MOUNT SAINT VINCENT UNIVERSITY
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Economics 1102-19 (Introduction to Macroeconomics)
Summer II 2024
Professor: Don McIver
Contact Information:
donald.mciver@msvu.ca
Course No. Econ 1102-19
Textbook: C. R. McConnell, Brue, S. L. and Barbiero, T. P., Macroeconomics 16th Canadian
Edition.
This book could be purchased as a hardcopy and/or as an ebook.
Course Description: This course is designed to introduce students to economic theory and the way the
economy works. This course covers the basic macroeconomic principles such as
the role of government in our economy, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), national
income, the Consumer Price Index (CPI), fiscal and monetary policies, money
and banking, unemployment, and inflation. The ultimate aim is to develop
students’ ability to critically analyze the current economic issues in Canada and
abroad.
Learning Environment: Synchronous
Classes are held on-line using the COLLABORATE platform on MOODLE on Monday and Wednesdays
9:00 to 11:30AM. Attendance is mandatory and will be recorded. . Lectures will be recorded and
available for review. In addition, lectures in the form of videos and power points, assignments & answer
keys, quizzes, problem solving videos, tests, office hours, and class discussions will be online through the
Moodle course site.
BOTH THE MIDTERM AND FINAL EXAMINATIONS WILL BE HELD
ON-CAMPUS. STUDENTS LIVING OUTSIDE THE HALIFAX AREA
MAY APPLY TO TAKE PROCTORED EXAMINATIONS AND ARE
THEMSELVES RESPONSIBLE FOR BEING SURE THAT
ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE.
Please immediately review instructions regarding proctored exams at the following site:
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https://www.msvu.ca/campus-life/registrars-office/examinations/
Students are reminded to submit the Proctor Site Request Form within the first two weeks
of the fall and winter terms, and one week for summer sessions 1 and 2.
Please be aware that university policy prohibits students from writing an exam before the
regularly scheduled date and time. The rule regarding students not writing prior to the
regularly scheduled date and time, is stated in the undergraduate academic calendar, item
2.2.21. Examination Policy.
Learning Outcomes
After completing this course, if you have attended the online live lectures, watched the lecture videos,
read the assigned material and the textbook, have taken the quizzes and tests, you will be able to:
Describe the defining characteristics of economic problems, and the principles that inspire the
economic method
Explain the concepts and measurement of major macroeconomic aggregates such as gross
domestic product and other components of the national accounts, the rate of inflation, economic
growth, and the unemployment rate, and to use these measures to analyze macroeconomic
performance with real-world data
Apply basic macroeconomic models to explain the causes of economic growth and business
fluctuations.
Explain the conduct and effects of fiscal and monetary policies in open economies and their
limitations
Learning Supports
Your learning is at the centre of this course. The Mount is committed to supporting you. The
university offers a variety of resources, services, strategies, and practices to support equal
opportunities for learning. If you require academic accommodation, please contact me and the
Accessibility Services as early in the term as possible. I encourage you to utilize the variety of
learning supports provided by the Mount to assist you in time of need. Please see Appendix A for
additional information on the list of free and confidential services available at our university.
Learning Technologies
Students are required to familiarize themselves with Moodle, the course site on the Moodle, Collaborate Ultra on
student orientation video.
Should you experience technical issues with your course, here are some contacts/resources for
you:
If you need assistance with Moodle, Collaborate, or any other online learning technology, please
email online@msvu.ca. General support requests will be responded to by the next business day.
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Urgent requests, those affecting your ability to participate in a class, will be responded to as soon
as possible.
More support on the Moodle site is available by clicking on the “Your Virtual MSVU” option.
Moodle or Collaborate Trouble: If you're having difficulties with Moodle or Collaborate, please
contact the online@msvu.ca and a TLCOL team member will get back to you as soon as
possible.
Technical Assistance: If you need technical assistance with your equipment (computer, camera,
etc.) or files (format, access, storage, etc.), please contact helpdesk@msvu.ca.
Microsoft Office 365: If you are experiencing technical difficulties with general Office 365 apps
(Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneDrive, etc.), please contact helpdesk@msvu.ca for assistance.
