ECON 381 Course Outline, Spring 2013
Overview
Labor economics studies a market that is of intense interest for many upper-division university students: the market for workers. We will discuss topics such as labor supply, labor demand, wage determination, human capital (education and training), discrimination, unemployment, and labor market policy.
Required text
Benjamin, Gunderson, Lemieux and Riddell, Labour Market Economics, 7th edition. McGraw-Hill Ryerson 2011. ISBN: 978-0070740204. Used copies of the 6th edition are also acceptable. You will not need access to the online resources.
Lectures
Lectures will be held each Monday, and each lecture will cover one chapter in the text. I will not distribute print notes.
Readings
Each week you should read the chapter in the text covered in that week's lecture.
Tutorials
Tutorials are held each week, and will cover end-of-chapter problems from the chapter covered in the
previous lecture.
Weekly problems
Each week I will assign problems for you to work on. These will not be turned in or graded, but if you don't
do them you will fail the exams. Answers to these problems will be provided in tutorial.
Expectations
I do not take attendance at lectures or tutorials, and I do not grade the weekly problem sets.
However, the course is built on the assumption that you go to lecture and tutorial, and that
you complete these problem sets. If you don't do this, you will fail the exams.
Exams
There will be 2 midterm exams (25% of the final grade each), and one final exam (50% of the final grade).
You will be allowed to bring one sheet of paper, with whatever you want written on both sides, to each exam.
If you miss one of the midterms, the weight will be transferred to the other exams.
No explanation or doctor's note is required. If you miss both midterms or the final exam,
then you will not receive a grade in the course.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I did poorly on the midterm. Can I get the weight transferred to the final?
A: No.
Q: I did poorly on the midterms and the final. Are there any assignments I
can do to get extra credit? Is there any way I can get a better grade?
A: No.
Q: Can I get copies of your lecture notes?
A: No.
For more information
The course website is at http://www.sfu.ca/~bkrauth/econ381/welcome.htm. I will also distribute announcements by the course
email list. You are responsible for regularly checking your SFU email for these announcements.