Spring 2026 Course Syllabus
Course: ECON-2302 (Section: 70D, CRN: 11387)
Principles of Microeconomics 		LSCPA Logo Image
Instructor Information
Instructor Kara Booth
Email boothkn@lamarpa.edu
Phone (409) 984-6418
Office Umphrey Industrial Technology Center - Room: 201A
Office Hours Virtual upon request
Additional Contact Information
Course Information
Description Analysis of the behavior of individual economic agents, including consumer behavior and demand, producer behavior and supply, price and output decisions by firms under various market structures, factor markets, market failures, and international trade.
Required Textbooks Textbook Purchasing Statement: A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer.

Title: Microeconomics | 3nd edition
Author: Steven Greenlaw and David Shapiro


Digital: ISBN-13: 978-1-951693-65-7

Publisher: OpenStax
Free to students
Additional Materials/Resources None. 
Corequisites/Prerequisites
  • ENGL-0302 College Reading Skills
  • ENGL-0327 Integrated Reading and Writing
Learning Outcomes 1. Explain the role of scarcity, specialization, opportunity cost and cost/benefit analysis in economic decision-making.
2. Identify the determinants of supply and demand; demonstrate the impact in shifts in both market supply and demand curves on equilibrium price and output.
3. Define and measure national income and rates of unemployment and inflation.
4. Identify the phases of the business cycle and the problems caused by cyclical fluctuations in the market economy.
5. Define money and the money supply; describe the process of money creation by the banking system and the role of the central bank.
6. Construct the aggregate demand and aggregate supply model of the macro economy and use it to illustrate macroeconomic problems and potential monetary and fiscal policy solutions.
7. Explain the mechanics and institutions of international trade and their impact on the macro economy.
8. Define economic growth and identify sources of economic growth.
Core Objectives
* Communication skills: Students will demonstrate effective written, oral and/or visual communication.
* Critical Thinking Skills: Students will engage in creative and/or innovative thinking, and/or inquiry, analysis, evaluation, synthesis of information, organizing concepts and constructing solutions.
* Empirical and Quantitative Skills: Students will demonstrate applications of scientific and mathematical concepts.
 
* Social Responsibility: Students will demonstrate intercultural competency and civic knowledge by engaging effectively in local, regional, national and/or global communities.

Lecture Topics Outline Welcome to Economics
Choice in a World of Scarcity
Demand and Supply
Elasticity
Consumer Choices
Production, Costs, and Industry Structure
Perfect Competition 
Monopoly
Monopolostic Competition and Oligopoly 
Monopoly and Antitrust Policy
Environmental Protection and Negative Externalities
Positive Externalities and Public Goods
International Trade
Globalization and Protectionism
Major Assignments Schedule Week #    ASSIGNMENTS
Week 1    Discussion Board: Intro
Week 2    Chapter 1 Quiz
Week 3    Chapter 2 Quiz
Week 4    Discussion Board: Supply and Demand, Chapter 3 Quiz, Exam 1-Chapters 1-3
Week 5    Discussion Board: Price elasticity of demand, Chapter 5 Quiz
Week 6    Chapter 6 Quiz, Research Project: Topic Selection
Week 7    Chapter 7 Quiz, Exam 2, Chapters 5-7
Week 8    Chapter 8 Quiz, Research Project: Rough Draft Due
Week 9    Discussion Board: Monopoly, the game, Chapter 9 Quiz
Week 10    Discussion Board: Oligopoly, Chapter 10 Quiz
Week 11    Chapter 11 Quiz, Exam 3, Chapters 8-11
Week 12    Chapter 12 Quiz, Research Project: Final Project Due
Week 13    Discussion Board: Public Goods & Externalities, Chapter 13 Quiz
Week 14    Discussion Board: International Trade, Chapter 19 Quiz
Week 15    Chapter 20 Quiz, Unit 4 Exam, Chapters 12, 13, 19, 20
Week 16    Final Exam
Final Exam Date May 10, 2026 - 12:1 AM   Through  May 11, 2026 - 11:59 PM
Grading Scale  90 - 100=A 80 - 89=B  70 - 79=C   60 - 69=D  Below 59 = F
Determination of
Final Grade		 Chapter Quizzes 10%
Discussion Boards 15%
Unit Exams (4) 48% (12% each)
Final Exam 12%
Research Project 15%
Course Policies
Instructor Policies

Response Time Policy
Quizzes and exams are automatically graded by Blackboard and will be available to you immediately. Discussions will be graded in 7-10 days after the due date. Rough drafts and Final Research papers will usually be graded within two weeks of the due date. Emails will generally be answered within 24 hours (emails after 7pm will usually be answered the next day).

