CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY

Department of Economics

ECON 201/2 SECTIONS AA, B, C, D and EC

INTRODUCTION TO MICROECONOMICS1
FALL 2024
SECTION AA SECTION B SECTION D
Instructor: Asefeh Salarinezhad Nicolas Lepage-Saucier
Email: asefeh.salarinezhad@concordia.ca nicolas.lepagesaucier@concordia.ca
Office Hours: TuTh 15:00 – 16:00 (H 1155.65) W 14:00 – 16:00 (H 1155.43)
Lecture Hours: Tu 17:45 – 20:30 (MB 1.210) WF 10:15 – 11:30 (H 110) F 11:45 – 14:30 (MB 1.210)
SECTION C SECTION EC
Instructor: Rajrupa Saha Gabrielle Vasey
Email: rajrupa.saha@concordia.ca gabrielle.vasey@concordia.ca
Office Hours: Th 13:00 – 14:00 (H 1150) W 13:30 – 14:30 (Zoom)
Lecture Hours: TuTh 08:45 – 10:00 (H 110) Online (Asynchronous)

Course Description:
A university-level introduction to supply and demand, elasticity, consumer behaviour, production
theory, firm behaviour, market structures, the role of government and the gains from trade.

Course Prerequisite:
None.

Course Objectives:
Economics is the study of choice. Because we constantly face choices in all aspects of everyday life,
economics has universal application. In this introductory course, you will learn how to make rational
decisions using information about the costs and benefits of alternative actions. In other words, this
course gets you to think like an economist and make rational decisions in your own life. In doing so,
you will gain a new perspective on how individuals, firms and government behave.

Required Textbook and Lab Component:

Ragan, C. Microeconomics, 17th Canadian Edition. Pearson, 2022.
§ To purchase access to the e-text and MyLab, click on the MyLab and Mastering icon on Moodle.

Course Assessment:
COMPONENT WEIGHT DESCRIPTION
Labs (8) 20 percent Due Sundays before 11:59pm starting September 22
Midterm 1 20 percent Chapters 1 – 5 (Sunday, October 27, 14:00 – 15:15 Eastern)
Midterm 2 20 percent Chapters 6 – 10 (Sunday, November 17, 14:00 – 15:15 Eastern)
Final Exam 40 percent Chapters 1 – 11, 16, 19 – 20 (Date and Time To Be Determined)

Coordination:
ECON 201 is coordinated across all sections in terms of course content, pace of coverage, labs and exams.

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Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this course outline. In the event of
extraordinary circumstances and pursuant to the Academic Regulations, the University and/or instructor may modify the
delivery, content, structure, forum, location and/or evaluation scheme. In such an event, students will be informed.
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Lectures:
§ Lectures (except for section EC) take place in person. Attendance is not required, but lectures are
not recorded so you are responsible for any material covered in class (see Tentative Lecture
Schedule, Assigned Readings and Key Dates on page 6).
§ For section EC only, lectures are pre-recorded, posted on Moodle and delivered asynchronously. You
should watch these according to a traditional in-class schedule to ensure deadlines are met and exams
are not missed (see Tentative Lecture Schedule, Assigned Readings and Key Dates on page 6).
§ While the lectures (for all sections) focus overwhelmingly on what is in the textbook, you are
ultimately responsible for familiarity with the content covered in the textbook but not in the lectures
and the content covered in the lectures but not in the textbook.

Office Hours:
§ Office hours are not recorded, optional and take place online (see banner on page 1).
§ As with traditional on-campus office hours, you are received on a first-come, first-served basis and not
by appointment. You sit in a virtual waiting room until the instructor is ready to admit you.
§ If you use the opportunity, you are expected to “arrive” prepared (ie, with your questions ready) and to
be efficient so that the maximum number of students can make use of the available time.
§ If you cannot attend office hours because of scheduling conflicts, email your questions with attached
audio, video and/or pictures. The more precise your question, the faster and more precise the response.

