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COURSE SYLLABUS

ECO202Y5Y MACROECONOMIC THEORY AND POLICY, 2020-2021


Department of Economics
University of Toronto Mississauga
Yingnan Zhao

1. CONTACT INFORMATION:
Email: yingnan.zhao@utoronto.ca
Office: KN 3210
Phone: 905-828-3910
Virtual office hours (via Zoom): Thursdays, 19:30 – 21:30* (or by appointment)
Teaching Assistants – Tutorials: Virtual office hour (via Zoom), Tuesdays, 19:00-20:00 (or by appointment)
• Daniel Kholodar, daniel.kholodar@mail.utoronto.ca
• Gurminder Sandal, gurminder.sandal@mail.utoronto.ca
• Harmit Singh, harmit.singh@mail.utoronto.ca
Teaching Assistants – Grading: Contact via email
• Ruby Bokma, ruby.bokma@mail.utoronto.ca
• Duc Nguyen, ducm.nguyen@mail.utoronto.ca
*: Please note that the office hours are arranged in evenings to accommodate students in different time zones.

2. TIME ZONE INFORMATION


All lecture times, tutorial times, exam times, deadlines, etc. are stated in local Toronto time. Please note that Toronto
adheres to Eastern Daylight Time until Sunday, November 1, 2020, 2:00 am, followed by Eastern Standard Time
until Sunday, March 14, 2021, 2:00 am, followed again by Eastern Daylight Time. It is your responsibility to
correctly convert local Toronto time to your time zone: we will not accept confusion about deadlines as an excuse
for lateness or missed tests/work.
3. FIRST CONTACT POINTS: (Please remember these before sending an email to the instructor or TAs)
1. Administrative questions: Refer to the syllabus
2. Lecture-related questions: Office hour and Quercus Discussion Boards in each week’s module*
3. Tutorial-related questions: Office hour and Quercus Discussion Boards in each week’s module*
4. Questions regarding grading of short quizzes and term tests: Ruby Bokma, ruby.bokma@mail.utoronto.ca,
Duc Nguyen, ducm.nguyen@mail.utoronto.ca, and c.c. to the instructor (yingnan.zhao@utoronto.ca). Please
refer to the “Course policies” section – “Petition for Tests to be Re-marked” for more details.
Note: Asking meaningful lecture- and tutorial-related questions frequently are viewed as active course participation
and will be taken into accounted in the calculation of “Participation” grade. See “Grading” section.
Policy for communication via Quercus discussion panel:
The instructor and TAs will answer lecture- and tutorial-related questions collectively once every week (usually by
the end of Friday). Please attend office hours if you prefer prompt responses to your questions.
Policy for communication via email: Please make sure to 1. include course code in the subject line and 2. only
use your @mail.utoronto.ca address. You should expect a response within 48hrs under normal circumstances.
Please do not use the Quercus Inbox Application to communicate with us. We do not answer these.
ECO202 Macroeconomic Policy and Theory
Yingnan Zhao, UTM, 2020-2021
4. COURSE DELIVERY FORMAT:
Asynchronous online.* All lecture and tutorials videos will be uploaded to Microsoft Stream.
*: We may change the delivery format to synchronous online (i.e., live lectures and tutorials and uploading the videos
online afterwards) depending on students’ response to the Course Survey on Quercus.

5. COURSE DESCRIPTION AND LEARNING OUTCOMES:


The goal of this course is to provide students a fundamental economic framework to analyze the macroeconomic
performance of a country. In particular, we will learn how to characterize the goods market, the financial markets,
and the labour market using rigorous mathematical symbols, equations, and graphs. Furthermore, we will analyze
how the interactions of these markets determine the fluctuations of an economy in the short and the medium run, and
the economic growth in the long run. In the meantime, important macroeconomic variables, such as consumption,
investment, saving, price indices, unemployment rate, exchange rate, trade balances, etc., will be introduced.
Moreover, topics, such as inflation, exchange rate regime, the conduct of monetary, fiscal, and exchange rate policy,
as well as their implications on macroeconomic variables, will be covered.

