Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Principles of Microeconomics (Online)

ECON 2010-33I

Course: ECON 2010-33I
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: ECON
CRN: 10336

Course Description

Introduction to basic microeconomic principles: price theory, theory of the firm, trade and comparative advantage, public goods, taxation, welfare economics, and industrial organization.

Required Texts

Textbook:
Principles of Microeconomics, 4th edition, by Dirk Mateer & Lee Coppock, publisher, W.W. Norton.
For this course, I will be using the “Inclusive Access Course Materials” so that you have access to the materials from day one. You should have received an email from the bookstore regarding detailed instructions on how to access the materials on Canvas.
Instructions to access digital materials:
  1. Please sign in to Canvas and click the activity link from your course to access the digital resources. You will automatically be logged in; therefore, entering a password is not required.
  2. Here is a link to the Inclusive Access Videos to assist you on how to access your course materials. https://wwnorton.knowledgeowl.com/help/inclusive-access-videos
  3. You can always reach out to the publisher's help desk by creating a case at https://support.wwnorton.com/request
Sometimes this is ideal in case it needs further investigation.

Learning Outcomes

Course Objectives
  1. This class will acquaint students with the principles of microeconomics. Microeconomics is basically the study of economic decision making. You will learn classical microeconomic tools and frameworks and apply microeconomic reasoning to analyze market phenomena. You will be able to understand why markets may fail and how to overcome these failures.
  2. You will be expected to not only learn the principles of microeconomics, but most importantly apply them. Whereas it is easy to memorize information, learning to apply these concepts takes practice and deeper thought.

Course Requirements

Grading Scale

The grading scale (in %) is as follows:

A = 92 to 100      A- = 90 to < 92      B+ = 87 to <90      B = 82 to <87      B- = 80 to <82

C+ = 77 to <80      C = 72 to <77      C- = 70 to <72      D+ = 67 to <70      D = 62 to <67

D- = 55 to <62      F < 55

Final Grade Weights
  • 20% Exam 1
  • 20% Exam 2
  • 20% Exam 3
  • 20% Homework
  • 20% Quiz
Evaluation

Exams: This course has three midterm exams, each worth 20% of the final grade. All the midterms will be through Canvas. I will provide a five-day window to take the exams. . You will be allowed to use one standard letter size sheet of notes (front and back), a calculator, scratch paper, and a writing implement.

Homework assignments: There will be an HW assignment corresponding to each chapter. The purpose of these assignments is to identify the areas that need further understanding and to prepare yourself for the exams. Keeping this in mind, you will get unlimited attempts on these assignments to ensure thorough understanding. The modules have the answers for each HW posted. Once you complete the HW, I encourage you to go through the solutions. The homework score average is worth 20% of your final grade.

Quizzes: This course has six short quizzes. All the quizzes will have multiple choice questions and will be through Canvas. You will have two attempts for each question. The quiz score average is worth 20% of your final grade.

Course Outline

Key Dates
  • Quiz 1 (Ch - 1 and 2): Jan 18
  • Quiz 2 (Ch - 3 and 4): Feb 1
  • Exam 1 (Ch - 1, 2, 3, and 4): Feb 8
  • Quiz 3 (Ch - 5 and 6): Feb 22
  • Quiz 4 (Ch - 7 and 8): Mar 8
  • Exam 2 (Ch - 5, 6, 7, and 8): Mar 22
  • Quiz 5 (Ch 9 and 10): Apr 5
  • Quiz 6 (Ch 11 and 12): Apr 19
  • Exam 3 (Ch - 9, 10, 11, and 12): Apr 23
Tentative Schedule
WeekTopicDue DateAssignment
1Ch 1 - Five foundations of Economics11-JanHW 1
2Ch 2 - Model building and gains from trade18-JanHW 2 and Quiz 1 (Ch 1 and 2)
3Ch 3 - Demand and supply25-JanHW 3
4Ch 4 - Elasticity1-FebHW 4 and Quiz 2 (Ch 3 and 4)
5Exam 1 (Ch 1, 2, 3, and 4) - DUE FEB 8Exam 1 (Ch 1, 2, 3, and 4) - DUE FEB 8Exam 1 (Ch 1, 2, 3, and 4) - DUE FEB 8
6Ch 5 - Market outcomes and tax incidence15-FebHW 5
7Ch 6 - Price controls22-FebHW 6 and Quiz 3 (Ch 5 and 6)
8Ch 7 - Externalities and public goods1-MarHW 7
9Ch 8 - Business costs and production8-MarHW 8 and Quiz 4 (Ch 7 and 8)
10SPRING BREAKSPRING BREAKSPRING BREAK
11Exam 2 (Ch 5, 6, 7, and 8) - DUE MARCH 22Exam 2 (Ch 5, 6, 7, and 8) - DUE MARCH 22Exam 2 (Ch 5, 6, 7, and 8) - DUE MARCH 22
12Ch 9 - Competitive Markets29-MarHW 9
13Ch 10 - Monopoly5-AprHW 10 and Quiz 5 (Ch 9 and 10)
14Ch 11 - Price discrimination12-AprHW 11
15Ch 12 - Monopolistic competition and advertising19-AprHW 12 and Quiz 6 (Ch 11 and 12)
16Exam 3 (Ch 9, 10, 11, and 12) - DUE APRIL 23Exam 3 (Ch 9, 10, 11, and 12) - DUE APRIL 23Exam 3 (Ch 9, 10, 11, and 12) - DUE APRIL 23

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late work policy: I usually do not accept any late work. However, I make exceptions if you have a genuine reason and have informed me about it before the assignment is due. It is the instructor's discretion whether the work will be accepted late. NO MAKE UP work will be provided.

Grading Policy: I am committed to help you achieve the highest grade you want. Having said that, grades are an assessment of your academic work. Fairness demands, and university rules require that all students be marked according to the same standards and that all students receive the grade they earned. Professors are not able to adjust grades arbitrarily, so please refrain from requesting grade changes.

Extra credit: Extra credit will not be offered except under rare circumstances. If it is offered, it will be offered to the entire class and not to individual students separately. Therefore, if you want a certain grade and there are any ways in which I can reasonably help you achieve that goal, please contact me during the semester. The last two weeks of the semester may be too late to earn the grade that you want/need.

Attendance Policy

Attendance: Since this is an online course, attendance will be submission-based. This means your attendance will be demonstrated through weekly submission of assignments, quizzes, exams, etc.

Mathematics expectations and preparation

It should be noted that, in order to ensure logical consistency, economists make extensive use of math. The math you will employ in this class is reasonably simple: graphs and algebra. However, if you are uncomfortable with basic math, and/or have been away from your math book for some time, I recommend you do some reviewing before the class begins (it will save heartache later on). I highly encourage you to do the Math and Graph Review assignments within Canvas. These are ungraded assignments and are solely for your practice.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.