ecp 3009: moral and ethical foundations of capitalism · textbooks provided "free"(at...

ECP 3009: Moral and Ethical Foundations of CapitalismFall 2014 - CRN 81829

Class Meetings: Tuesday and Thursday from 12:30 p.m. until 1:45 p.m.Class Room: Lutgert Hall 1205

All Nazicoins wereminted withthis on the edge:“Geneinnutzgeht vorEigennutz”

Translation?“Thecommunitycomesbefore theindividual.”

Professor: Bradley K. Hobbs, Ph.D. Phone: 590-7162 (Voice Mail available at all hours.)

E-mail: [email protected] home page: http://itech.fgcu.edu/faculty/bhobbs/

Office: Lutgert Hall 3366Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. and by appointment.

A course syllabus is your primary reference for any course. It tells you what the professor expects from you and from himself or herself. If you have a question concerningthe workings of the course, turn to this reference first. It represents the "rules of the game" so to speak. If you want clarification or have a question which you feel is notadequately addressed - by all means ask now! By virtue of remaining in this course you have provided implicit agreement with the policies and procedures laid out in thissyllabus.

OFFICIAL COURSE DESCRIPTION: ECP 3009 - Moral Foundations & Capitalism - 3 credit(s)This course explores the philosophical underpinnings of capitalist forms of economic organization. It covers the historical foundations of these arguments with specialemphasis on utilitarian and moral arguments. Cogent, philosophically-base arguments regarding capitalism and criticisms of those arguments will be covered. Prerequisite(s): Junior-level status.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS:Required means bring the book to class when we are covering it - we will refer to the text in class meetings and you will be called upon to read passages. There arenumerous articles linked in the syllabus. You are to bring these to class on the day we discuss them.

To be purchased:Sowell, Thomas. A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles Buy this edition or your pagination will be off

Cohen, G.A. “Why Not Socialism?” 2009

Brennan, Jason. "Why Not Capitalism?" 2014

Textbooks provided "free"(at zero price to you):Bastiat, Frederic, The Law - The .pdf file of The Law is made available here by the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)

Rand, Ayn. Atlas Shrugged (I provide this book to you as a gift from the BB&T Charitable Foundation.)

Palmer, Tom G. Editor The Morality of Capitalism: What Your Professors Won't Tell You

Fall 2014 - Selected IMPORTANT DATES: Academic Calendar for the Fall 2014 Semester Classes begin on Monday, August 18Drop/Withdraw ends August 22Labor Day (No Classes) Monday, September 1Midterm Examination - Thursday, October 9Last day to Drop/Withdraw without Academic Penalty is Friday, October 31Veteran's Day (No Classes) Tuesday, November 11

Thanksgiving Holidays (No Classes) Wednesday, November 26 through Saturday, November 29Last Day of Classes is Friday, December 5Finals Begin on Monday, December 8Final Examination - Tuesday, December 9, 1:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. in our classroomFinals End/ Last Day of Semester, Friday, December 12

Final Examination1. The Take-Home component is due by the start of class on Thursday, December 4. This is to be turned in to the Turnitin drop box.2. The In-class component is in Lutgert Hall 1205 on Tuesday, December 9, from 1:30 p.m. until 4:15 p.m.

Learning Objectives for ECP 3009

Learning Objectives Assessment Strategies

1) Understand the concept of systematic bias as it pertains tothe different economic beliefs along those trained in marketprocesses and the general population in the United States.

Class discussions of articles with analysisof the authors points leading toexaminations. Written papers and finalexamination.

2) Understand why Western philosophers embraced theconcept of individual self-interest as a force serving the goodof society.


3) Understand and be able to articulate the connectionsbetween economic freedom and political freedom.


4) Be able to articulate classical liberal views on knowledgeand reason, social processes, dynamics, equality, power,justice, vision, values, and paradigms.


5) Develop an understanding of what Objectivism is, what itsmajor tenets are, and how a major text of this course AtlasShrugged develops this philosophy in the form of a novel.


GRADING POLICIES:Learning is a shared responsibility and the truth is that the lion's share falls to you. You must read extensively in this course so keep up.

Grading Scale:The University allows assignment of grades on a +/- system. I support that form of grading and keep all final grades in that format. Because a "C" is considered the topgrade for a student to progress I have extended the range of a "C" to include what is traditionally the "C-" range.

A 100.0% to 93.0% A- 92.9% to 90.0%

B+ 89.9% to 87.0% B 86.9% to 83.0% B- 82.9% to 80.0%

C+ 79.9% to 77.0% C 76.9% to 70.0% C- No such grade in my rubric. You need a "C" tomove forward in the College of Business.

