Senior Seminar Syllabus
Spring 2008

---

A.        GOALS:          The goal of this course is to use economic theory to analyze important                                          theoretical, empirical and policy questions.  An additional objective is to                                        challenge students to achieve exemplary analytical writing, presentation,                                               speaking and listening skills.

B.        SCHEDULE: 

      Due dates for papers are as follows:
            Paper 1            Week of Feb. 18
            Paper 2            Week of Mar. 10
            Paper 3            Week of Apr. 7
            Paper 4            Week of Apr. 21
            Paper 5            Week of May 5

Your paper is due when your section meets.

C.            METHODS OF EVALUATION:

1.         5 papers worth 75% of final grade
Comprehensive Exam worth 25% of final grade.  This is a standardized exam to be taken March 19, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. Your student account will be charged approximately $28 during the spring semester for the cost of the exam. For more information about the exam you can see:  www.ets.org/hea/mft/index.html

2.         Each paper must have a grade of D- or higher.  A student who does not have five papers with a grade of D- or higher will earn an F in the course.  Any F paper must be rewritten and turned in no more than three (3) weeks after the original F paper is returned.  The final grade for an F paper will be the average of the two grades for that paper.

3.         A paper submitted late cannot receive a grade higher than C.  Any late paper must be turned in within one week of the due date; otherwise, the paper will earn an F.  If a student fails to turn in a paper three weeks after that paper is returned to the class, then that student will receive an F in the course.

4.         A paper containing plagiarized material will earn an F.  The paper must be rewritten, with a grade of C being the highest grade possible on the rewritten paper.  The two grades are then averaged and included in the calculation for the course grade.  The course grade is also reduced by one letter grade.  A student caught plagiarizing a second time earns an F in the course.

Plagiarism occurs if material is copied verbatim without either quotation marks or indenting and single spacing to make clear that the material is being quoted.  It may also occur if paraphrases are not clearly identified and the material copied appears to be your own writing.  Quoted matter must be identified by appropriate references to sources.  See syllabus section on "Plagiarism, Documentation, and Sound Academic Practice" and the department website for examples.

The DePauw policy on academic integrity will be upheld in this course.  Violations in the form of cheating, plagiarism, submission of the work of others, etc., may result in a lowered grade or course failure.  The policy and a discussion of each student’s obligations and rights are presented in the Student Handbook.

5.         Major Field Achievement Test: All students will be required to pass the Major Field Achievement Test in economics.  This national exam is designed by the Educational Testing Service. This exam will be the Department's comprehensive exam and will count 25% towards your seminar grade.  This exam will be given only once during the academic year; for the academic year 2007-2008 it will be given in the Spring Semester on Wednesday, March 19, 2008.

Those students who take seminar first semester will receive a grade of L at the end of the semester; after the grade for the Major Field Achievement Test is assigned by the department, those students will receive their final grade for seminar.  If you know that you cannot take the exam on March 19, 2008, you must contact the department chairperson immediately.

The cost of this exam is the responsibility of the student who takes the exam.  Your account will be billed during the Spring Semester prior to the test date.

The comprehensive exam is a two hour, standardized exam.  Information from the testing company, Educational Testing Service, for this exam may be obtained from their website, www.ets.org/hea/mft/index.html, or you may visit the Economics and Management Department office in the Faculty Office Building to pick up a hard copy of the information.  Their site provides an outline of the exam topics and sample multiple choice questions.  The department website contains additional practice questions.

The Department recommends that you have an introductory level economics text as a source for studying for the exam. The Department also recommends that you review intermediate microeconomics and macroeconomics theory texts and notes; more than two-thirds of the exam covers those two subjects.  An alternative is to review Schaum's outlines of Macroeconomic Theory and Microeconomic Theory.  A review of statistics is also warranted.  An introduction to the history of economic thought is available through Heilbroner's, The Worldly Philosophers. 

D.        GENERAL GUIDELINES       

1.         You are expected to be present at class time with one copy of your completed paper in final form. 

2.         Five papers will be assigned during the semester.  Papers should be at least ten text pages long (typed double-spaced) not counting title page, table of contents, endnotes, and a bibliography.  Please staple your paper in the upper left corner.  Do not use plastic folders. 

3.         One copy of each paper is to be turned in at the beginning of the class session.  Do NOT put your name on the papers, instead you will choose an identification number which you will use in place of your name in order to ensure anonymity in the grading process.

            In addition, you will submit each paper electronically to the Economics Department secretary, Jayne Williams, BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF CLASS. Her email is jaynewil@depauw.edu so be careful that you use the correct address.  Your email must include your seminar section, for example, –Section B—and the paper #.

