NO CHANGES IN THE RESEARCH PROJECT WILL BE ALLOWED BEYOND THIS DATE!!

• 7 October, Choose Topic and Justify (Two to Three-page report, refer to Literature Review) (3%)
  • State the economic question that you attempt to answer. Briefly, describe the importance of your research project. In your description, provide evidence concerning the importance of your study and explain the feasibility and inherent value of the research project. Good research is valuable to the researcher, discipline, and ultimately to society. By referring back to the previous assignment, literature review, explain how you are building on what has been done in the past.
• 14 October, Identify Hypotheses (Half-page report) (2%)
  • After having thoroughly researched your question, you should have some educated guess about how things work. This educated guess about the answer to your question is called the hypothesis. A hypothesis, then, is a proposed explanation of a phenomenon, which still has to be rigorously tested. The hypothesis must be worded so that it can be tested in your experiment. Do this by expressing the hypothesis using your independent variable (the variable you change during your experiment) and your dependent variable (the variable you observe-changes in the dependent variable depend on changes in the independent variable). In fact, many hypotheses are stated exactly like this: "If a particular independent variable is changed, then there is also a change in a certain dependent variable."
• 2 November, Proposal (At least three pages long) (7%)
• 11 November, Posters Due
• 18 November, First Draft (Electronic Submission)
• 9 December, Oral Presentations (15%)
• 14 December, Final Draft (35%)

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

The following outlines learning goals primarily acquired in this capstone course. Students learn to

• apply the tools they have learned throughout their Economics major to a particular research question in an area of personal interest;
• access the existing knowledge relevant to their chosen research area;
• prepare annotated bibliographies summarizing, interpreting, and evaluating the existing knowledge;
• formulate hypotheses and use statistical procedures and published economic data to test those hypotheses;
• create new knowledge; and
• communicate the findings of their research projects in posters, written reports, and oral presentations.

COURSE OUTLINE:

Research Methods: August 24 - October 14

• Doing Economics
• What is Research?
• Research Language
• Steps of the Research Process for Economics
• Developing an Effective Research Question
• Surveying the Literature
• Economics Journals
• Writing as a Tool for Economic Research
• Writing as a Product
• Research Design
• Testing your Analysis
• Interpreting the Results and Drawing Conclusions
• Communicating the Findings of the Research Projects
• APA Style

• Economic Models
  • Factor Price Equalization Theorem
  • Leontief's Paradox
• The Price System
  • Partial-Equilibrium Analysis
  • The Market for Wheat
  • Market Demand
  • Elasticity
  • Exponential Demand Function
• Theories of Consumer Choice
  • The Cardinal Theory
  • The Ordinal Theory
• Rules for Differentiating Univariate Functions
• Theories of Production
  • One Variable Input
  • Two variable Inputs
  • Cobb-Douglas Function
• Cost Functions
• Optimal Input Combinations
• Market Structures
• Markets for Inputs
• General Equilibrium Analysis
• Externalities and Public Goods
• National Income Determination Models
• Stabilization Policy
• International Trade and Finance

Oral Presentations of Research Projects, December 9

Mid Term Exam (15%), October 21, 2021

Final Exam (15%) -- Poster Presentation,

Tentative Date: Wed., November 17, 2021 at 6:30 pm.

REFERENCE BOOK:

Doing Economics: A Guide to Understanding and Carrying Out Economic Research, Steven A. Greenlaw, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006.

McCloskey, D. N., Economical Writing, Long Grove, IL, Waveland Press, Inc., 2000.

Studenmund, A.H., Using Econometrics: A Practical Guide, Seventh Edition, Pearson, 2018.

NOTE 1:

No exam grades will be eliminated. No exams will be made up unless arrangements have been made PRIOR TO THE SCHEDULED EXAM DATE. Messages left on my voice mail will not be considered as proper arrangements.

NOTE 2:

Academic integrity - Students are expected to maintain principles of academic integrity and conduct as defined in EIU's Code of Conduct (http://www.eiu.edu/judicial/studentconductcode.hph). Violations will be reported to the Office of Student Standards.

NOTE 3:

Students with disabilities - If you are a student with a documented disability in need of accommodations to fully participate in this class, please contact the Office of Student Disability Services (OSDS). All accommodations must be approved through OSDS. Please stop by McAfee Gym, Room 1210, or call 217-581-6583.

NOTE 4:

The Student Success Center - Students who are having difficulty achieving their academic goals are encouraged to contact the Student Success Center (http;//www.eiu.edu/~success) for assistance with time management, test taking, note taking, avoiding procrastination, setting goals, and other skills to support academic achievement. The Student Success Center provides individualized consultation.

NOTE 5:

"Each faculty member has the authority to establish the conditions for student cell phone use in his/her classroom. These conditions are at the discretion of the faculty member, but will provide that a university-initiated campus security text message can be received and disseminated to those in the classroom in a timly manner." Eastern position on cell phones in classrooms.

My position on cell phones: there is absolutely NO TEXTING allowed in class, you may NOT hold your cell phones in your hands in class, and you may NOT use your cell phones as calculators during exams.

SPECIAL DATES IN THE FALL TERM 2021 CALENDAR

Classes Begin: August 23, 2021

Last Day to Drop a Course With No Grade: September 3

Labor Day Observance-No Classes: September 6

Mid Term: October 13

Fall Break/No Classes: October 15

Last Day to Withdraw from a Course or University with W: November 5

Thanksgiving Break: November 22 - 26

Last Class Day: December 10

Final Examinations: December 13 - 17

Deadline to Return Books/TRS/No Fine 3 p.m.: December 17

Commencement: December 18

Last Day to Complete Graduation Requirements: January 7, 2022