D+ 69.9% to 67.0% D 66.9% - 63.0% D- 62.9% to 60.0%

F below 59.9%

Course Schedule (14 Weeks) :

Week

How to Prepare your Week's AssignmentsAfter Week 1, I expect that you complete the week's assignments prior to Tuesday's meeting with the exceptionof Atlas Shrugged. To prepare for each reading you will be required, at the beginning of class, to hand in ahard copy of one typed-page with three questions to propose to the group from the day's reading(s) (these arenot required for podcasts.) These questions can be about clarification, about content, about connections toother readings, or a question that further probes the author's ideas, among others. Your question sets will: (1)be used for class discussion, (2) document your attendance, and (3) contribute to your class participationgrade. Question sets may be given over to a student at any time to have them conduct the discussion of thereadings.

Our standard practice will be to discuss the assignments in Tuesday's class meeting and the first 45 minutes ofthe Thursday class meeting. The Atlas Shrugged readings will be discussed in the last 30 minutes of the secondclass meeting of each week.

Note - All readings are subject to revision by prerogative of the instructor by Thursday of the previous week.

Theme: Introduction - Syllabus - Overview

Read for Tuesday - the FIRST class meeting:

Week 1

Aug 19& 21

(1) BB&T - The BB&T Philosophy (Values)(2) Allison and Congress - On the Bailout(3) Rand, Ayn. "Man's Rights" 1963 (In the appendix of Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal)* Here is a Study Guide for this reading.

Read for Thursday (Second class meeting): (1) Rand, Ayn. "The Nature of Government" 1961 (In the appendix of Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal)* Here is a Study Guide for this reading.(2) Ayn Rand, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, Chapter 1 - What is Capitalism? Source: Signet Books * Here is a Study Guide for this reading.

Listen: ECONTALK with Russ Roberts and John Allison, CEO of BB&T Bank on Strategy, Profits and Self-Interest

Watch:Michael Strong - The Habit of Thought Chapter One: On Socratic Seminaror this You Tube link: Chapter 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KZvxm0OAkQ

and this You Tube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y6g0PU2OIc

Rand, Ayn. Atlas Shrugged, Part I, Chapters 1-4

Week 2

Aug 26& 28

Theme: The Morality of Capitalism and Anarcho-Capitalism

Read for Tuesday:The Morality of Capitalism - What Your Professors Won't Tell YouPages: 1-36, 55 -62, and 69-83

Read for Thursday:The Morality of Capitalism - What Your Professors Won't Tell YouPages: 103-113.

The Great Political Superstition 4.1 through 4.63Spencer, Herbert, The Man Versus The State, with Six Essays onGovernment, Society, and Freedom. 1992. Library of Economics and Liberty.8 December 2011.<http://www.econlib.org/library/LFBooks/Spencer/spnMvS.html>.

Suggested (Not Required) Readings on AnarchocapitalismSpencer is in some ways a founder of anarchocapitalism (a position thatRand, by the way, abhorred.) Want to read more about anarchocapitalism?

For A New Liberty: The Libertarian ManifestoRothbard, Murray N.

Objectivism and the State: An Open Letter to Ayn Rand

http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/bcaplan/anarfaq.htm

The Right to Ignore the State Spencer, Herbert. Reprinted from Social Statics, 1850 Edition.

No Treason: The Constitution of No AuthoritySpooner, Lysander. 1870.


Week 3

Sept 2 &4

Theme: Historical Foundations

Read for Tuesday: Hobbes, Thomas. The Leviathan, 1660. Chapter XI - Of the Difference of MannersChapter XIII - Of the Natural Condition of Mankind as Concerning theirFelicity and Misery

Read for Thursday:Locke, John. Of Civil Government - Second Treatise, 1662.Ch. IV - On SlaveryCh. V - On Property

Watch:Michael Strong - The Habit of Thought Chapter Two: On Socratic Seminar or this You Tube link: Chapter 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu_L-HuQDes

Three-Minute Philosophy: John Locke


Week 4

Sept 9 &11

Theme: Historical Foundations

Read for Tuesday:1.) Adam Smith, Book I Chapters 1-3 An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of The Wealth of Nations found athttp://www.econlib.org/library/Smith/smWN.html * Here is a Study Guide for this reading.

Book IOf the Causes of Improvement in the productive Powers of Labour, and of the Order according to which itsProduce is naturally distributed among the different Ranks of the PeopleChapter I - Of the Division of LaborChapter II - Of the Principle which gives Occasion to the Division of Labour Chapter III - That the Division of Labour is Limited by the Extent of the Market STOP - DO NOT READ Chapter IV - Of the Origin and Use of Money

2.) Plus this selection from The Wealth of Nations* There is no Study Guide for this reading - read and summarize the major point(s) of each of the three sections.