If you need support with Office 365 Apps used for teaching (OneNote, Stream, Yammer, Sway),
please contact online@msvu.ca.
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Communication Plan
Collaborate will be used weekly during scheduled live classes. On-line office hours will follow
each lecture. You can also request a virtual meeting by emailing me at
donald.mciver@msvu.ca.
Assessment Activities
This course will offer you a variety of activities to assess your learning at multiple points
throughout the course. These assessment activities will provide opportunity for you to
demonstrate your learning relative to the course learning outcomes and receive feedback to guide
future learning. Letter grades will be used to reflect your final performance in this course.
Important Dates
July
Monday 1 – Canada Day – University closed
Tuesday 2 – Summer Session II begins
Wednesday 31 – Final date to clear 2024 Summer Session I INC grades
August
Thursday 1 – Application deadline for September 2024 entrance to undergraduate
programs for domestic applicants
Monday 5 – Civic Holiday – University closed
Friday 16 – Last day of Summer Session II
Friday 30 – Final date to clear 2024 Winter Term and 2023-2024 full year course IP grades
Saturday 31 – Deadline to file Application to Graduate for Fall 2024 Convocation
Assessment Activities Description Contribution to
Final grade %
Participation This course is delivered online and is 5%
synchronous. Your participation is measured by
your attendance during the live lectures, by
your logins in the course Moodle site, taking all
the quizzes and tests, engagement during the
office hours, and your contacts via email and
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asking questions. Attendance is mandatory
and students could only miss 2 lectures with
a legitimate excuse.
Quizzes The material for this course has been organized 15%
in 9 separate Modules on the Moodle site and
starting from Module 2, at the end of each
Module you will find a quiz which associates
with the material you have learned in that
section. These 8 quizzes will be graded and all
together they count for 15% of your final mark
for the course. In calculating your final quiz
mark, we will drop the mark for the quiz in
which you had the lowest score. This means
you can miss only one quiz due to a legitimate
excuse (such as illness) without being
penalized.
These quizzes will open at a certain time and
close at a certain time. Instructions and
deadlines for each quiz is posted on the
Moodle. Make sure to read the instructions
carefully. Students will be given two
opportunities to complete each quiz; however,
note that the questions given on the second
attempt may differ from those on the first. You
must make sure to take these quizzes according
to the scheduled time and instructions. If you
miss any of these quizzes, you will not be
given the second chance and you will lose the
points associated with that quiz.
EXAMINATIONS There will be two examinations:
Midterm: Wednesday July 24th 9:00 - 11:00 35%
AM
IN-PERSON ON CAMPUS
45%
Final: Wednesday August 14th 9:00 to
11:00AM
IN-PERSON ON CAMPUS
In addition, several assignments are posted on 0%
Assignments and the class Moodle Site. It will be the students’
answer keys responsibility to go over the assignments in a
timely manner, after the completion of each
subject. While no numerical value is
allocated to these assignments, it would be
highly beneficial to students to complete the
assignments and practice questions - for doing
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well on the quizzes, and the tests. The answers
to the assignments and practice questions are
also posted on the class Moodle Site.
Learning Activities
The learning activities in this course in a way which can help you build your knowledge, skills
and attributes. There are 9 Modules on this course Moodle Site. Each module contains a series
of power point lectures, videos, assignments and, problem solving videos which allow you to
make progress towards achieving the learning outcomes of the course. The quizzes in each
Module are designed in a way to measure this progress.
Course Map- ECON 1102–18 Summer II 2023
Date Module Topic(s) Readings and
activities
July 3 FIRST DAY OF CLASSES
1 A brief introduction to the course and, reviewing
the course outline
An Introduction to Macroeconomics Chapter 6
July 8 2 Measuring the Economy’s Output: Chapter 7
Definition of GDP and how it is measured with
specific reference to the Canadian Economy, GDP
Price Index, Nominal and Real GDP, Limitations
of the GDP Measure
July 10 2&3 Continuation of Chapter 7 &
Economic Growth: Chapter 8
How to measure Economic Growth, Growth as a
Goal, Growth in Canada, Modern Economic
Growth, Institutional Structures for promoting
Economic Growth
Business Cycles, Unemployment, and Inflation:
How unemployment and inflation is measured in
Canada, Cost-Push Inflation, Demand-Pull
Inflation, Anticipated and Unanticipated Inflation.