Announcements
I will post announcements weekly, usually early in the week. These announcements indicate upcoming due dates and notes important to your success in this course. You should READ these Announcements every week.

Exams
Exams will be provided within a BlackBoard examination window. The exams will be timed. There is no pause button. The timer will continue to run if you leave the exam.  Exams must be completed in one attempt. 
Access codes are required to begin the exam. Exams will not be reopened for accidental starts. Redos on exams will not be given. Make-up exams will not be given. Missed exams will receive a score of zero.
Your exam will be graded immediately by Blackboard. Feedback on specific exam questions will be given 24 hours after the exam is due. You must work alone while taking the exam. Cheating on exams is not acceptable and will be subject to violations of the Academic Dishonesty policy.
Dates for exams are listed on the Course Calendar. Each exam counts for 12 percent of your final grade. The Final exam is a course requirement worth 12 percent of your final grade.

Quizzes
Weekly quizzes will be given covering the chapter studied that week. Dates for quizzes are listed on the Course Calendar. There will be no makeups for missed quizzes. Missed quizzes will receive a score of zero. The 2 lowest quiz grades will be dropped. Combined, these quizzes will count as 10 percent of your final grade.

Discussions
Discussion boards are in place to add to your classroom community and emphasize important skills that prepare you to enter the workforce. Additionally, by requiring you to comment on other’s threads, you are learning to communicate with other learners from different generations, ethnicities, locales, and backgrounds.

Furthermore, in this course, students are required to master the following Core Course Requirements:
  1. Critical Thinking Skills
  2. Communication Skills
  3. Empirical and Quantitative Skills
  4. Social Responsibility
These skills are of the most valued soft skills by employers, and discussion boards are meant to provide a low-stakes opportunity to develop and practice these skills. An effort to provide thought-provoking discussion prompts that promote both learning and creative thinking has been made. Therefore, it is expected that all students submit work that is entirely their own.

However, due to the fact that almost all discussions are now being influenced by AI to some extent, despite previous clear rules against it, students must declare all use of AI in all discussion posts, including the extent of its influence. Just like citing a source to prevent plagiarism, failure to disclose will result in a zero for the prompt. See discussion prompts for specific guidelines.

AI Warnings:

  • Please be aware that uncritical use of AI can hinder your learning and impact your grade.
  • AI-generated content can sometimes use copyright material without the authors’ permission or approval, risking plagiarism.
  • AI-generated content may also produce false statements and made-up references.
  • Students are responsible for reviewing all statements and facts presented.
AI Notice: Using any AI-generated content in an assessment without proper acknowledgment and presenting it as your own work constitutes academic misconduct. Violations will be reflected in your grade and/or overall academic record, dependent on severity of violation.

Finally, original discussion threads should FULLY answer the prompt with personal experience and/or specific observations, while comments should advance the discussion or stimulate further thought with personal experience or specific observation. Threads and comments should contain appropriate economic terms and be written using proper grammar, including proper capitalization.

A rubric for discussion boards is available. There will be no makeups for missed discussions. There will be 6 discussion sessions. Combined, these discussions will account for 15 percent of your final grade. The lowest 1 discussion will be dropped from the overall grade calculation.


Research Paper

You will be required to submit a formal research project related to a variety of course topics. The research project is due on the date listed on the Course Calendar. Required content, proper format, adequate research, and correct citations are required. A grading matrix, outline, and guidelines are provided on the Research Project Assignments and Guidelines page located in the Research Project Module.
 
Plagiarism will not be tolerated and will be subject to violations of the academic integrity policy. Warning: If URLs (even on the rough draft) have indication of the use of generative AI, you will receive a zero on the Final Project.
 
The opportunity to submit a rough draft to be graded and returned with feedback is provided. The Research Project is 15 percent of your final grade.

Use of Instructional Materials
Instructional materials, such as PowerPoints and concept videos, are provided in Blackboard for each chapter. These will be useful in understanding concepts as presented in the chapters.

Virtual Sessions
Virtual sessions are offered at the request of the student. These sessions can be utilized to discuss course concepts, to prep for exams, or to clarify assignment directions. Requests for a virtual session must be submitted via email to the instructor 24 hours in advance for scheduling purposes.

