ITRN 504, Trade and Microeconomics for International Commerce,

Winter/Spring 2002, Tuesdays, January 22 – May 7, 7:05-9:35 pm, Room TBD

Dr. Daniel Gaske, Instructor, 703-613-6957, dgaske @ earthlink.net

Office Hours: Before and After Class, by Appointment

Welcome to Investment and Trade for International Commerce, a course designed to enhance your understanding of the forces and policies that drive microeconomic and international trade trends. I hope you enjoy the course and find it useful.

Course Requirements

Students are required to complete three in-class, open book/notes, examinations for their grade in the course. Questions on these examinations will be of an applied, interpretative nature. The examinations will not be cumulative. The course grade will be based on a simple average of these examinations. Grades on each examination will be assigned A, A-, B+, etc., based on the extent to which the examination fully, accurately, and insightfully answers the questions.

Course Materials

Listed below are books to be referenced during the course. To help your budget, the Mankiw and Kreinin books are also used in ITRN503. The second international economics book by Pugel/Lindert is included on book list because, in my view, it is a more comprehensive and readable book. However, for your economizing, while to be available in bookstore, the Pugel/Lindert book is also to be placed in reserve collection of Library for you to access there. Finally, if you already have a similar economic principles or international economics book, you may of course match up its/their chapters to assignments and use it.

Principles of Economics, N. Gregory Mankiw (M on schedule) – to be in Bookstore

International Economics: A Policy Approach, Mordechai Kreinin (K) – to be in Bookstore

International Economics, Thomas Pugel and Peter Lindert (P) – to be in Bookstore and on Reserve

Trading into the Future, WTO (T) to be in Copy Center.

Additional materials also likely will be assigned during the course.

Course Schedule

Date Topics and Assignments Text Refs.

Jan 22 Basics of Supply, Demand, and Market Behavior M 4,5

Jan 29 Economics of Business Behavior M 13,18

Feb 5 Economics of Industry Behavior M 14-17

Feb 12 Government and Economic Markets M 6,7,10,11

Feb 19 First Examination Jan 22- Feb 12

Materials

Feb 26 Explanations of International Trade: Traditional Theories K 1-3 or P 2,3

Mar 5 Explanations of International Trade: New Theories/Factors K 9 or P 6,27

Mar 12 No Class

Mar 19 Impacts of International Trade K 2 or P 4,5

Mar 26 No Class

Apr 2 Second Examination Feb 26 – Mar 26

Materials

Apr 9 Government Interferences with International Trade 1 K 4-5 or P 7-10

Apr 16 Government Interferences with International Trade 2 K 4-5 or P 7-10

Apr 23 Economics of Preferential Trading Arrangements K 7 or P 11

Special Trade Policies for LDCs/ Transitioning Economies? K 8 or P 13

Apr 30 Global Trading System T 1-2

Economics of Global Migration P 25

May 7 Third Examination Apr 2-30

Materials