Lansing Community College

Social Science Department
Section Syllabus - ECON 260 for Spring 2009

Course and Section Information:

Course Code:	ECON 260
Title:	Comparative Economic Systems
Semester:	Spring 2009
Class Meetings:	ONLINE - no face-to-face class meetings

Instructor & Contact Information:

Instructor:	Jim Luke
Office:	LCC Main Campus, A&S Building, Room 361E
Phone & Voice Mail:	517-483-5384 (office) 313-550-8884 (cell + text)
Email:	lukej@lcc.edu (preferred for all email. I discourage use of Angel email)
Office Hours:	T & Th 12-2pm; 4-5pm

I. Course Code Credit Lecture

Econ 260 3 48

II. Prerequisite

Reading Level 5

III. Course Description

A comparison of different global economic systems and their impact on economic growth, distribution of income and opportunity, and economic treatment of women and minorities. Theories, philosophies, historical development, and current practices will be examined.

IV. Instructional Materials

A. Required Textbooks:

No single textbook is required for all students. However, all students will be required to read two books from a list of books provided in the course. Students will have some choice as to which books they select.

B. Required Other Materials and Resources -More information and instructions are provided in specific assignments online..

All course materials are delivered via the Angel, LCC online course managent system. Students must use Angel regularly.
Other online resources, including Google Sites, Meadmap.com, Wikipedia, and other resources are required.
The online video, The Commanding Heights, from PBS is required.

V. Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the successful student will be able to:

explain why scarcity is a problem faced by every society and why, as a result of scarcity, each society must select and economic system that will provide a mechanism to determine what goods and services will be produced in that society, how they will be produced, and how they will be divided among the society's households.
explain the scharacteristics of pure capitalism, the philosophy behind it, and how pure capitalist system answers the questions of What? How? and For Whom?.
discuss the arguments for government involvement in a capitalist economy and the varieties of capitalism that exist in the world today.
explain the characteristics of pure socialism, the philosophy behind it, and how a socialist system answers the questions of What? How? and For Whom?
discuss the arguments for introduction of markets into a socialist economy and the varieties of socialism that exist in the world today
describe the economic systems of at least two countries with relatively high per capita GDP on different continents. Contrast the role of government and the free marekt in the economies fo these countries now and in the past.
compare the economic growth, the economic incentives, the distribution of income and economic opportunity, and the role of women and minorities in these countries and explain how any differences relate to the economic systems
compare the economic system of one country in Eastern Europe or the former Soviet Union under Communism to its current economic system in terms of economic growth, economic incentives, the distribution of income and economic opportunity, and the role of women and minorities.
describe the economic systems of at least two countries with relatively low per capita GDP on different continents. Contrast the role of the government and the free market in the economies of these countries nowand in the past.
compare the prospects for economic growth, the economic incentives, the distribution of income and economic opportunity, and the role of women and minorities in these countries and explain how any differences relate to the economic systems
describe the current disagreements between high income and low income countries, the causes of the problems, and the attempts to resolve these conflicts
use the Internet to collect economic statistics from countries with different economic systems and analyze those statistics

VI. Methods of Instruction

This course is entirely online. Three primary methods of learning are used.

Students will engage in online lectures, both written and videos, that present key concepts, ideas, and terms used in comparing economic systems. These lectures will be followed by short quizzes/tests and a final exam.
Students will read two books each regarding current topics and issues in comparative economic systems. Students will then collobaratively create a summary mindmap of each book for other students to review.
Students will collobarate in teams of three to create a "virtual research paper". A "virtual research paper" is a website created by the students themselves that compares the economic status, systems, and prospects for four selected countries.

VII. Methods of Evaluating Student Acheivement and Progress:

A. The following methods are used in this class:

Assignment	Points Possible	% of Course Grade
Quizzes/Tests/Forum Postings	60 points	30%
Final Exam	40 points	20%
"Books" Assignment	50 points	25%
Project Website ("research paper")	50 points	25%
Total for Course	200 points	100%

More detailed information about these assignments is available online on the Course Angel website.

B. Grading Scale:

The College Standard grading scale will be used:

Course Grade		% of Possible	Minimum Points Earned
4.0	Excellent	91-100%	182
3.5		86-90%	172
3.0	Good	81-85%	162
2.5		76-80%	152
2.0	Satisfactory	71-75%	142
1.5		66-70%	132
1.0	Poor	60-65%	120
0.0	No Credit	0-59%	0

VIII. Course Practices and Policies

College-wide policies are stated in the College Catalog and include those on attendance, withdrawals, and incomplete grades. The College Catalog is available on the Internet at http://www.lcc.edu/catalog/. Lansing Community College provides services to students with documented disabilities. If you need accomomdations, contact the Office of Disability Services at 517-483-1207 in room 2300 of Gannon Building to coordinate reasonable accomodations for your needs.

Additional course policies and practices for this course are:

Attendance Policy

Students are expected to be active online every week. Students who go more than two weeks without logging in online into Angel and without explanation or notification to the professor are subject to Administrative Withdrawal for non-attendance.

Late Assignments

Over 50% of a student's grade involves team activities. Failure to complete assignments on time and by due dates adversely affects other students. Points will be deducted from grades for assignments completed late.

Drops

Students are advised to familiarize themselves with the LCC Withdrawal Policy. It is available on the Internet at http://www.lcc.edu/policy/policies_9.aspx#W_GRADE. Under this policy, students may withdraw themselves from the course until the end of the eighth week. Students who do not participate online, have extended unexcused absences from online activity, or who engage in uncivil activity are subject to Administrative Withdrawal.

IX. Detailed Outline of Course Content and Sequencing

Students should refer to the materials on the course site on Angel for specific information on the outline of course content, sequencing, and due dates of assignments.

X. Transfer Potential

For transferability information, please consult the Transfer Equivalency List located on the Internet at http://www.lcc.edu/transfer. For additional transferability information contact the LCC Counseling Services Department at 517-483-1255 and the college or university to which you intend to transfer. Econ 260 transfers to most four year colleges as economics credit. Few four year schools accept it as the equivalent of a specfic course. Econ 260 is in the LCC Social Science MACRAO list.

XI. Student Academic Integrity

The very nature of higher education requires that students adhere to accepted standards of academic integrity. Therefore, Lansing Community College has adopted a code of academic conduct and a statement of student academic integrity. These may be found in the Lansing Community College Catalog where violations of adademic integrity are listed and defined. Such violations include both cheating and plagiarism. It is the student's responsibility to be aware of behaviors that constitute academic dishonesty.

Classroom and online behavior that interferes with the instructional and learning processes is not tolerated. the consequences are addressed in the catalog under Administrative Withdrawal.