AGEC 1114—Introduction to Agricultural Economics (Spring 2013)
(Note: any changes to the syllabus will be made in this red font)
At the beginning of every class
- [Dr. Norwood] Who cares about you?
- [Class] Dr. Norwood!
- [Dr. Norwood] Why does he care?
- [Class] We are special.
- [Dr. Norwood] And why do we learn?
- [Class] For the sake of learning!
At the end of every class
- [Dr. Norwood] What is economics about?
- [Class] A pleasant life for everyone.
- [Dr. Norwood] How does an honest person become wealthy?
- [Class] By enhancing the lives of others.
Instructor Information
Instructor: Dr. Bailey Norwood
Office: 426 Ag Hall
Contact: bailey.norwood@okstate.edu or 405-334-0010 (voice or texting is allowed but I prefer you to email me)
Office hours: rather than hold official office hours, you are welcome to drop by anytime unannounced,or you may set an appointment to see me by (1) visiting my online calendar [note: you cannot make an appointment at this website] (2) selecting a time and date convenient for both of us (3) emailing me that date/time and (4) I will confirm with a reply. Following these steps can eliminate a dozen back-and-forth emails.
The office hourse for the two teaching assistants is provided below.
Course details
Class website—The link to the AGEC 1114 class website is available at the Seeds website, which can be accessed at http://asp.okstate.edu/baileynorwood/Bailey/enterSeeds.aspx (use the password: "baileyrocks").
Announcements for the class will be regularly updated at the class website, and includes what is covered in lectures and labs, if we will meet for labs, assignments, reminders, and the like. So if you miss class, everything you need to know is in the announcements section.
When logging into and using D2L for this class, REGARDLESS OF YOUR SECTION NUMBER, use the section named: AFI.
Lecture times and locations: MWF 12:30-1:20, AGH 101, all sections
Lab times and locations:
Section 1: Wednesday 2:30-3:20, AGH 320
Section 2: Wednesday 3:30-4:20, AGH 320
Section 3: Thursday 2:00-2:50, AGH 320
Section 4: WednesdayThursday 3:30-4:20, AGH 320
Course materials
Textbook—The class textbook consists of online articles and videosat the Seeds websiteaccessible at http://asp.okstate.edu/baileynorwood/Bailey/enterSeeds.aspx (use the password: "baileyrocks").
There is no book you are required to purchase.
While you are not required to, you can enhance your grade by bring the standard OSU clickers (Turning Technologies clickers) used by many other classes (including PLNT 1213, which most of you will take). See the Grades section on the consequence of using or not using clickers.
Students must purchase four orange scantron sheets to be used in examination.
Labs
The first few labs will be devoted to helping you with your class paper.We will not meet for all the labs, as we will sometimes assign a video or audio experience students can complete on their own time, outside of labs. The class announcements (at the class website) can always be checked to see if we will meet for labs. Towards the end of the class the labs will be used to help students develop a financial plan for your working life retirement.
Course content
AGEC 1114 is like a Principles of Economics course but with particular attention to agricultural and food issues. Students today live in the most pleasant and wealthy society ever to exist. What made the U.S. and other modern democracies great? Part of our greatness resides in our ability to engage in commerce with strangers, and our democratic political system. The two objectives of this course are to (1) understand how commerce and democratic institutions create wealth and a pleasant life, to make you a wiser voter and (2) to give you intellectual skills which will enhance your understanding of business, finance, and markets, so that you contribute more to your employer, your family, and yourself.
Prerequisites
Basic math and graphical skills are required, so MATH 1483 or 1513 are prerequisites, but if you forgot everything in algebra or are taking algebra concomitant with this class, as long as you seek extra help when you need it you can still perform well in the class. Students poor at math and graphing will want to make good use of the teaching assistants.
Teaching assistantsYour two teaching assistants were hired both for their intelligence and their eagerness to help students. Because I have changed some of the subjects of this class they will be learning some of the material alongside you, and although they are fast learners, I ask you to be patient with them. I must also insist that you treat the TA's with respect, for they deserve it. There is zero toleration for disrespecting of the teaching assistants.
Although their duties may change, they are currently charged with holding office hours, review sessions or special office hours before an exam, helping to draft assignments, and some grading. If you wish for help from the TAs with this class, I encourage you to visit them during their office hours, of if you are occupied during these times, contact them by email to arrange an appointment.
When wanting special help with someone you are welcome to contact the TAs first or me, whichever one you prefer. The TA names and emails are below.
Cara JonesStephens (Teaching Assistant): Office hours 10:00 AM to noon on Thursdays. In 419 Ag Hall.
