Class Syllabus

 

 

Week 1--Sept 8

Preliminaries.  Why study Micro? Inflation adjustments & introduction to supply and demand.  PR Ch.s 1 and 2.    

   
Week 2--Sept 15 Supply and demand (continued).  Consumer theory.  PR Ch. 3.
   
Week 3--Sept 22 Consumer choice/math review  PR Ch. 4.  
Problem Set #1 assigned
.   
   
Week 4--Sept 29 Individual demand & market demand.      
   
Week 5--Oct 6

Individual demand & market demand. 9:  
(i) Finish demand.  (ii) Labor supply  Handout.                                               
Problem Set #2 assigned.

   
Week 6--Oct 14

(i) Labor supply (continued).
(ii) Exchange & welfare theorem.
PR 16.1-16.2, 16.6-16.7 (skim 16.4-16.5).

Problem Set #3 assigned.

   
Week 7--Oct 20

Finish exchange.
(ii) Time, discounting, & the basics of private cost-benefit analysis. 
PR Ch 15.1-15.4, 15.6, 15.8.. 

   
Week 8--Oct 27

(i) Finish discounting & time.
(ii) Behavior in uncertain environments. 
PR Ch. 5.
      

   
Week 9--Nov 3 No Class (university holiday). 
TAKE-HOME MIDTERM EXAM.
   
Week 10--Nov 10

(i)  Finish uncertainty.
(ii)  Asymmetric uncertaintyCinsurance markets, problems of management; how an information scarcity can hinder market efficiency. 
PR Ch. 17. 
Problem Set #4 assigned
.

   
Week 11--Nov 17

Asymmetric uncertainty.
(ii) Firms:  the supply side of goods &services markets.  PR. Ch. 6 & handout. 
Problem Set #5 assigned.

   
Week 12--Nov 24 No Class
   
Week 13--Dec 1

Production in the short-run & long-run..  PR.  Ch. 7 and 8.
Problem Set #6 assigned.    

   
Week 14--Dec 8

Various measures of firm costs:  opportunity, total, average, variable, marginal, fixed, & sunk which measures do we care about? (Continued next semester) 

   
Week 15--Dec 15 Final Exam