Labs:
§ There are eight (8) MyLab labs, each worth 2.5 percent. These labs are very similar to more
traditional, hardcopy assignments that students would submit to instructors. The purposes of the labs
are to: (1) reinforce material covered in class; (2) teach material for which there is insufficient time
in class; (3) keep students on track with course learning objectives; and, (4) provide students with
immediate evaluation and feedback.
§ Labs are always accessible (except during exams) by clicking on the MyLab and Mastering icon on
Moodle after purchasing the access code and registering in the appropriate section. Do NOT
register by going directly to MyLab’s website as you will be asked for a course ID and you are
not provided with one.
§ The grade on your FIRST attempt for each question (if it is before the deadline) is the one that is
recorded. After the deadline, a copy of each lab is available for you to practice as much as you like.
Grades from those attempts do not count.
§ Labs are due Sundays at 11:59pm Eastern (see Tentative Lecture Schedule, Assigned Readings and
Key Dates on page 6). The time is based on MyLab’s clock. The best way to avoid missing deadlines
is to do the labs ahead of time, not just prior to the deadline.
§ You may ask for a 48-hour extension for any ONE of the ten labs. No documentation and no reason
are required, but you should use the extension opportunity judiciously and not use it without
legitimate reason because a second extension will not be provided.
§ If Pearson makes MyLab unavailable for an unscheduled reason (eg, a technical error on its part) and
the instructor determines that this makes it impossible for you to complete your lab by the assigned
deadline, then you may request an extension, without penalty, equal to the time that MyLab was
unavailable. Note that this does not apply when you experience technical difficulties on your part.
§ Each lab consists of some multiple-choice, graphical, numerical and conceptual questions. Evaluation
and feedback are provided immediately.
§ Some MyLab questions are based on computer algorithms. This means that every time a lab is
attempted, some parameters (eg, numbers, wording) of the questions may differ.
§ Labs do not have a preset amount of time to finish, but inactivity for extended periods could result in
MyLab automatically logging you out.
§ Address technical problems and questions directly to Pearson (https://support.pearson.com/getsupport).
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Exams:
§ There are two midterms written outside of class time (Sunday, October 27 and Sunday, November
17) that cover the first- and second-thirds of the course, respectively, and a cumulative final written
during the final exam period. (See Course Assessment on page 1 and Tentative Lecture Schedule,
Assigned Readings and Key Dates on page 6 for more details about the contents and weights.)
§ You are responsible for knowing the date, time and location of the final exam and can find the
information posted in multiple places around the Concordia campus and online.
§ The format, content and delivery of the midterm and final exams are identical across all sections
(including section EC): closed book, multiple choice and in person.
§ The weight of a missed midterm, for any reason (eg, illness, religious, work obligation, exam
scheduling conflict, etc.), is shifted automatically to the final. There are NO MAKEUP, ALTERNATE
OR DEFERRED MIDTERMS under any circumstances, nor may they be written early.
§ If you miss, or cannot write, the final, you must request a deferred exam according to the process
described here. Final exam accommodations are almost never approved for reasons relating to
personal/family travel/events.
§ You may use a non-programmable calculator and scrap paper that is provided to you by the instructor
to assist you, but you may NOT use any other additional materials (eg, formula sheets, dictionaries,
etc.). If you fail to follow any of these instructions, you will receive a grade of zero for the exam and
will face academic misconduct proceedings in accordance with Concordia’s policies on academic
integrity. If you are unsure if what you are doing is acceptable, ask first.
§ You must use pencil and fill out the student number on the Scantron correctly. You must also write the
exam in the classroom to which you are assigned (your instructor will provide room assignments
closer to the midterm dates). If you fail to follow any of these instructions, you will receive a grade of
zero for the exam without the opportunity to shift the weight to the final. No exceptions.
§ Do NOT underestimate the difficulty of the exams. The style of the exams is to ensure timely
feedback; you should not interpret that the exam is easy because it is multiple choice.
§ Questions involve algebra, definitions, interpretations and multi-part questions where the answer to
one multiple-choice question may lead to another.
§ If you require university-approved special accommodations (eg, 30 min/hr extra writing time), you
must secure the necessary approval from the Concordia Access Centre for Students with Disabilities
(ACSD) and notify the instructor at least one week prior to the exam to receive it.
§ You may review your exam during in-person office hours. During that time, you may not take notes,
pictures, etc. of the exam contents. Intellectual property laws protect the contents of the exam.

Correspondence:
If you need to email the instructor, it must originate from your Concordia email address. Any email
from any other address will be treated as spam and will be neither read nor answered. This policy
protects confidentiality and confirms the student’s identity. If you have not activated your address
already, follow the instructions at www.concordia.ca/it/services/email-for-students-office-365.html.