Read for Thursday:3.) Adam Smith, Part IV Chapters 1 and 2 of The Theory of Moral Sentiments found at: http://www.econlib.org/library/Smith/smMS4.html* Here is a Study Guide for this reading.

Part IVOf the Effect of Utility upon the Sentiment of ApprobationChapter 1 - Of the beauty which the appearance of Utility bestows upon all the productions of art, and of theextensive influence of this species of BeautyChapter 2 - Of the beauty which the appearance of Utility bestows upon the characters and actions of men; andhow far the perception if this beauty may be regarded as one of the original principles of approbation

4.) Plus this selection from The Theory of Moral Sentiments* Here is a Study Guide for this reading

Watch:Giants of the Scottish Enlightenment, Part Two: Adam Smith at LearnLiberty.org

Michael Strong - The Habit of Thought Chapter Three: On Socratic Seminar or this You Tube link: Chapter 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Taz4u4oDL60


Week 5

Sept 16& 18

Theme: Fact and Fallacy - What do "we" really know about economics?

Information about our author this week: Frederic Bastiat

Read for Tuesday:(1) Bastiat, Frederic, Economic Sophisms. A Petition The Foundation for Economic Education, Inc. 1996. Trans. and ed.Arthur Goddard. Library of Economics and Liberty. 1 August 2007.<http://www.econlib.org/library/Bastiat/basSoph3.html>.

(2) Read through Section 4 - Theatre and Fine Arts. Bastiat, Frederic, Selected Essays on Political Economy. What isSeen and What is Not Seen The Foundation for Economic Education, Inc. 1995. Trans. Seymour Cain. Ed. George B. deHuszar. Library of Economics and Liberty. 1 August 2007. <http://www.econlib.org/library/Bastiat/basEss1.html>.

Read for Thursday:(2) Remainder of Bastiat, Frederic. Selected Essays on Political Economy. What is Seen and What is Not Seen TheFoundation for Economic Education, Inc. 1995. Trans. Seymour Cain. Ed. George B. de Huszar. Library of Economics andLiberty. 1 August 2007. <http://www.econlib.org/library/Bastiat/basEss1.html>.

Watch:Michael Strong - The Habit of Thought Chapter Four: On Socratic Seminar or this You Tube link: Chapter 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO9TVPs78PU

Listen: Listen to this NPR story and critique it after reading "What is Seen and What is Not Seen" for class discussion

ECONTALK with Russ Roberts and Mike Munger on "The Political Economy of Public Transportation"

Rand, Ayn. Atlas Shrugged, Part II, Chapters 1-2

Week 6

Sept 23& 25

Theme: Institutions and Law

Read for Tuesday:(1) Pages 1-39. Bastiat, Frederic. The Law

Read for Thursday:(2) Remainder of Bastiat, Frederic. The Law


Week 7

Sept 30& Oct 2

Theme: Institutions and Law

Read for Tuesday:(1) Friedman,Milton. (2002). Capitalism and Freedom. Chapter 1- "The Relation Between Economic Freedom and PoliticalFreedom". Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1962, pp. 7-17* Here is a Study Guide for this reading.

(2) Rerum Novarum, Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII On Capital and Labor

Listen: ECONTALK with Russ Roberts and Milton Friedman on Capitalism and Freedom

Theme: Fact and Fallacy - What do "we" really know about the relationship between politics andeconomics?

Read for Thursday:(1)Caplan, Bryan. The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies, Chapter 2, pages 23-49. For Dr.Hobbs' PPT

(2) Cox, W. Michael and Richard Alm. How are we doing? 2 pages


Week 8

Oct 7 &9

Midterm Examination on Thursday, October 9Tuesday: Schumpeter: Creative Destruction and Capitalism's Future

(1) This short piece I wrote for IHS on Creative Destruction 3 pages

(2) Schumpeter: In His Own Words 7 pages

(3) Schumpeter, Joseph. (1952) Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy, Part II - Can Capitalism Survive? Chapters: XI- TheCivilization of Capitalism, XII - Crumbling Walls, XIII - Growing Hostility, XIV - Decomposition. New York: Harper &Row, pages 121-165.

Listen:ECONTALK with Russ Roberts and Thomas McGraw on Schumpeter, Innovation, and Creative Destruction

Watch: RE: The Make Work Bias

FUN: Watch a video clip or two from Art Diamond on Creative Destructionhttp://www.artdiamond.com/VideoClipsTeaching.html

Thursday: Midterm Examination over materials thus far.


