Econ 180: International Economics
Course Syllabus
Spring 2005

Description:
International trade is widely touted as being the single most important factor behind economic change since World War II. Yet the driving forces behind trade remain poorly understood by the public and by many policymakers. This class is intended to be a rigorous introduction to the essential debates and conclusions of international trade and finance theory. The concept of protection, in the form of tariffs and other trade barriers, will be analyzed in terms of short and long run effects on an industry and economy. That will be followed by a discussion of comparative advantage and other sources of gains from trade. We will see what trade theorists have to say about the industrial policy and the income distribution effects of trade, and whether the theories are empirically sound. The second half of the course will look at international financial relations, especially the determinants of the exchange rate among developed countries, and the determination and processes of balance of payments crises among developing countries.

Readings:
We will use the leading textbook in the field, Paul Krugman and Maurice Obstfeld's International Economics 5th edition.

Requirements:
Final grades will be determined on the basis of the following:

15% Frequent problem sets
40% Midterm
40% Final

05% Contributions to Blog site

Note:
No 'extra credit' projects will be allowed. Plagiarism and cheating are not tolerated. One common form of plagiarism is the downloading and rearranging of Website text, without attribution. Students found to have done this will receive a zero for the assignment and will be reported to the dean. All assignments should be the work of the student alone. You may certainly discuss the problems together, but ultimately the work should be your own. Students should not turn in duplicate answers. The exam will be based heavily on lecture material. Material not covered in class, but assigned for reading, may be included on the exam. Texts and readings are intended to aid and expand understanding of class lectures. Exam will be closed book- no notes or cheat sheets allowed.

Please don't hesitate to ask me to go slower or to explain something again: if you have a question, chances are good that everyone else in the class has the same question. Refrain, however, from asking unrelated, distracting questions that will take me on a tangent. I find it irresistible to respond, and then that takes time away from the material we need to cover.

During the class we will be using a blog site to discuss issues and give feedback, especially in the first week of class when we will be discussing a documentary film. Here are instructions to access the site.

Blog: Instructions for posting comments on the Econ 180 blog.

Go to http://econ180.blogspot.com
At the appropriate posting, there will be a link at the end of the posting called “Comment”. Click this link.
This will bring you to the Comments page. You can make your comments.
Under “Choose Identity”, select the radio button for “other”. For name, please use your first name and the first letter of your last name.
Click the “Publish Your Comment” button

Schedule of classes, readings, and assignments
(please have readings done before class)

Email Michael Kevane