4.         Identify each main section of the paper with a number and appropriate subtitle.  On the second page put a table of contents listing sections of the paper with page references.

5.         Pay careful attention to spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and general organization.  Papers should be clear, accurate and readable.

6.         A paper containing mainly quotations or paraphrases is unacceptable.  The main text of your paper must be in your own writing.  Summaries or paraphrases of source materials must be clearly identified with appropriate reference to sources.  Short quotations may be included in the main text with quotation marks (") and appropriate reference to sources.  Longer quotations should be indented five spaces, identified with appropriate reference to sources, and typed single-spaced.

7.         The best references for seminar papers are indexed in the databases ECONLIT and JSTOR which are available on-line from the Roy O. West Library.  Your paper should reference at least five relevant scholarly articles.  Do not rely on websites or the popular press for the bulk of your information.

E.         PARTICIPATION AND THE "S"

  • Each class member must participate as a presenter at least once and engage in three other different roles. (See Section F.)

 

2.         The grade on each paper will be adjusted according to each person's
participation in the discussion.  The adjustments will be:

  • Plus one-third of a grade (e.g. C+ to B-) for a superior contribution.
  • No adjustment for a normal contribution.
  • Minus one-third of a grade for a subnormal contribution.

3.         To satisfy the "S" requirement an "S" must be earned on the presentation and in three of the remaining four class sessions.

  • An "S" for a class session requires at least a normal contribution.
  • You may not receive an "S" for a given meeting if you are excessively tardy or engage in other behavior that delays or disrupts the group discussion.
  • In order to receive an "S" on the presentation, the following exit standards must be achieved:  The student
    • Listens efficiently and reflectively.
    • Adapts the content, organization and manner of delivery to the specific receivers and the particular situation.
    • Expresses a thesis or point of view orally and supports it with appropriate evidence.
    • Presents orally a balanced description of the differences between competing theories, opinions, or interpretations of data.
  • In order to receive an "S" for roles other than Presenter, exit standards i-ii must be achieved.  Exit standards iii-iv should be met when appropriate.

SOME GUIDELINES FOR PARTICIPATION

1.         Listening:

  • Focus attention on the speaker.
  • Avoid distracting behavior and overcome distraction.
  •  Listen for concepts and major ideas.
  •  Develop the ability to formulate and ask appropriate questions or make  clarifying comments.

            2.         Language:

  • Use appropriate vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.
  • Avoid cluttering language with things like "you know".

3.         Delivery:

  • Use inflection and movement to enhance communication.
  • Avoid distracting vocal mannerisms such as mumbling, speaking too quickly or slowly, speaking too loudly or quietly, and lapsing into a monotonous delivery.
  • Use a pleasant voice.
  • Try to overcome nervous habits and use a controlled delivery.
  • Use eye contact and speak to the audience rather than read to them.
  • Adopt an alert (not rigid) posture.
  • Adapt the delivery to specific audience and situation.

4.         Content and Organization:

  • Present ideas in a systematic and coherent fashion.
  • Make your thesis, reasoning or analysis, main points, and conclusions clear to the audience.
  • Avoid irrelevant materials and aimless digressions.
  • Use supporting material:  examples, quotations, statistics, visual aids, etc., to highlight the main points.
  • Adapt the content and organization to the audience and situation.
  • Present a balanced view of the topic, even when your are to settle on a particular thesis.

F.         CLASS SESSION ORGANIZATION

ROLES:                       
1.          Chair (1 person)
2.         Presenters (2 people)
3.         Discussant (1 person)
4.         Chief Questioners (2 people)
5.         Audience (all remaining persons)

RESPONSIBILITIES:
1.         CHAIR
a.       Introduce the interesting questions and controversies surrounding the topic (about 3 to 5 minutes) and then introduce the presenters.
b.         Keep group order and movement.
c.         If necessary, remind individuals of time constraints.

  • Direct the discussion as needed.
  • Try to include all members in the discussion.
  • Take part in discussion.
  • End the proceedings.

2.         PRESENTER
a.         Give 15 minute summary of findings, with emphasis on background, analysis, evidence, and conclusions.  IMPORTANT:  State your main conclusions at the beginning of your presentation.
b.         Stand up while presenting.
c.         Provide handouts, overheads, chalkboard material, or any other kind of
visual aid that you prefer.
d.         Respond to discussant, chief questioners, and audience.
e.         Take part in discussion.