Term Paper "Thesis Statement and Bibliography" Due in Turnitin by 11:55 p.m.on Thursday, October 14, 2014Theme: Conflicting Visions: Critics and Supporters of Capitalism

"When he (Sripati Chandrasekh who was appointed Minister of Health and Family Planning by Prime Minister IndiraGandhi in 1967) suggested sterilizing all Indian males with three or more children, we should have applied pressure on theIndian government to go ahead with the plan. We should have volunteered logistic support in the form of helicopters,vehicles, and surgical instruments. We should have sent doctors to aid in the program by setting up centers for training para-medical personnel to do vasectomies.

Week 9

Oct 14& 16

Coercion? Perhaps, but coercion in a good cause. I am sometimes astounded at the attitudes of Americans who are horrifiedat the prospect of our government insisting on population control as the price of food aid. All too often the very same peopleare fully in support of applying military force against those who disagree with our form of government or our foreign policy.We must be relentless in pushing for population control around the world."

Ehrlich, Paul. 1968. The Population Bomb. New York: Ballantine Books. pp. 165-166.

Read: Sowell, Thomas. A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles, Chapters 1,2,3* Here is a Study Guide for this entire book.

Watch on You Tube:20/20 - Politically Incorrect Guide To Politics - Pt. 1 of 620/20 - Politically Incorrect Guide To Politics - Pt. 2 of 6


Week 10

Oct 21and 23

Theme: Conflicting Visions: Critics and Supporters of Capitalism

Read:Sowell, Thomas. A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles, Chapters 4,5,6

Watch on You Tube:20/20 - Politically Incorrect Guide To Politics - Pt. 3 of 620/20 - Politically Incorrect Guide To Politics - Pt. 4 of 6

Rand, Ayn. Atlas Shrugged, Part III, Chapters 1-2

Week 11

Oct 28& 30

Term Paper "FINAL Draft" Due in Turnitin by 11:55 p.m. on Thursday, October30, 2014Theme: Conflicting Visions: Critics and Supporters of Capitalism

Read:Sowell, Thomas. A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles, Chapter 7,8,9

Watch on You Tube: 20/20 - Politically Incorrect Guide To Politics - Pt. 5 of 620/20 - Politically Incorrect Guide To Politics - Pt. 6 of 6


Week 12

Nov 4 &6

Theme: Conflicting Visions: Socialism and Central Planning in the U.S.

John Stuart Mill in On Liberty:

"He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one mayhave been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he doesnot so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion....”

Read for Tuesday:(1) Cohen, G.A. “Why Not Socialism?” 2009

Read for Thursday:(2) Rexford G. Tugwell "The Principle of Planning and the Institution of Laissez Faire"

Listen:ECONTALK with Russ Roberts and Eric Rauschway on The Great Depression and the New Deal

CRITICAL!!! Start Reading Liberalism: The Classical Tradition by Ludwig von Mises. We will discuss it in two weeks.


Week 13

Nov 13only

Theme: Conflicting Visions: The Great Depression and Central Planning and Creative Destruction

Tuesday: No classes - Veteran's Day

Thursday:

Read:(1) Brennan, Jason. "Why Not Capitalism?" 2014

ECONTALK with Russ Roberts and Bob Higgs on The Great Depression


Week 14

Nov 18and 20

Term Paper Due in Turnitin by 11:55 p.m. on Thursday, November 20, 2014Theme: Human Action

Read:

Liberalism: The Classical Tradition by Ludwig von Mises

We began reading this book two weeks ago and we will spend this week discussing it in its entirety.


Week 15

Nov 25

Read:Liberalism: The Classical Tradition by Ludwig von Mises

We began reading this book two weeks ago and we will spend this week discussing it in its entirety.

Week 16

Theme: Smoke or Mirrors? Our Leaders and Ourselves

Read:The Morality of Capitalism - What Your Professors Won't Tell YouPages: 114-122. Mario Vargas Llosa The Culture of Liberty

Buchanan, James M. (2005) "Afraid to be free: Dependency as desideratum". Public Choice, (124): 19-31.

Watch: http://www.learnliberty.org/content/what-would-it-take-you-fight-your-liberty

Final Examination1. The Take-Home component is due by the start of class on Thursday, December 4. This is to be turned in to theTurnitin drop box.2. The In-class component is in Lutgert Hall 1205 on Tuesday, December 9, from 1:30 p.m. until 4:15 p.m.