Discussion Board:
Graduate students manage a discussion board on Moodle for those looking to post course-related
questions. Students can expect responses within 24 – 48 hours depending on the day of the week and
the volume of questions posted. This, rather than the instructor, should be used as a point of first
contact for course-related questions, comments and issues.

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Study Group Sessions:
The Student Success Centre organises study groups for students enrolled in ECON 201. Students
attending the groups can review course content, work on sample problems together and review
prerequisite material needed to succeed in economics. Students who have had previous success in the
courses run these groups. Schedules are available on Moodle.

Grade Criterion:
A+ 90 – 100 4.3 B+ 77 – 79 3.3 C+ 67 – 69 2.3 D+ 57 – 59 1.3 FNS
A 85 – 89 4.0 B 73 – 76 3.0 C 63 – 66 2.0 D 53 – 56 1.0 DNW 00 – 49 0.0
A- 80 – 84 3.7 B- 70 - 72 2.7 C- 60 – 62 1.7 D- 50 – 52 0.7 NR

Grade Distribution:
It is the policy of the Department of Economics that courses at the 200-level should not have more than
half of the class receiving grades of A’s and B’s without “serious reflection”. In the event that the
actual distribution differs from department policy, department policy takes priority and adjusting the
thresholds listed in Grade Criterion may be necessary to ensure compliance. This adjustment (up or
down) will not be considered as grounds for appealing a final grade.

Copyright of Lectures:
Content belonging to instructors shared in courses, including, but not limited to, online or in-person
lectures, course notes, exams and video/audio recordings of classes remain the intellectual property of
the faculty member. It may not be distributed, published or broadcast, in whole or in part, without the
expressed permission of the faculty member. Students are also forbidden to use their own means of
recording any elements of an online class or lecture without express permission of the instructor. Any
unauthorised sharing of course content may constitute a breach of Concordia University’s Academic
Code of Conduct and/or Code of Rights and Responsibilities as well as The Canadian Copyright Act.
As specified in the Policy on Intellectual Property, the University does not claim any ownership of or
interest in any student IP. All university members retain copyright over their work.

Third-Party Software:
Students are advised that an external website is used in the course and students will be asked to submit
or consent to the submission of personal information (eg, name and email) to register and to the
submission of their work for evaluation. Students are responsible for reading and deciding whether to
agree to any applicable terms of use. Use of this external website is voluntary. Students who do not
give their consent should identify themselves to the course instructor as soon as possible, and in all
cases before the DNE deadline, to discuss alternate modes of participation.

Students are advised that the University cannot guarantee the protection of intellectual property rights
or personal information provided to any external website. Intellectual property and personal
information held in foreign jurisdictions are subject to the laws of such jurisdictions.

Private Tutors:
Students are advised that the Department of Economics does not support and cannot guarantee the
quality of any private tutoring service offered by outside institutions. Students are encouraged to use
caution and should be aware that they enrol in such services at their own risk.

Student Responsibilities:
Students are expected to be aware of their academic responsibilities as outlined in the Code of Rights
and Responsibilities.

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Student Services:
Access Centre for Students with Disabilities Department of Economics Academic Advising
Student Success Centre Counselling and Psychological Services
Health Services Financial Aid and Awards
Academic Integrity Dean of Students Office
International Students Office Student Hub
Sexual Assault Resource Centre Concordia Student Union
Academic Calendar Third-Party Educational Software or Services

Important University Dates:

DATE EVENT
September 3 Classes begin and Moodle page available
September 16 Deadline to add fall-term courses
September 16 Deadline for withdrawal with tuition refund (DNE) from fall‑term courses
October 14 Thanksgiving – university closed
October 15 – 20 Reading Break – no classes
October 25 Last day to register with ACSD to receive accommodations for fall-term finals
November 25 Last day for instructor-scheduled exams
December 2 Last day of classes
December 2 Deadline for academic withdrawal (DISC) from fall-term courses
December 4 – 18 Final exam period (date, time and location posted on campus and online)