How inflation affects the economy’s Real Output
level.
Quiz # 1 Look at the
Modules 1&2 instructions on the
Moodle site
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July 15 Chapter 9
4 Basic Macroeconomic Relationships:
How changes in income affect Consumption and
Saving; Factors other than income that can affect
Consumption; How changes in Real Interest Rates
affect Investment, Fluctuations in Investment, the
Multiplier Effect, Canadian Consumption, Saving,
and Investment. How large is the Actual
Multiplier Effect with reference to the Canadian
Economy.
Quiz # 2 Look at the
Module 3 instructions on the
Moodle site
July 17 4 The Aggregate Expenditure Model: Chapter 10 & 11
Consumption, Saving and Investment Schedules,
Equilibrium GDP, Changes in Equilibrium GDP and
the Multiplier, Adding International Trade, Imports
and the Multiplier, Net Exports and Equilibrium GDP,
Adding the Public Sector, Government Purchases,
Taxation, and Equilibrium GDP, Injections and
Leakages, Recessionary and Inflationary Expenditure
Gap. Continuation of:
The Aggregate Expenditure Model
Math Appendix to Chapter 11
July 22 4&5 The Aggregate Expenditure Model contd: Chapter 11
Consumption, Saving and Investment Schedules,
Equilibrium GDP, Changes in Equilibrium GDP
and the Multiplier, Adding International Trade,
Imports and the Multiplier, Net Exports and
Equilibrium GDP, Adding the Public Sector,
Government Purchases, Taxation, and Equilibrium
GDP, Injections and Leakages, Recessionary and
Inflationary Expenditure Gap. Continuation of:
The Aggregate Expenditure Model
Math Appendix to Chapter 11
Quiz #3 Look at the
Module 4 instructions on the
Moodle site
Quiz #4 Look at the
Module 5 instructions on the
Moodle site
July 24 Midterm: Wednesday July 24th 9;00 to 11:00
IN-PERSON ON CAMPUS
July 29 6 Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply: Chapter 12
Aggregate Demand Curve, Aggregate Supply
Curve in Short-Run and Long-Run, Changes in
Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply,
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Equilibrium in the AD-AS Model
Appendix to Chapter 12: Derivation of the
Aggregate Demand Curve from the Aggregate
Expenditure Model and the Shifts.
Quiz # 5 Look at the
Module 6 instructions on the
Moodle site
July 31 7 Fiscal Policy, Deficits, surpluses, and Debt: Chapter 13
Tools and Limitations of Fiscal Policy, the Role of
Built-in Stabilizers in Moderating Business Cycles,
How the Cyclically Adjusted Budget reveals the Status
of the Canadian Fiscal Policy, Recent Canadian Fiscal
Policy and the Projections for Canadian Fiscal Policy
over the next few years, Problems facing the
government in enacting and applying fiscal policy.
Size, Composition and Consequences of the Canadian
Public Debt.
Money, Banking, and Money Creation: Chapter 14
6 Function of Money, Components of the Supply of
Money in Canada. What backs Canada’s Money
Supply, Structure of the Canadian Financial System,
Why the Canadian Banking System is called a
Fractional Reserve System, Financial Crisis of 2007-
2008
Quiz #6 Look at the
Module 7 instructions on the
Moodle site
Aug 5 Monday Aug 5 – Civic Holiday
University closed
Aug 7 8 Continuation of Chapter 14 Chapter 14
Chapter 15
9 Interest Rates and Monetary Policy:
Chartered Bank’s Balance Sheet, Desired
Reserves, Actual Reserves
How Chartered Banks create Money, Money
Multiplier, Banking Leverage, and Financial
Instability in the U.S. compared to Canada.