Graded AssignmentsPercentof FinalGrade

Coverage Date Due

Class Participation 20%

For what is considered good class participationsee the class participation guidelines at this link

To prepare for each reading you will berequired, at the beginning of class, to handin a hard copy of one typed-page with threequestions to propose to the group from theday's reading(s) (they are not required forpodcasts.) These questions can be aboutclarification, about content, aboutconnections to other readings, or a questionthat further probes the author's ideas,among others.

These daily question sets will: (1) be usedfor class discussion, (2) document yourattendance, and (3) contribute to your classparticipation grade. Question sets may begiven over to a student at any time to havethem conduct the discussion of the readings.

Random In-Class Reading Quizzes may be givenperiodically at the beginning of class. They willconsist of one to three questions.

Over the entire course

Celebration of Learning (Midterm Examination) 25% In class covering all course materials assigned

thus far.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

LH 1205

Term Paper 25%

The Term Paper is developed in a three-stageprocess. (1) Thesis Statement and Bibliography(2) FINAL Draft(3) Final Paper

Late papers lose one letter grade each day. Theserubric criteria is used in grading your papers.

The Thesis Statement and Bibliography isdue by 11:55 p.m. on Thursday, October14.

The FINAL Draft is due by 11:55 p.m. onThursday, October 30.

The Term Paper is due by 11:55 p.m. onThursday, November 20.

All are submitted through Turnitin.

Celebration of Learning ( Final Examination)

Take-Home Component (15%) and In-class Component (15%)

30% Late take-home essay papers lose one letter gradeeach day.

Final Examination

Take-Home Component (Essay):Due by the beginning of class Thursday,December 4.

In-class Component (Multiple Choice andShort Answer): Monday, December 9, at1:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. in Lutgert Hall 1205.

Class participation (20%) :This course is a seminar course where you have a deep responsibility to engage. You can only do this by reading and coming to class prepared to discuss the materialsthat are assigned. Each class meeting you need to bring three written questions to pose to the group directly pertaining to the assigned Readings that day. It is limited toone page. At the top of the page list your name, roster number (it will be assigned), and the date of the class meeting. I will then use some of these questions to spurdiscussion among you and your classmates.

Your Professor will assign a subjective class participation grade based upon your individual contributions to this course. For what is considered good class participation -beyond bringing these questions to class each meeting - see the class participation guidelines at this link

Midterm Examination (25%):I prefer to call it a "Celebration of Learning." It will be in class and the date is listed above. It will cover all materails we have covered up to that point.

Final Examination (30%):I prefer to call it a "Celebration of Learning." Your Final Examination has two components: (1) a take-home essay section (15% points), and (2) an in-class multiple-choice section given during our scheduled final during final's week (15%). The Take-Home component's due date is listed on TurnItIn and in the table below.

Term Paper (25%):The Term Paper is developed in a three-stage process. All are submitted through Turnitin.(1) The Thesis Statement and Bibliography is due by 11:55 p.m. on Thursday, October 14. (2) The FINAL Draft is due by 11:55 p.m. on Thursday, October 30.(3) The Term Paper is due by 11:55 p.m. on Thursday, November 20.

Crucial details on the Term Paper(1) An original paper of your choosing with the topic approved by your professor. Final papers are limited to ten (10) pages. Any pages after the page limit will not beread. A crucial part of writing is to be concise. All papers must be typed, and double-spaced with the pages numbered. The paper must follow MLA style. An excellentweb source for following the MLA style is here. An excellent web source for following the APA style is here. If you have grammatical questions I suggest Grammar Girlas a good online source.

All papers must be run through Turnitin.com a site that checks your work against all work on the web and all papers in their data base for plagiarism. Itis also a grading platform that I will use to give feedback. When asked to "Submit Title" label the paper thus: "Last Name, First Name - Title of yourPaper". For example, if I wrote a paper titled "Libertarian Themes in South Park" I would submit the title as "Hobbs, Brad - Libertarian Themes inSouth Park". Here is a video of the general steps you will need to take. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl3zYA1og_A

The Class ID for this course is: 8450740The Enrollment Password is: 81829 (the CRN number for this course)

Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. Allsubmitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of theTurnitin.com service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com site.

(2) This rubric is used in grading your papers.

(3) Thesis Statement and Bibliography - You are to have a concise thesis and a bibliography that is sufficient to support the topic you are choosing. In your subsequentwork I might expect to see some changes to the bibliography but no substantive changes in the thesis statement. If you want examples and suggestions concerning aproper thesis statement see here or here.

(4) FINAL Draft - When I say FINAL draft, I MEAN IT. I will go through all FINAL drafts fastidiously and give you feedback. If you hand in a paper that I deem not tobe a FINAL draft (defined as five or more corrections on the first two pages) it will be returned to you as is and you are on your own for the final paper. I will assign agrade at the end of the paper that sets the lowest bar on your grade for the assignment. If you want that grade recoded as the grade for the paper then you don't have to doanything further.