Due Dates
All due dates are listed on the Course Calendar – found by clicking on the Calendar Menu button. Due dates are also announced in the weekly announcements. Quizzes, exams, assignments, discussion boards, and research projects will NOT be accepted nor reopened. Instructor reserves the right to change, alter, omit, or add to the tentative course outline and calendar due to school closings or other unavoidable obstacles.

Make-Up/Late work
All due dates are firm. Due dates are listed in the Modules and Syllabus lists and on the course calendar. Due dates are also announced in the weekly announcements.

In lieu of late work, 1 discussion board and 2 quizzes will be dropped from the overall calculation when the final grade is calculated. This allows students to miss an occasional assignment without impacting the overall grade.


Additionally, ONE missed deadline extension will be granted per student, per semester. Deadline extension requests must be submitted via email to the instructor. The missed deadline request must be made within 5 days of the missed assignment. Students will NOT receive more than ONE. The final research project and final exam are not eligible for deadline extensions.
 
Units, exams, quizzes, and discussion boards will not be reopened once closed. Late research projects will not be accepted

AI use: 
If the instructor believes that AI was utilized in the course, a recorded video call will be required to discuss learned learning objectives. 
Attendance Policy To be successful in this online course, the student MUST access the assigned textbook and log into BlackBoard 4-5 times weekly. Regular, reliable access to BlackBoard via Internet is required for this online course.
Additional Information Incomplete Grades
Assigning the grade of incomplete (I) requires prior approval of the Department Chair. An I is assigned only when the deadline for dropping the course has passed, the student is passing the course, and course requirements, including the final examination, cannot be completed because of unavoidable circumstances. To receive an incomplete, a student must be in good standing to pass the class and must have completed most of the course work (75%).

Withdrawing from the course
It is the responsibility of the student to properly withdraw from the course. The withdraw process will not be initiated by the instructor.

Changes in Calendar
Instructor reserves the right to change, alter, omit, or add to the tentative course outline and calendar. This course continues to be a work in progress. Assignments, due dates, etc. can and usually do change.

Technical/computer/Internet/software/hardware/Blackboard Issues
It is the responsibility of the students to ensure that any and all technical/computer/Internet/software/hardware/Blackboard issues are handled in a timely manner and that all tech support personnel are contacted to correct the problems. These issues do not excuse a student from assignments or exams.
Institutional Policies
MyLSCPA Be sure to check your campus email and Course Homepage using MyLSCPA campus web portal. You can also access your grades, transcripts, academic advisors, degree progress, and other services through MyLSCPA.
Academic Honesty Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSCPA policies (Academic Dishonesty section in the Student Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty.
ADA Considerations The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Disability Services Coordinator, Room 117, in the Student Sucess Center. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.
COVID 19 Information The Lamar State College Port Arthur (LSCPA) Student Code of Conduct COVID 19 Policy requires students who have been diagnosed with COVID 19 to report their condition directly to their local health department. Students should also contact their course faculty to report their quarantine status. In addition, this policy requires all students to wear face coverings when directly exposed to COVID 19 in compliance with the criteria included in the policy. For more information please refer to the COVID 19 link on the LSCPA website.
Facility Policies No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. Use of electronic devices is prohibited.
HB 2504 This syllabus is part of LSCPA's efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.
Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect As per Texas law and LSCPA policy, all LSCPA employees, including faculty, are required to report allegations or disclosures of child abuse or neglect to the designated authorities, which may include a local or state law enforcement agency or the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. For more information about mandatory reporting requirements, see LSCPA's Policy and Procedure Manual.
Title IX and Sexual Misconduct LSCPA is committed to establishing and maintaining an environment that is free from all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of sexual misconduct. All LSCPA employees, including faculty, have the responsibility to report disclosures of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault (including rape and acquaintance rape), domestic violence, dating violence, relationship violence, or stalking, to LSCPA's Title IX Coordinator, whose role is to coordinate the college's response to sexual misconduct. For more information about Title IX protections, faculty reporting responsibilities, options for confidential reporting, and the resources available for support visit LSCPA's Title IX website.
Clery Act Crime Reporting For more information about the Clery Act and crime reporting, see the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report and the Campus Security website.
Grievance / Complaint / Concern If you have a grievance, complaint, or concern about this course that has not been resolved through discussion with the Instructor, please consult the Department Chair.
Department Information
Business and Industrial Technology
Chair:Cristina Lawson
Email:lawsonac@lamarpa.edu
Phone:(409) 984-6381