Introduction to Microeconomics Spring 2023
ECON 101

This is an introductory course in economics for students to grasp basic microeconomic concepts essential for understanding contemporary issues pertinent to the Canadian economy. You will learn about, among other topics, basic economic concepts such as scarcity, opportunity cost, economic efficiency and the behavior of individual consumers and producers and how decisions are made based on the allocation of limited resources.  We will examine how these decisions and behaviours affect the supply and demand for goods and services, which determine the prices we pay. And how prices we pay, in turn, determine the quantity of goods supplied by producers and the quantity of goods demanded by consumers. We will further study impact of government policies on formation and functioning of the market place, as well as a range of different market structures like perfect competition, monopoly, oligopoly and others.

*Subject to modification. The instructor may adjust course topics and dates as the term progresses. Any and all such potential adjustments will be announced during class and/or via LEARN in advance

• Parkin, Michael and Robin Bade (2022). Microeconomics: Canada in the Global Environment, 11th edition. Pearson Education Canada.
• A hard copy of the textbook print edition is also on reserve at the Dana Porter Library.
• The use of my MyLab Economics tests are optional but highly recommended. You may use them as a practice tool for midterm and final exams, but they will not be used for grading purposes.

All midterm and final examination questions are based on the material contained in the assigned textbook readings and presented during lectures (which are complements to the textbook, but not substitutes – see Policy on Class Attendance).

ECON 101 Textbook Purchase Options and where to buy (please only select one, you do not need all 5. NOTE: Before purchasing, compare prices for the same option at the bookstore and Pearson site as there might be price difference).

MyLab Student Registration Instructions:

To register for ECON 101 Microeconomics Summer 23 -Kumase: 

1. Go to https://mlm.pearson.com/enrollment/kumase09982 

2. Sign in with your Pearson student account or create your account. For Instructors creating a Student account, do not use your instructor credentials. 

3. Select any available access option, if asked. » Enter a prepaid access code that came with your textbook or from the bookstore. » Buy instant access using a credit card or PayPal. » Select Get temporary access without payment for 14 days.

 4. Select Go to my course. 

5. Select ECON 101 Microeconomics Summer 23 -Kumase from My Courses. 

If you contact Pearson Support, give them the course ID: kumase09982 

To sign in later: 

1. Go to https://mlm.pearson.com 

2. Sign in with the same Pearson account you used before. 

3. Select ECON 101 Microeconomics Summer 23 -Kumase from My Courses.

Readings Available on LEARN 

• Lecture overhead slides and/or additional course materials will be posted on the LEARN web site http://learn.uwaterloo.ca
• The LEARN site is down occasionally.  Save the course materials to your computer as soon as they are posted.  Always be prepared!
• Students writing test and exams are responsible to save course materials on LEARN before the access to their courses is shut off (normally on the first day of classes of the next term).

Course Requirements and Assessment

• The midterms will be written in the class period on the dates specified below and each midterm will be worth 25% of your final grade. The final exam, which will be scheduled by the registrar's office during the examination period in August, will constitute 50% of your final grade and will be comprehensive (i.e., cover all course material from beginning to end). 
• All Exams for this course will be multiple-choice questions, and perhaps short-answer questions.
  Examinations in this course are based on the material contained in the assigned textbook readings and presented as lecture contents (which are strong complements, not substitutes).
• Midterms and Final Exam contents are NOT released publicly. However, students are welcome to review their exams afterwards during office hours or mutually agreed upon time, and free to take notes.

Course Policies regarding missing exam

Missing a Midterm Due to Illness During the Term 

• Missing a midterm will automatically result in a grade of zero for that midterm. If the illness can be documented with a UW Verification of Illness Form (VIF) (or self-declared sick or has submitted a self-declared absence on Quest), with approval you may transfer the weight of the missed midterm to the final exam. Alternatively, the instructor may offer a mutually acceptable date and time to complete the missed exam. This remedy is a privilege and not a right and will be used only in extreme cases. 

• The midterm exam schedule has been set and will not be changed for whatever reason (no make-up midterm exams will be offered – absolutely no exceptions!).

Missing the Final Exam Due to Illness 

• Missing the final exam is a very serious matter which automatically results in a grade of zero for the final exam and possibly a failing grade for the course. Please carefully read the Economics Department policy on deferred final exams for instructions. 

• No deferred final exam will be provided for students who missed all the exams (including the final exam) in this course.

• Anything impacting the final exam, for any reason, are subject to the Economics Department Deferred Final Exam Policy.

Submission of Exam Papers 

• Late submission of exam papers is not accepted and missed submissions will receive a zero mark for whatever reason. 