(5) Final Paper - You now have an opportunity to address the feedback I have given you in the previous step and pull your FINAL draft grade up by up to 10%. Myfeedback may be minor or extensive. Going through this process does not guarantee a high grade (i.e., my feedback is not a "punch-list" for a 10% increase on yourFINAL draft.) The final paper will be read from front-to-end without marking it up and a grade will be assigned and recorded without detailed feedback given the processapproach we are using.

(6) Finally, top original papers should be targeted for publishing in an undergraduate research journal such as the Journal of Liberty & Society.

Missed Examinations or Assignments:A student must complete the exams at the scheduled times on the scheduled dates or provide written documentation of an Authorized Absence or Excused Absence(FGCU Catalog p.39). An Authorized Absence is due to participation in a sponsored activity that has been approved in advance by the program director and theappropriate student affairs officer. An Excused Absence is due to other causes, such as illness, family emergency, death in the family, or religious holiday. A studentseeking an Excused Absence must obtain documentation such as a physician's statement, accident report, or obituary.

If you miss an examination due to an Authorized Absence or an Excused Absence I must have a email or phone call before or during the assessment event - simply notshowing up earns a grade of "0" on on any examination or assignment. My email is [email protected] and my phone number is 590-7162: voice messaging is available atall times. Where I have been notified as explained above, the points for the missed examination will be calculated as the average of your other two examination scores. Ifyou miss two or more examinations you will receive a grade of "0" on both of them and you will receive an "F" in the course.

A missed Final Examination will: (1) lead to an assigned grade of "incomplete" so long as I am contacted prior to the examination as noted above and, (2) require you totake a makeup examination and complete the examination prior to the university's deadline for making up an incomplete. It is your responsibility to contact me andcoordinate the process of the makeup examination and the grade change. All incomplete's not completed by the university's deadline automatically become an "F".

Assignments other than examinations (e.g., papers and presentations) lose 10% or one letter grade per day. If a group presentation is required your failure to participatein it earns you an automatic "0" for the presentation portion of that assignment.

Late quizzes or Sapling or Aplia homework's earn a score of "0".

Examination Grade Challenge Policy:When an exam is handed back we will go over it in class and you will hand it back in during class. Once the examination is handed back to you there is a one-weekcooling-off period. Then you can make an appointment with me to come by during office hours and challenge my grading but be prepared. At two weeks after theexamination is returned to you, grades on all examinations and assignments are finalized.

Electronics in the Classroom: One must focus to do university-level work in this field of study. You may use a tablet or laptop unless I catch you using it for anything else but the class work. Then youwill lose the privilege. USING ANY OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING PHONES IS PROHIBITED DURING CLASS MEETINGS. Failure to complywith this rule has the following consequence: any infraction will lead to you being identified as the person responsible for the Pop Quiz that the entire class will take as aresult of your action. These quizzes will be included in your homework grade (Hat Tip to Professor Kerekes)

IMPORTANT COURSE ISSUES:

Cheating:Academic Honesty is your responsibility and ethical duty. Cheating is a rampant problem on college and university campusestoday. As a social scientist, I think it says something quite interesting about our current culture -- or perhaps Glaucon,Adeimantus and Thrasymachus were right (see The Republic of Plato, Part II "Justice in the State and in the Individual", ChapterV, "The Problem Stated".) My attitude concerning academic dishonesty is simple: cheating is not worth the potentialconsequences of getting caught nor the self-degradation which it involves whether you are caught or not.

This gets really simple now for anyone who can't understand what I wrote above. If you are caught in an act of AcademicDishonesty (defined as "Cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, forgery, misuse of any University document, record, or instrument ofidentification, multiple submissions, bribery, and/or theft of academic materials." in the Student Code of Conduct.) you will beassigned an "F" for the entire course. Appropriate steps for dealing with scholastic dishonesty are spelled out in theStudent Code of Conduct and these steps will be followed if this activity is revealed in your case. These guidelines pertain toall work done in this class including take home assignments and graded homework. (You have explicit permission to engage ingroup homework under the conditions outlined above.)