Money Market, Equilibrium Interest Rate
Quiz #7 Look at the
Module 8 instructions on the
Moodle site
Aug 12 9 COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW
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LAST DAY OF LECTURES
Quiz # 8 Look at the
Module 9 instructions on the
Moodle site
Aug 14 Final: Wednesday August 14th 9:00 – 11:00AM
IN-PERSON ON CAMPUS
Course Policies: 1) The prerequisite for ECON 1102 is Econ 1101. If a student has not
taken the prerequisite, he/she must obtain permission of the
professor.
2) The scores for the 4 Tests in this course, add up to 80% of the total
grade. To pass the course, students MUST obtain:
i) At least 50% of the total tests’ scores.
ii) A passing grade on the final test (50%)
iii) At least 50% of the quizzes’ marks
iv) At least 2.5 points on participation.
3) The professor reserves the right to verbally test students to
determine their final grade for the course.
4) If a student has a scheduling conflict with any aspect of the course,
notably a test, please contact your instructor in advance (1 week
ahead) of the relevant deadline to request consideration for
accommodation. There is no guarantee that your request be
accepted.
If a student has overlapping final exam times, or is scheduled to
write three exams in three consecutive writing times (in one day),
an “Exam Conflict Form” should be submitted to the Registrar’s
Office. Documentation may be required.
Accommodations
Students who have a disability and who require academic accommodations must register
with Accessibility Services (www.msvu.ca/accessibilityservices) as early as possible to
receive accommodations.
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Religious Observances
Requests for accommodation of specific religious or spiritual observance must be
presented in writing to the instructor within the first two weeks of class.
Use of Course Material
As a student in this course you should observe the following:
Course material to which you are granted access in this course is only to be used for this
course.
Material that you submit as part of the requirements of this course cannot be used to
complete the requirements of another course, without the expressed permission of the
instructor of the second course. This constitutes cheating as stated in the Academic
Calendar.
Students do not have permission to upload course material to any external websites or
share with others, unless expressly permitted to do so by the instructor. If you require
further clarification about using materials from this course in other contexts, please
contact the instructor.
Under no circumstances are students permitted to provide anyone not registered in this
course with access to the Mount Online course site established for the course.
Only students registered in this Mount Online course site are permitted to view,
download, upload, comment or otherwise participate in this course site.
Academic Integrity
You play a vital role in contribution to and maintaining the culture of academic integrity
expected of everyone at MSVU. University regulations on Plagiarism and Cheating and
academic offenses will be strictly enforced. These regulations including applicable
procedures and penalties are detailed in the Undergraduate University Calendar sections
2.2.23-2.2.25 and are posted on the Mount website at www.msvu.ca on the Current Students
page under Academic Offenses. It is your responsibility to make yourself familiar with these
regulations and consequences.
More information on academic integrity and plagiarism can be found in the
MSVU Academic Integrity LibGuide and in the Promoting Academic Integrity page of this
section.
Furthermore, as a member of the Mount Saint Vincent University Community, it is your
responsibility to uphold a high standard of integrity and honor by neither giving nor receiving
any unauthorized aid in all academic settings. And as a student in the online learning space,
you are further expected to commit to not accessing any external resources, online or
otherwise, during course evaluations to unfairly improve performances on the examination.
Finally, as a member of the Mount Saint Vincent University Community, you are expected to
be conscious of all these and to ensure that fellow classmates are adhering to the academic
integrity code.
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Correct Use of Language
Correct use of language is one of the criteria included in the evaluation of all written
assignments.
On Research with Humans
Students who conduct research involving human participants must have their research
reviewed in accordance with the MSVU Policies and Procedures for Ethics Review of
Research Involving Humans before starting the research. Check with your course professor
or Chair of the department about proper procedure.
Appendix A:
Student Services:
Aboriginal Student Centre
45 Melody Drive
(902) 457-6228
aboriginalcentre@msvu.ca
The ASC strives to provide an opportunity to empower, encourage, and educate students of all
nations in an environment rooted in Indigenous cultures and values. The ASC offers the
opportunity to learn more about Aboriginal culture, while providing a place to study and hang
out.