6. PREREQUISITES AND EXCLUSIONS:


Prerequisite: ECO100Y5 (63%) and a CGPA of 2.0.
Exclusion: ECO208Y5/ECO209Y5
Corequisite: MAT133Y5/MAT134Y5/(MAT132H5,MAT134H5)/135Y5/(MAT135H5,MAT136H5)/137Y5
Prerequisites are strictly checked and enforced and must be completed before taking a course. By taking this course
you acknowledge that you will be removed from the course at anytime if you do not meet all requirements set by the
Department of Economics. For further information can be found in the 2019-2020 Academic Calendar:
https://student.utm.utoronto.ca/calendar.

7. COURSE MATERIALS:
1. Slides and other course-related materials (e.g., exercises, short quizzes) will be provided via Quercus.
Please sign up for notification by email when course announcements are posted on Portal, or check the course
website on a daily basis. Failure to do so may result you missing important information about the course.
2. Video for the lectures and tutorials will be uploaded to Microsoft Stream.
3. Textbook (Required): Blanchard, Olivier and David Johnson: Macroeconomics, 5th Canadian Edition,
Pearson Publishers, 2014.
Please be aware that should you choose to use an earlier version of this textbook, you are responsible for noting
the differences between the earlier edition you choose to use and the edition used by this course.

Privacy and Use of Course Materials


This course, including your participation, will be recorded on video and will be available to students in the course
for viewing remotely and after each session. Course videos and materials belong to your instructor, the University,
and/or other sources depending on the specific facts of each situation, and are protected by copyright. Do not
download, copy, or share any course or student materials or videos without the explicit permission of the
instructor. For questions about recording and use of videos in which you appear please contact your instructor.
Tech Requirements and Connection Tools
Students must create an official UTM Zoom account using their UTORid and password at https://utoronto.zoom.us.
Logging in with an unofficial account will leave you stranded in the waiting room and unable to attend lectures /
tutorials / office hours.

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Yingnan Zhao, UTM, 2020-2021
In order to take this course, you will need reliable and regular access to a laptop/desktop; a cell phone is NOT
sufficient. In the tests, both a laptop/desktop and a webcam are required. You will also need reliable and regular
access to high-speed internet. See the University’s Recommended Technology Requirements for Remote/Online
Learning for more details. Read also the UTM Library Learn Anywhere resource website.

8. GRADING:
1. Participation: 5%, based on the activeness of students’ participation in online discussion (e.g., asking lecture
related questions on Quercus, etc.)
2. Short quizzes: 20 times, 1% each (i.e., 20% in total), Quercus online quiz or assigned assessment via Crowdmark
(you will be emailed the assignment in the latter case) every week except for the following weeks: Sept. 9, Oct.
14, Oct. 21, Dec. 2, 2020, and Feb. 10, Feb. 17, Mar. 31, 2021. Always published on Wednesdays and due on
Sundays by 17:00.
3. Term Tests: Three times, 15% each (i.e., 45% in total), held online on the following dates from 08:00-09:00
a.m. Detailed information about the test will be provided closer to date.

# Date of the test Coverage: Lectures and tutorials during …


1 October 21, 2020 September 9 – October 19, 2020
2 December 2, 2020 October 28 – November 30, 2020
3 February 10, 2021 January 6 – February 8, 2021

Make-up test for the term tests: Friday, March 19, 2021, 19:30-21:30. Coverage: Lecture contents covered during
September 9, 2020 – March 17, 2021. Please refer to the “Course Policies” section for requirements for being
allowed to write a make-up test.
4. Final Exam: 30%, 2 hours, more information will be available closer to date.

9. COURSE POLICIES:

Late Submissions of Quizzes:


Short quizzes are available from late Wednesday to Sunday 17:00 every week except for the weeks mentioned above
in the “Grading” Section. You will no longer be able to access the quiz of the week after Sunday 17:00 and hence no
marks will be granted.
It is every student’s responsibility to ensure that their online submission is submitted successfully by the due date.
Accommodations will not be made for unsuccessful submissions due to, but not limited to, i) the system timing out,
ii) submitting the incorrect document(s), iii) poor internet connection / no internet connection etc.