So that plagiarism does not cause you to fail this course read the two following web sites:A Statement on PlagiarismPlagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It

Attendance Policy:

"The discipline of colleges and universities is in general contrived, not for the benefit of the students, but for theinterest, or more properly speaking, for the ease of the masters. Its object is, in all cases, to maintain the authorityof the master, and whether he neglects or performs his duty, to oblige the students in all cases to behave to him as ifhe performed with the greatest diligence and ability. It seems to presume perfect wisdom and virtue in the oneorder, and the greatest weakness and folly in the other. Where the masters, however, really perform their duty, thereare no examples, I believe, that the greater part of the students ever neglect theirs. No discipline is ever requisite toforce attendance upon lectures which are really worth attending…”

An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Book V, Chapter 1, Part f, Paragraph 15Adam Smith

My attendance policy is laissez-faire. The translation from French is roughly "to allow to act". In other words, you are allowed to do whatever you want to do with regardto attendance: after all, only you can decide what your opportunity costs are. Whatever your proclivities for attendance may be, you are responsible for the materials ofthe course.

While my attendance policy is laissez-faire, it is not because I don't care. My reason for this policy is two-fold. First, I do not want uninterested slackers spoiling thedemeanor of a class designed for those who want to learn. Second, I respect individual decisions and embrace the learning processes that emanate from both gooddecisions (e.g., taking college seriously as a scholarly opportunity) and bad decisions (e.g., extending adolescence debauchery with state subsidy.) Not that I haveanything against debauchery - I just don't care to subsidize it.

I should note that for nearly all students there is a high and positive correlation between class attendance and grades. I encourage you to fully participate in youreducation. I will take role daily for administrative purposes and, if need be, to explain to you why you are not doing so well in this course.

Learning is a shared responsibility and as a result I won't be using valuable student office hours to redeliver the lecture because you chose not to come to class. Classlectures are, but, one way to learn - there are others. There are many things covered in class that are assessed in this course so you should definitely obtain a copy of class

notes, handouts, cases, etc. from a fellow student should you decide to not attend the class.

Assigned Readings: There may be assigned readings in this course. In order to have an effective class discussion you must: (1) read the article prior to the class meeting, (2) be prepared toboth ask and answer questions on the reading, and (3) bring your copy of the article and your notes on it the class meeting.

Group Work: Research in the area of learning has substantiated the positive effects of group study. When carried out with serious effort the returns to group study can be great for allmembers of the group. I would strongly encourage you to form study groups and set a weekly meeting time to discuss this course. I would ask that you assist each other;treating the study group as a cooperative experience rather than a competitive one. I have no problem with groups working together on the homework assignments.

Unless explicit permission is given (such as homework assignments above), all work handed in must be done alone. You are welcome to discuss and work together butwhen you "put pencil to paper" it must be your own work. To do otherwise will be regarded as an act of academic dishonesty.

Student ResponsibilitiesThere are no extra credit assignments. Graduation, scholarships, work, financial aid, personal plans, etc. have nothing to do with grades in this course. Grades are basedon performance (see the FGCU Catalog.) Course grades are available via Gulfline (see the FGCU Catalog).

Studying for university-level courses

I expect students to spend 2-3 hours of work outside of class for every houryou are in class. This means attending class plus spending 6-9 hours on coursework including readings, assignment and studying. For a 15-hour load thismeans 30-45 hours a week on your courses. A 2007 study by the NationalSurvey of Student Engagement found that full time students self reported(thus, probably an exaggerated report) spending about 13 - 14 hours per week(for a 15-hour load). As I tell my college-enrolled kids, "This may sound likea lot but this is the easiest 30 hour a week job you'll ever have! So stopwhining and get the most out of the vast array of resources a universityprovides you. We owe it to the taxpayers - who subsidize this endeavor to thetune of about 75%. We owe it to ourselves - to be all that we can be."

According to this study, I am swimming upstream. But, swim, I must.Economics is intellectually challenging and rigorous.

On the upside, Stinebrickner & Stinebrickner in 2007 find that studying anextra hour per week has the same effect on student achievement as a 5-pointincrease in your ACT scores.

Sources :National Survey of Student Engagement. Experiences That Matter: EnhancingStudent Learning and Success. Bloomington, IN: Center for PostsecondaryResearch, 2007.

Stinebrickner, T. & Stinebrickner, R. "The Causal Effect of Studying on AcademicPerformance." Working Paper W13341. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau ofEconomic Research, Aug. 2007.

(Thanks to Professor Linda Ray for these tidbits of truth.)

Dr. Hobbs' Study Handouts For Principles Students: Print these out and read them carefully. Study Handout #1: Studying for a Principles of Economics Course - The ARA Approach Study Handout #2: Studying for a Principles of Economics Course - Constructing a Set of Class Notes

Need a Tutor?"The Center for Academic Achievement (CAA) provides academic support services to all FGCU students. Students can take advantage of our free peer tutoring andSupplemental Instruction sessions for lower-level math and science courses, as well as workshops to facilitate the development of skills necessary for college success. Ifyou would like to participate in any of our programs, learn about tutoring services, or meet with an Academic Retention Coordinator, please visit the CAA in Library 103or call us at (239) 590-7906. Our web site is www.fgcu.edu/caa."