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Tentative Lecture Schedule, Assigned Readings and Key Dates (Sections C and EC):
DATE EVENT COVERAGE
September 3 Introduction ––
Economics Issues and Concepts Chapter 1
September 5 Economic Theories, Data and Graphs Chapter 2
September 10 Demand, Supply and Price Chapter 3
September 12 Demand, Supply and Price Chapter 3
September 17 Elasticity Chapter 4
September 19 Price Controls and Market Efficiency Chapter 5
September 22 LAB 1 DUE Chapters 1 – 2
September 24 Consumer Behaviour Chapter 6
September 26 Consumer Behaviour Chapter 6
September 29 LAB 2 DUE Chapters 3 – 4
October 1 Consumer Behaviour Chapter 6A
October 3 Producers in the Short Run Chapter 7
October 6 LAB 3 DUE Chapter 5
October 8 Producers in the Short Run Chapter 7
October 10 Producers in the Long Run Chapter 8
October 13 LAB 4 DUE Chapter 6
October 22 Producers in the Long Run Chapters 8 and 8A
October 24 Competitive Markets Chapter 9
October 27 MIDTERM 1 (14:00 – 15:15) Chapters 1 – 5
October 29 Competitive Markets Chapter 9
October 31 Monopoly, Cartels and Price Discrimination Chapter 10
November 3 LAB 5 DUE Chapters 7 – 8
November 5 Monopoly, Cartels and Price Discrimination Chapter 10
November 7 Imperfect Competition and Strategic Behaviour Chapter 11
November 10 LAB 6 DUE Chapters 9 – 10
November 12 Imperfect Competition and Strategic Behaviour Chapter 11
November 14 Market Failures and Government Intervention Chapter 16
November 17 MIDTERM 2 (14:00 – 15:15) Chapters 6 – 10
November 19 Market Failures and Government Intervention Chapter 16
November 21 The Gains from International Trade Chapter 19
November 24 LAB 7 DUE Chapters 11, 16
November 26 The Gains from International Trade Chapter 19
Trade Policy Chapter 20
November 28 Trade Policy Chapter 20
December 1 LAB 8 DUE Chapter 19 – 20
TBD FINAL EXAM Chapters 1 – 11, 16, 19 – 20

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Tentative Lecture Schedule, Assigned Readings and Key Dates (Sections B):
DATE EVENT COVERAGE
September 4 Introduction ––
Economics Issues and Concepts Chapter 1
September 6 Economic Theories, Data and Graphs Chapter 2
September 11 Demand, Supply and Price Chapter 3
September 13 Demand, Supply and Price Chapter 3
September 18 Elasticity Chapter 4
September 20 Price Controls and Market Efficiency Chapter 5
September 22 LAB 1 DUE Chapters 1 – 2
September 25 Consumer Behaviour Chapter 6
September 27 Consumer Behaviour Chapter 6
September 29 LAB 2 DUE Chapters 3 – 4
October 2 Consumer Behaviour Chapter 6A
October 4 Producers in the Short Run Chapter 7
October 6 LAB 3 DUE Chapter 5
October 9 Producers in the Short Run Chapter 7
October 11 Producers in the Long Run Chapter 8
October 13 LAB 4 DUE Chapter 6
October 23 Producers in the Long Run Chapters 8 and 8A
October 25 Competitive Markets Chapter 9
October 27 MIDTERM 1 (14:00 – 15:15) Chapters 1 – 5
October 30 Competitive Markets Chapter 9
November 1 Monopoly, Cartels and Price Discrimination Chapter 10
November 3 LAB 5 DUE Chapters 7 – 8
November 6 Monopoly, Cartels and Price Discrimination Chapter 10
November 8 Imperfect Competition and Strategic Behaviour Chapter 11
November 10 LAB 6 DUE Chapters 9 – 10
November 13 Imperfect Competition and Strategic Behaviour Chapter 11
November 15 Market Failures and Government Intervention Chapter 16
November 17 MIDTERM 2 (14:00 – 15:15) Chapters 6 – 10
November 20 Market Failures and Government Intervention Chapter 16
November 22 The Gains from International Trade Chapter 19
November 24 LAB 7 DUE Chapters 11, 16
November 27 The Gains from International Trade Chapter 19
Trade Policy Chapter 20
November 29 Trade Policy Chapter 20
December 1 LAB 8 DUE Chapter 19 – 20
TBD FINAL EXAM Chapters 1 – 11, 16, 19 – 20