• Exam papers must be submitted in whole and on time in the exam room. Exam paper 

a) not submitted on time, 

b) submitted with missing pages, 

c) submitted elsewhere, with the exception of students with permission to write in the AS Office, 

d) not received at all

will receive a grade of zero for whatever reason – No exceptions.

• It is the responsibility of students to ensure that they write exams in the location, date, and time assigned to their section. Students writing exams in the wrong section will be assessed a 20% penalty on the final exam grade. There will be no accommodation for possible differences in exam material or content.

Late Work 

See above under Midterms and Final Exam, Missing the Final Exam Due to Illness, and Submission of Exam Papers.

Economics Department Deferred Final Exam Policy

All deferred Final Exam requests for economics courses are administered by the Economics Undergraduate Office. Please consult the Deferred Exam Policy at 

https://uwaterloo.ca/economics/undergraduate/resources-and-policies/deferred-final-exam-policy.

Mental Health Support

All of us need a support system. The faculty and staff in Arts encourage students to seek out mental health support if they are needed.

On Campus

Due to COVID-19 and campus closures, services are available only online or by phone.

• Counselling Services:  counselling.services@uwaterloo.ca / 519-888-4567 ext. 32655
• MATES:  one-to-one peer support program offered by the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) and Counselling Services

Off campus, 24/7

• Good2Talk:  Free confidential help line for post-secondary students. Phone: 1-866-925-5454
• Grand River Hospital: Emergency care for mental health crisis. Phone: 519-749-4300 ext. 6880
• Here 24/7: Mental Health and Crisis Service Team. Phone: 1-844-437-3247
• OK2BME: set of support services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning teens in Waterloo.  Phone: 519-884-0000 extension 213

Full details can be found online on the Faculty of Arts website

Download UWaterloo and regional mental health resources (PDF)

Download the WatSafe app to your phone to quickly access mental health support information.

Intellectual Property

Students should be aware that this course contains the intellectual property of their instructor, TA, and/or the University of Waterloo. 

Intellectual property includes items such as:

• Lecture content, spoken and written (and any audio/video recording thereof);
• Lecture handouts, presentations, and other materials prepared for the course (e.g., PowerPoint slides);
• Questions or solution sets from various types of assessments (e.g., assignments, quizzes, tests, final exams); and
• Work protected by copyright (e.g., any work authored by the instructor or TA or used by the instructor or TA with permission of the copyright owner).

Course materials and the intellectual property contained therein, are used to enhance a student’s educational experience. However, sharing this intellectual property without the intellectual property owner’s permission is a violation of intellectual property rights.  For this reason, it is necessary to ask the instructor, TA and/or the University of Waterloo for permission before uploading and sharing the intellectual property of others online (e.g., to an online repository).

Permission from an instructor, TA or the University is also necessary before sharing the intellectual property of others from completed courses with students taking the same/similar courses in subsequent terms/years.  In many cases, instructors might be happy to allow distribution of certain materials. However, doing so without expressed permission is considered a violation of intellectual property rights.

Please alert the instructor if you become aware of intellectual property belonging to others (past or present) circulating, either through the student body or online. The intellectual property rights owner deserves to know (and may have already given their consent).

Territorial Acknowledgement: The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is centralized within the Office of Indigenous Relations

Cross-listed courses

Please note that a cross-listed course will count in all respective averages no matter under which subject code it has been taken. For example, a PHIL/PSCI cross-list will count in a Philosophy major average, even if the course was taken under the Political Science subject code.

Academic integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. [Check the Office of Academic Integrity for more information.]

Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of their university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt, please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity to avoid committing an academic offence, and to take responsibility for their actions. [Check the Office of Academic Integrity for more information.] A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course instructor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate associate dean. For information on categories of offences and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71, Student Discipline. For typical penalties, check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.

Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71, Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes they have a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72, Student Appeals.

Note for students with disabilities: AccessAbility Services, located in Needles Hall, Room 1401, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with AccessAbility Services at the beginning of each academic term.

Turnitin.com: Text matching software (Turnitin®) may be used to screen assignments in this course. Turnitin® is used to verify that all materials and sources in assignments are documented. Students' submissions are stored on a U.S. server, therefore students must be given an alternative (e.g., scaffolded assignment or annotated bibliography), if they are concerned about their privacy and/or security. Students will be given due notice, in the first week of the term and/or at the time assignment details are provided, about arrangements and alternatives for the use of Turnitin in this course.

It is the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor if they, in the first week of term or at the time assignment details are provided, wish to submit alternate assignment.