please be conscious of
your community role, and work toward creating a healthy learning atmosphere in the class.

3. Don’t chat during the class. If you have to, then feel free not to attend the class at the expense of your
attendance for the day. Inability to refrain from unnecessary, disruptive chatting may result in a
request
to leave the classroom.

4. If you have to leave the class when it is in progress, sit near the door and leave silently.

5. While in class, please switch off your cell phone. The inability to do so may result in some penalty.

6. You must seek permission before using any sort of electronic gadget in the class such as a laptop. Use of
such gadgets for purposes other than note-taking during lectures is strictly prohibited.

Visit NSU Code of Conduct website: [Link]/[Link]

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY: THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS DOES NOT TOLERATE
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY BY ITS STUDENTS. AT A MINIMUM, YOU MUST NOT BE INVOLVED IN CHEATING OF
ANY FORM, SUBMITTING THE SAME WORK IN MULTIPLE COURSES, SIGNIFICANT COLLABORATION WITH
OTHER INDIVIDUALS OUTSIDE OF SANCTIONED GROUP ACTIVITIES , AND FABRICATIONS. YOU ARE ADVISED
THAT VIOLATIONS OF THE STUDENT INTEGRITY CODE WILL BE TREATED SERIOUSLY, WITH SPECIAL
ATTENTION GIVEN TO REPEATED OFFENCES. PLEASE REFER TO NSU CODE OF CONDUCT AT
POLICY
Good Luck