Missed Term Tests


Students who miss a test / due date because of circumstances beyond their control (e.g. illness or an accident) can
request that the Department grant them special consideration. The following steps must be completed in order to
be considered for academic accommodation for any missed quiz/test/assignment.
1. Your absence must be declared on ACORN on the day of the missed test / due date, or by the day after, at the
latest.
2. You must notify your professor by e-mail within one week of the missed test / deadline.
3. Complete an online Special Consideration Request within one week of the missed test / due date. The University
is temporarily suspending the need for a doctor’s note or medical certificate for any absence from academic
participation if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. However, this policy may change at any point

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ECO202 Macroeconomic Policy and Theory
Yingnan Zhao, UTM, 2020-2021
during the course. If you missed your test for a reason connected to your registered disability, the department
will accept documentation supplied by Accessibility Services. If you visited a Dentist, Nurse/Nurse Practitioner,
Physician/Surgeon, Psychologist, Psychotherapist or Social Worker registered and licensed in the Province of
Ontario, have them fill out the University’s Verification of Student Illness or Injury form. In other cases, a
Verification of Extenuating Circumstances form is acceptable. Other documentation can include, but is not
limited to, automobile collision or police reports, death certificates, and supporting documentation from
employers, lawyers and other related personnel. Please email your form to economics.utm@utoronto.ca.
4. Consult the Office of the Registrar should your absence be lengthy or affect multiple courses.
The written explanation and documentation that you submit represents an appeal from you, requesting the
opportunity to account for that portion of your grade in some other manner. If an appeal is not received, or if the
appeal is deemed unacceptable, you will receive a grade of zero for the item you missed. If the appeal is granted –
that is, your reason for missing the item is considered acceptable by the professor, you will be allowed to write a
makeup test on Friday, March 19, 2021, 19.30-21.30.
However, given the vast amount of material and the difficulty of the makeup test, it is the instructor’s advice that
students should only seek to defer a term test as a last resort. Please note that there is only one make-up test. No
allowance will be made for any possible time conflict and no excuses of any kind will be accepted for missing
the makeup test. Hence, failing to write the makeup test will result in a zero. In case of missing more than one
term tests, all missed tests will be given the grade of the make-up test.
Note that it is your responsibility to ensure that your email account is working. Claims that a Departmental decision
was not received will NOT be considered as a reason for further consideration.
Note that holidays and pre-purchased plane tickets, family plans, your friend’s wedding, lack of preparation, or too
many other tests/assignments are not acceptable excuses for missing a quiz, a test or an item of term work.

Missed Final Exam


Students who cannot complete their online final examination due to illness or other serious causes must file an online
petition within 72 hours of the missed examination. Late petitions will NOT be considered. Students must also record
their absence on ACORN on the day of the missed exam or by the day after at the latest. At this time, the university
has temporarily suspended the requirement to provide medical documentation if illness is cited as the reason for a
deferred exam request. Fees for deferred exam requests are also temporarily being waived during this examination
period.

Feeling Ill in a Test


Students CANNOT petition to re-write a quiz/test once the test has begun. If you are feeling ill, please do not start
the online or in-class test and seek medical attention immediately, and the policy on Missed Term Tests will apply.

Regrade Request
Upon requesting a re-grade of your tests, please send an email with ECO202 in the subject to Ruby Bokma,
ruby.bokma@mail.utoronto.ca, Duc Nguyen, ducm.nguyen@mail.utoronto.ca, and c.c. to the instructor.
Regrading requests must be received no later than 15 calendar days from the date of the term test is returned. Make
sure that you attach a complete scan of the test, and justify in the email which question you feel that additional marks
are warranted. Petitions without an explanation backed by theory or justified according to the marking scheme will
NOT be addressed. Please note that by submitting a re-mark request, the student acknowledges that the entire test
will be evaluated, which may raise or lower your mark. Once the test has been re-marked, no additional changes
will be made to the grade.