Email: caraej@ostatemail.okstate.edu
Chris Isaac (Teaching Assistant): Office hours 1:30-2:30 on Monday and Wednesday; Tuesday and Thursday from noon to 1:00 PM. In 407 Ag Hall. Email: chrisri@ostatemail.okstate.edu
GradingGrades are assigned on an absolute scale, meaning the entire class could receive A's or F's. You are graded solely on the learning you demonstrate on assignments, and not how other students perform. That said, this is not an easy course. It is highly unlikely that more than 15% of the class will receiveA's, but in general, only students who put forth no effort find themselves with a failing grade. Most students who usually receive A's or B's will receive an A or B in this class, if they work hard.
Exam 1: 20%
Exam 2: 20%
Exam 3 (final exam): 20% - 30% (depending on your participation points)
Homeworks: 10%
Class Paper: 10%20%
Participation: 0 - 10% (you are not penalized for missing classes, but you are rewarded for attending)
About exams: Exams are conducted in class. Most questions will be answered on orange scantron sheets but some questions will require a short narrative, graph, or calculation. The final is not cumulative. For all exams students may use a 3-inch by 5-inch cheat sheet, written on one side only. Anyone caught cheating will be reported in an attempt to give you an F! for the class, and we will actively seek cheaters (though not harrassing anyone). Students needing to take the exam at a different date/time should see me as soon as they become aware of this need. Students with disabilities who need more time to take the test or wish to take it at the testing center are responsible for giving me the paperwork telling me what to do at least a week before the exam.
About homeworks: Most homeworks will be either taken in D2L (at https://oc.okstate.edu/),
and remember to use the section number AFI), though some will be hand-written. Students who keep up with class should be well-prepared for the homeworks, and the homework questions serve as practice for exams,as exam questions will largely be taken and modified from homeworks. Students may drop twofour homeworks from the average homework grade calculation.
Late homeworks not given in D2L will be reduced by ten percentage point for each workday they are submitted late.
About the class paper: The paper assignment is located at the class website. The first few labs will be devoted to the class paper, and will make the paper much easier to write.
About the participation grade: Attendance will be taken using the traditional OSU clickers. I do not wish to penalize students who do not buy a clicker or do not attend class. This class is about learning, not attendance. However, I respect students who are diligent in their studies. Thus,the participation grade can only help your grade and never harm it. Everyone has a 100 for a participation grade, but how much that grade counts towards the final class grade depends upon attendance. If you never attend class your participation grade of 100 counts 0% towards your final class grade and Exam 3 counts 30% towards your final class grade. If you always attend class your participation grade of 100 counts 10% towards your final class grade and Exam 3 counts 20%. If you attend class half the time, your participation grade of 100 counts 5% towards your final class grade and Exam 3 counts 25%. The less you attend class the more Exam 3 will count towards your grade, so if you can do well on exams without attending class, failure to attend will not harm your grade.
Due to the manner in which I handle participation, I never need to know if you will be absent from class or lab. Again, please do not notify me if you will be absent from a class or lab, as there is nothing for me to do with that information, and information on what you missed will be reported on the class website. Of course, if you wish for more detail than available on the website, please do contact me.
Thus, letting attend equal the percent of all class meetings you attend (attend = 0 if you attend none, 0.5 if you attend half, and 1 if you attend all classes) , your final numerical grade will be calculated as:
Final Numerical Grade = (0.20)(Exam 1 grade) + (0.20)(Exam 2 grade) + [(0.20) + (1-attend)(0.1)](Exam 3 grade) + (0.10)(average homework grade) + (0.10)(0.20)(class paper grade) + (attend)(0.1)(100)
Assigning letter grades: Though there is a very small possibility the minimum threshold for a grade might be lowered (making it easier to get a higher letter grade) the maximum threshold will never be raised.
| Numerical Grade | Letter Grade |
| 90 or greater | A |
| 80-89 | B |
| 70-79 | C |
| 60-69 | D |
| <60 | F |
Plagarism and cheating
All students accussed of cheating by Dr. Norwood will be reported to OSU using standard procedures, as outlined in the OSU syllabus attachment. Please know that you will be submitting your paper to D2L, which performs a plagarism test, and is quite good at detecting cheaters.
OSU syllabus attachment
Everything in the OSU syllabus attachment applies to this class.
Important Dates
- January 14, 100% refund, nonrestrictive drop/add deadline
- January 18, 50% refund, restrictive drop/add deadline
- January 21, university holidy, no class
- February 13, AGEC 1114 Exam 1 [tentative]
- February 19, six week grades due
- March 1, AGEC 1114 class paper due
- March 11, AGEC 1114 Exam 2 [tentative]
- March 18-22 Spring Break
- April 5, W Drop withdrawal
- April 19, deadline to withdraw from all classes (teachers choose whether to give you a W or F).
- April 22-26, pre-finals week
- April 29-May 3, finals week
- May 3, 10:00-11:50 AM, AGEC 1114 Exam 3 (final, non-cumulative exam)