Academic Advising
Dean’s Office - Seton 302
(902) 457-6400
advising@msvu.ca
Our academic advisors are here to help you plan for success. Whether mapping out your degree
or helping you choose a major, minor, or concentration, your academic advisors are available to
help at any point along your journey.
Accessibility Services
EMF 127-G
(902) 457-6567
accessibilityservices@msvu.ca
The Mount’s Accessibility Services team is dedicated to adapting the academic environment for
students who require accommodations to assist them in reaching their full academic potential.
Africentric Support Group
Evaristus C405
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(902) 457-5547
africentricsupport@msvu.ca
The ASG works to infuse Africentricity into the educational experience of our Black student
population. It offers students a safe space to meet new people, participate on campus, and learn
more about themselves and others.
Career Services
McCain 306
(902) 457-6139
careerplanning@msvu.ca
We offer a variety of career-related services for students, employers and faculty. Whether you
need help making a career decision, job searching, or are wondering what you can do with your
degree, we can help you plan a realistic career path.
Counselling Services
EMF 127-G
(902) 457-6567
counselling@msvu.ca
Our Counselling Services team provides free personal and academic counselling to any
registered Mount student in a relaxed and confidential environment. Visit Oscar, the Mount’s
therapy dog, every Thursday from 2-3 in the Library.
Financial Aid
Evaristus 207-E
(902) 457-6351
financial.aid@msvu.ca
Our goal in the Financial Aid office is to make your educational journey a little easier to
understand by directing you to the information you need. We can provide assistance with
everything, from budgeting to bursaries!
Financial Services
Evaristus 206 & 211
(902) 457-6277
financial.services@msvu.ca
At the Mount, we recognize the challenges that students face when funding their education. That
is why our tuition fees are among the lowest in NS. Don’t let a lack of financial resources stop
you! There are many ways to help pay for your education, including scholarships, bursaries, and
government loans.
Health Office
(902) 457-6354
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The Health Office and its physicians are committed to treating all visitors with the respect and
confidentiality expected from any health care professional.
International Education Centre
Seton Annex
(902) 457-6488
international@msvu.ca
The Mount’s International Education Centre offers personal, academic, cultural, and immigration
advising to international students and any student or faculty wishing to study, research or
conduct projects abroad. The IEC is also home to the university’s English as an Additional
Language Programs.
IT&S Help Desk
EMF, 1st Floor
(902) 457-6538
helpdesk@msvu.ca
There are many technology services available for students including Wi-Fi, student webmail
with calendar, access to over 200 computers, as well as classrooms equipped with networked
computers, video players, LCD projectors, and sound.
Learning Strategist
EMF 127-F
(902) 457-6567
learning.strategist@msvu.ca
It is common for students to be surprised about academic expectations and the level of
independent learning required in university. The Learning Strategist can help with managing
time, getting organized, setting goals, study skills, and more!
Library
EMF
(902 ) 457-6250
library@msvu.ca
The Library’s team of dedicated staff are here to offer you quality public services and academic
information resources designed to meet the teaching, learning, and research needs of the Mount
Community.
Print Shop
Seton 330
(902) 457-6135
print.shop@msvu.ca
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The Mount Print Shop is a full-service, in-house print shop. We are dedicated to supporting
faculty, staff, students, and the extended Mount community with high-quality, confidential, and
expedited print services.
Registrar’s Office
Evaristus 204/207
(902) 457-6117
registration@msvu.ca
The Registrar’s Office is involved in all aspects of academic life, including: admissions,
enrolment, retention, exams, convocation, and academic policies. We are here to help guide you
through your academic career.
Residence Life
Evaristus 201-A
(902) 457-6356
rez.life@msvu.ca
Living in residence will add a whole new dimension to your university years! Apart from the
convenience of living close to all campus resources, you will also have the opportunity to
become more involved in campus life.
Writing Centre
EMF 205
(902) 457-6567
writing@msvu.ca
The Writing Centre offers bookable individual appointments with experienced tutors for help
with all written assignments, such as presentations, slides, speeches, posters, and all aspects of
paper writing.
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