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Equity Statement and Academic Rights:
The University of Toronto is committed to equity and respect for diversity. All members of the learning environment
in this course should strive to create an atmosphere of mutual respect. As a course instructor, I will neither condone
nor tolerate behaviour that undermines the dignity or self-esteem of any individual in this course and wish to be
alerted to any attempt to create an intimidating or hostile environment. It is our collective responsibility to create a
space that is inclusive and welcomes discussion. Discrimination, harassment and hate speech will not be tolerated.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns you may contact the UTM Equity & Diversity Office at
edo.utm@utoronto.ca.
Academic Rights
You, as a student at UTM, have the right to:
• obtain a course syllabus either through accessing a copy on Quercus, through the UTM
Timetable (accessible through the Office of the Registrar website), or one can be provided by the instructor.
The course syllabus must be available/provided at the beginning of a course;
• rely upon the information detailed within a course syllabus. An instructor may only change methods of
evaluation, or their relative weight, by following the University Assessment and Grading Practices Policy
provision Part B: 1.3.
• refuse to use turnitin.com (you must be offered an alternative form of submission);
• have access to your instructor for consultation during a course, or follow up with the unit Chair or
Director if the instructor is unavailable;
• ask the person who marked their term work for a re-evaluation if they feel it was not fairly graded. Students
must make any inquiries about the mark on a graded piece of work within one month of the return date of
the work. If the student is not satisfied with a re-evaluation, they may appeal to the instructor in charge of the
course if the instructor did not mark the work. If the student’s work is remarked, they must accept the resulting
mark. They may only appeal a mark beyond the instructor if the term work was worth at least 20% of the
course mark. See Re-marking Pieces of Term Work of this document for full details of the process;
• receive at least one significant mark (weighted at 15% for H courses, 25% for Y courses) by the last scheduled
class prior to the academic drop deadline (the academic drop date), with one exception: for courses that run
the entire Fall/Winter Session (Y5Y or H5Y courses), the deadline shall be the last regular class meeting of
the first week of classes in January;
• submit handwritten essays, so long as they are neatly written;
• have no assignment worth 100% of the student’s final grade;
• not have a term test or combination of term tests in an individual course be worth greater than 25% in the
last two weeks of class;
• retain intellectual property rights to their term work;
• receive all their assignments, tests, and other term work once graded;
• view their final exams. To see a final exam, students must submit an online Exam Reproduction Request
within 6 months of the date of the exam. There is a small non- refundable fee (please note that this
process is overseen by the Office of the Registrar);
• privacy of their final grades; and
• arrange for representation from Downtown Legal Services (DLS), a representative from the UTM Students’
Union (UTMSU), and/or other forms of support if they are charged with an academic offence.

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Student Conduct
It is your responsibility as a student at the University of Toronto to familiarize yourself with, and adhere to, The
Code of Student Conduct, which is a University policy that sets out expectations for student behavior, and prescribes
processes for dealing with prohibited behaviour.
The Student’s Companion to the Student Code of Conduct is a set of frequently asked questions and the responses
about the Code of Student Conduct. It aims to simplify and clarify Code usage for the University’s community
members.

Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is essential to the pursuit of learning and scholarship in a university, and to ensuring that a degree
from the University of Toronto Mississauga is a strong signal of each student’s individual academic achievement.
As a result, UTM treats cases of cheating and plagiarism very seriously.
The University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters outlines behaviours that constitute academic
dishonesty and the process for addressing academic offences. Potential offences include, but are not limited to:
In papers and assignments:
• Using someone else’s ideas or words without appropriate acknowledgement.
• Submitting your own work in more than one course without the permission of the instructor.
• Making up sources or facts.
• Obtaining or providing unauthorized assistance on any assignment.

On tests and exams:


• Using or possessing unauthorized aids.
• Looking at someone else’s answers during an exam or test.
• Misrepresenting your identity.

In academic work:
• Falsifying institutional documents or grades.
• Falsifying or altering any documentation required, including (but not limited to) doctor’s notes.
With regard to remote learning and online courses, UTM wishes to remind students that they are expected to adhere
to the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters regardless of the course delivery method. By offering students the
opportunity to learn remotely, UTM expects that students will maintain the same academic honesty and integrity that
they would in a classroom setting. Potential academic offences in a digital context include, but are not limited to:
Remote assessments:
• Accessing unauthorized resources (search engines, chat rooms, Reddit, etc.) for assessments.
• Using technological aids (e.g. software) beyond what is listed as permitted in an assessment.
• Posting test, essay, or exam questions to message boards or social media.
• Creating, accessing, and sharing assessment questions and answers in virtual “course groups.”
• Working collaboratively, in-person or online, with others on assessments that are expected to be completed
individually.
All suspected cases of academic dishonesty will be investigated following procedures outlined in the Code of
Behaviour on Academic Matters. If you have questions or concerns about what constitutes appropriate academic
behaviour or appropriate research and citation methods, you are expected to seek out additional information on
academic integrity from your instructor or from other institutional resources.

