Economics 311: Intermediate Microeconomics (advanced)
Syllabus, September, 2014

1:00-2:15 T,Th
L177 Education Building

John Kennan
6434 Social Science
jkennan@ssc.wisc.edu

Office Hours: Mondays, 1:30-3:00 (or by appointment)

Objectives:
The course presents theories of how markets work. The core material analyzes demand decisions made by rational consumers, supply decisions made by profit-maximizing firms, and the market outcomes resulting from the interactions of these decisions.

Prerequisites:
The course is designed for economics majors and others who are already seriously interested in economics. Prerequisites include a principles course (101 or 111) and an advanced calculus course (Math 222 or equivalent).

Text:
The basic text is Microeconomic Theory: Basic Principles and Extensions, 11th Edition, by Walter Nicholson and Christopher Snyder (Cengage Learning, 2011). This text is ridiculously expensive (as are most textbooks). The 10th edition is much cheaper, and the content is much the same. There is also some good textbook material on the web, such as the book by Mike Peters. The lectures (and therefore the exams) may contain some material that is not covered in the text. Supplementary readings will be assigned as needed.

Exams and Grades:
There will be two in-class midterm exams and a cumulative final exam. There will also be several homework assignments, which you should use to prepare for exams. The midterms will be on Tuesday, October 21, and Tuesday, November 25, and the final will be on Friday, December 19, 12:25-2:25 p.m. The following weights will be used to determine grades: assignments: 15%; midterm 1: 20%; midterm 2: 25%; final: 40%.

Incompletes:
No incomplete grades will be given except under extraordinary circumstances.