3.         DISCUSSANT (narrow focus on presentations)
a.         Give 5-10 minute response to presentations.
b.         Give constructive criticism; agree and/or disagree, with rationale; pose questions; extend analysis; compare and/or contrast presenters.
c.         Take part in discussion.

4.         CHIEF QUESTIONERS (take more wide-ranging view than discussant)
a.         Serve as a catalyst for discussion; try to involve the audience.
b.         Probe views of presenters, discussant, and audience.
c.         Examine points of agreement or disagreement.
d.         Initiate lines of inquiry.

5.         AUDIENCE
a.         Critically listen to presenters and discussant.
b.         Make note of the main points, the lines of argument, the use of evidence and substantiation, conflicting ideas, etc.
c.         Provide questions, clarifying comments, alternative views, etc.

TYPICAL CLASS SEQUENCE (for illustrative purposes only):

1.         The chair states the issues and introduces the players.
2.         Presenters I and II:  15 minutes each.
3.         Discussant:  5-10 minutes.
4.         Presenters respond to Discussant:  3 minutes each.
5.         Audience response: 10-15 minutes of discussion.
6.         Break:  10 minutes.
7.         Chief Questioners: 10 minutes each.
8.         General class discussion.
9.         Next paper topic and sign-up.

G.        PLAGIARISM, DOCUMENTATION, AND SOUND ACADEMIC PRACTICE

    • (Some of this material is based on the Handbook which accompanies McCrimmon, Writing with a Purpose.)
    • Definition:  plagiarism is the presentation of someone else's words as your own.  These words may come from (for example) a manuscript, notes, a book, a magazine article, or a pamphlet written by someone else.  You commit plagiarism when you use a sequence of words from one of these sources without acknowledging the source in your paper.
    • A note on good academic practice:  The ideal purpose of documenting sources and providing references is to assist the reader who wants to pursue points raised in your paper.  That is, we value and hope to facilitate the free exchange and pursuit of ideas.  In your paper you might present ideas or opinions, based on your reading of certain sources, which you have made your own and which you state entirely in your own words.  If you do not document these sources you may not have plagiarized in the strict sense; however, you will have failed to live up to the ideal purpose of providing documentation, you may mislead your reader about the extent of your debt to those who have gone before you, and you will have produced a paper of inferior quality.  In such a case your grade will be reduced accordingly.

4.         Below are some original material and three student versions of it; two of the latter are examples of plagiarism.

Original Material:  "The world as Rabbit knows it is filled with nothing but oppression and hurts, and this is the condition which dictates his peculiar kind of isolation; to everyone but Tothero and Mrs. Smith he is a perfect rogue.  His absolute devotion to a quest for meaning dictates his absolute aloneness in a society which knows nothing of meaning."  (From David Galloway, The Absurd Hero in American Fiction, Austin, Texas:  University of Texas Press, 1966, p. 36.)

Student version A:  'In Rabbit Run, the hero knows the world is filled with nothing but oppression and hurts, and this knowledge results in his peculiar kind of isolation.  He is a perfect rogue to everyone but Tothero and Mrs. Smith.  His absolute devotion to a quest for meaning produces his absolute aloneness in a society that knows nothing of meaning.'

(This is plagiarism.  The student substitutes a few words, and rearranges the second sentence, but retains the original phrasing.  The student gives no documentation at all, implying that these sentences are entirely his or her own words.)

Student version B:  'The world as Rabbit sees it is filled with nothing but oppression and pain; this dictates his peculiar brand of isolation.  To everyone but Tothero and Mrs. Smith, he is a virulent rogue.  In a society which knows nothing about meaning, Rabbit's absolute devotion to a quest for meaning dictates his absolute aloneness (Galloway, p. 36).'

(This is also plagiarism even though the writer documents the source.  The student has obviously copied almost directly from the source, dropping and changing only a few words and reversing the order of the third sentence. This is neither a summary nor a proper paraphrase.)

Student version C:  'In describing Rabbit Angstrom's alienation, David Galloway insists that Rabbit knows a world filled with "oppression and hurts," while seeming to be a "perfect rogue" to everyone but Tothero and Mrs. Smith.  Galloway argues that Rabbit's "absolute devotion to a quest for meaning dictates his absolute aloneness in a society which knows nothing of meaning."  (Galloway, p. 36).  Such a quest finally leads Rabbit away from his family and friends and into a future of continuous searching.'

(This is a satisfactory handling of the source.  The student identifies the source in the first sentence and directly quotes key words using an appropriate endnote.  The third sentence repeats the key word "quest" and presents the student's own summation of the theme of the novel.)