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Honesty and fairness are considered fundamental to the university's mission, and, as a result, all those who violate
those principles are dealt with as if they were damaging the integrity of the university itself. When students are
suspected of cheating or a similar academic offence, they are typically surprised at how formally and seriously the
matter is dealt with -- and how severe the consequences can be if it is determined that cheating did occur. The
University of Toronto treats cases of cheating and plagiarism very seriously.
Examples of offences for which you will be penalized include (but are not limited to):
• Using any unauthorized aids on an exam or test (e.g., "cheat sheets," cell phones, electronic devices, etc.)
• Representing someone else's work or words as your own -- plagiarism
• Falsifying documents or grades
• Purchasing an essay
• Submitting someone else's work as your own
• Submitting the same essay or report in more than one course (without permission)
• Looking at someone else's answers during an exam or test
• Impersonating another person at an exam or test or having someone else impersonate you
• Making up sources or facts for an essay or report.
As a student it is your responsibility to ensure the integrity of your work and to understand what constitutes an
academic offence. If you have any concerns that you may be crossing the line, always ask your instructor. Your
instructor can explain, for example, the nuances of plagiarism and how to use secondary sources appropriately; he
or she will also tell you what kinds of aids -- calculators, dictionaries, etc. -- are permitted in a test or
exam. Ignorance of the rules does not excuse cheating or plagiarism.
It is your responsibility as a student at the University of Toronto to familiarize yourself with, and adhere to, both
the Code of Student Conduct and the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters.
This means, first and foremost, that you should read them carefully.
This information is taken from a series of University of Toronto policies written to help students understand the
university's rules and decision-making structures. To view these policies, please go to
www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/policies.htm
All of the policies and procedures surrounding academic offences are dealt with in one policy: "The Code of
Behaviour on Academic Matters." The full text is located in the back of this calendar. Students should also
thoroughly review the information at the Academic Integrity web page, https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/academic-
integrity/
• The Code of Student Conduct is available from the U of T Mississauga website (Registrar > Academic Calendar
> Codes and Policies) or in your print version of the Academic Calendar.
• The Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters is available from the U of T Mississauga website (Registrar >
Academic Calendar > Codes and Policies) or in your print version of the Academic Calendar.
Another helpful document that you should read is How Not to Plagiarize, by M. Proctor.
Accessibility:
U of T Mississauga and the AccessAbility Resource Centre are committed to the full participation of students with
disabilities in all aspects of campus life. The AccessAbility Resource Centre provides academic accommodations and
services to students who have a physical, sensory, or learning disability, mental health condition, acquired brain
injury, or chronic health condition, be it visible or hidden. Students who have temporary disabilities (e.g., broken
dominant arm) are also eligible to receive services. All interested students must have an intake interview with an
advisor to discuss their individual needs.
Students who require accommodation are advised to visit the AccessAbility Resource Centre as early as possible to
have their needs assessed, as it may take some time to process the application.
For more information please contact the centre at:
Room 2037, South Bldg.
Tel/TTY: 905-569-4699

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E-mail: access.utm@utoronto.ca
Web: www.utm.utoronto.ca/access
Policy on Religious Observances:
As a student at the University of Toronto, you are part of a diverse community that welcomes and includes students,
staff, and faculty from a wide range of backgrounds, cultural traditions, and spiritual beliefs. For my part, I will
make every reasonable effort to avoid scheduling tests, examinations, or other compulsory activities on religious
holy days not captured by statutory holidays. Further to University Policy, if you anticipate being absent from class
or missing a major course activity (like a test, or in-class assignment) due to a religious observance, please let me
know as early in the course as possible, and with sufficient notice (a minimum of three weeks is recommended), so
that we can work together to make alternate arrangements.
For more information about the University of Toronto’s Policy on Scheduling of Classes and Examinations and
other Accommodations for Religious Observances please review the
University’s Religious Accommodation Overview.
It is the policy of the University of Toronto to arrange reasonable accommodation of the needs of students who
observe religious holy days other than those already accommodated by ordinary scheduling and statutory holidays.
As with any academic accommodation request, students must submit an on-line Special Consideration
Request @ https://utmapp.utm.utoronto.ca/SpecialRequest
Supplement
The Supplement to Course Syllabi of UTM’s Department of Economics should be understood to be an integral
part of this syllabus. It describes
• your responsibility to avoid course conflicts;
• your responsibility to honour the copyright of course materials;
• your right to receive accommodations for religious observances;
• the equity statement for this course;
• your academic rights;
• some resources that are available to you as a student, including Accessibility Services.

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