University Required StatementsGeneral Education ProgramThis course qualifies as a General Education course in the Social Sciences subject area. The economic way of thinking relies heavily on the usage of critical thinkingskills (the ability to link data, knowledge, and insight to make better decisions). Critical thinking is one of the four General Education competencies. All GeneralEducation courses are required to have a plan for assessing their students’ performance on at least one of those four competencies. To meet that requirement, there will beseveral questions on your final exam designed to assess your critical thinking skills. Those questions will be directly related to the economics content covered in yourtextbook and in class lectures.

Departmental Course SchedulingPlanning for and meeting all requirements of graduation are student responsibilities. This schedule http://www/fgcu/edu/cob/fin/fin_annual.pdf , LCOB advisors,prerequisite sequences as described in the Catalog and degree program sheets, are available to assist students in successful implementation of plans. Course substitutionsand prerequisite exceptions are only granted in exceptional circumstances clearly beyond the control of students. Lack of planning and poor planning are not exceptionalcircumstances.

Academic Behavior Standards and Academic Dishonesty All students are expected to demonstrate honesty in their academic pursuits. The university policies regarding issues of honesty can be found in the FGCU StudentGuidebook under the Student Code of Conduct and Policies and Procedures sections. All students are expected to study this document which outlines their responsibilitiesand consequences for violations of the policy. The FGCU Student Guidebook is available online at http://studentservices.fgcu.edu/judicialaffairs/new.html

Disability Accommodations Services Florida Gulf Coast University, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the university’s guiding principles, will provide classroom and academicaccommodations to students with documented disabilities. If you need to request an accommodation in this class due to a disability, or you suspect that your academicperformance is affected by a disability, please contact the Office of Adaptive Services. The Office of Adaptive Services is located in Howard Hall 137. The phone numberis 239-590-7956 or TTY 239-590-7930

Student Observance of Religious Holidays All students at Florida Gulf Coast University have a right to expect that the University will reasonably accommodate their religious observances, practices, and beliefs.Students, upon prior notification to their instructors, shall be excused from class or other scheduled academic activity to observe a religious holy day of their faith.Students shall be permitted a reasonable amount of time to make up the material or activities covered in their absence. Students shall not be penalized due to absence fromclass or other scheduled academic activity because of religious observances. Where practicable, major examinations, major assignments, and University ceremonies willnot be scheduled on a major religious holy day. A student who is to be excused from class for a religious observance is not required to provide a second party certificationof the reason for the absence.

The eight questions you should never ask your professor

If you were to ask me any one of these, my standard responses follow.

1. Will I miss anything by not being in class tomorrow? Of course you will miss something by not being in class: Unless I am already wasting my time and yours.2. May I hand in this assignment late? Deadline. Think about the word dead; and then the word line.3. Is this good enough for full credit? You are a university student and should be developing that assessment yourself. This is how it works: You hand it in and I

grade it.4. Since I got such a poor score can I resubmit it? I neither "give" grades nor do I fail students. Every score - poor or great - that I record, you earned. I certainly

applaud students who do poorly and then go back to learn from their mistakes on examinations, but your initial grade stands.5. Is there anything I can do for extra credit? You aren't doing so well on the regular credit - I'd hate to load you up with anything extra.6. Will this be on the examination? Perhaps. Anything we cover or that is assigned in this course is fair game.7. Are you busy? Sure am! I have a galloping career that involves teaching, service, and research. However, I have a duty and an obligation to respond to your

inquiries and concerns. I have set office hours aside for that purpose and will make appointments outside of office hours.8. "I knew the material; I just don't test well." Yes, I know, I graded it. Realize that you must also be able to communicate your knowledge. There are three steps

on the road to understanding a corpus body of knowledge: acquisition, retention, and application. You may also be overestimating how well you know the materialsbecause you have stopped too early in this process. See this link! And this one!

NOTE: The schedule and coverage in this course are subject to change in the event of changing circumstances. Procedural aspects of the syllabus are set in concrete.

Web page Last Updated on August 25, 2014

© FGCU 1997. The framework and images are those of an official FGCU web page.

© Bradley K. Hobbs, Ph.D. 2001. All written portions of this work are those of Bradley K. Hobbs and his alone. Intellectual property rights are claimed over my intellectual product (Read "Capitalism" by Ayn Rand.)

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