Welcome to Economics 1 on the Internet! I have been teaching this course for over ten years and
in this time have seen an explosion in the number of Web-based courses being offered to college
students. For many of you this will not be the first online course you have taken and you already
know that taking a course in this way requires above-average self-discipline. I am pointing this out
now because I do not want you to be disappointed with your performance in my
class. You may also know that you could not have chosen a better time to study economics,
particularly macroeconomics, which looks at the economy as a whole. The U.S. is a major player in an
extremely dynamic and currently troubled global economy.
Almost every day economists and other policy-makers are required to adjust their views, and even to
change some of their basic assumptions, as new data and unfolding events
challenge their theories about how a modern economy operates. Using the rich information resources
on the World Wide Web will give you access to the latest data and debate, and I look forward to our
interactions with each other on the important issues in
macroeconomics.
You can reach me by email at anytime.
The course is divided into 16 parts and you can see the syllabus and schedule online. There are
individual assignments due
for each part and several group exercises. You should read the course introduction as soon as you
log on for the first time. This
will give you a good overview of the course and the basic requirements. It is obviously important to
get a running start and to
work out
any problems right away.
During the first week of class there may be system-related problems and I can assist you with
these.
Be prepared to spend a minimum of 9-12 hours per week using and studying the course materials.
