Faculty Contact Information:
Prof.Dr.A.W.Ertl
PSC2 Box 5617
APO AE 09012
Telephone: 063163546
Telefax : 063163546
Email: Dr.A.W.Ertl@T-Online.de | |
Consultation:
| Dr.Ertl will be available for consultation at any mutually agreed upon time. It is suggested that contact be made via any of the above captioned telephone, fax or email addresses or through the university faculty mail address, so that such a time can be arranged. | |
Required Texts and Readings:
Text used exclusively for this course--
Hyman, D.N. 2002. Public finance: A contemporary application of theory to policy (7th ed.). Fort Worth: Dryden Press.
Text used in multiple courses--
American Pyschological Association. Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington D.C.: Author. | |
Supplementary Readings:
| As this course is being offered in the closing phase of the American 2004 elections it is tantamount that the students acquaint themselves with the various economic plans put forward by the two contending presedemtial candidates and their respective parties. This requires spending time collecting available information and at hand materials which have been presented to the voting public during the run-up to the campaigns as well as positions presented during the running of the campaign. The material, and the form of this material various upon what is found, but it would be thought that each student will come to class with articles, web print outs, and the like which have been found demonstrating the two (or more) positions that have been in the general media. During the duration of the class sessions itself, it would be expected that the student keep further posted on economic developments by reading current quality journals, and periodicals, and ancillary material as found resourceful and appropriate. | |
Recommended Journals:
| Being informed is the hallmark of an educated individual and to help students develop abilities to acquire, process and disseminate quality material the University has an excellent library and externally competent professionals which the student is highly encouraged to contact either directly in Heidelberg or on the appropriate web pages on the net. Rather than having any specific outside reading required, the resourceful student will gain their own contemporary understanding of national financial happenings independently. For assistance see the UMUC online library. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students' research and writing skills. A variety of full-text, free and pay-per-view academic journals are listed on the PA WebBoard (http://webboard.ed.umuc.edu/~pa) | |
Course Description:
| Prerequisites: ECON 201 Principles of Economics-Macro and ECON 203 Principles of Economics-Micro, or ECON 505, or equivalent, and undergraduate American political science or American government, or permission of the Program Director. An analysis of the elements, structure, functions, and processes of public finance. This course covers theory and practice of the allocation, distribution, and stabilization roles of the government at national, state, and local levels. | |
Course Goals:
Upon completion of the course, participants should have an understanding of:
- The rationale for the economic activity of the government in a capitalistic economy
- The use of visual and mathematical economic analysis
- The structure, sources, functions, and trends of U.S. public funds
- The role of government in resource allocation, distribution, and stabilization policies
- Economic policy options in a capitalistic economy
- The specific structure of the U.S. personal and corporate income tax structure
- The nature of the federal deficit and debt
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Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course the student will be able to:
- Analyze how a market system operates with government influence
- Evaluate issues of market failure such as externalities and public goods
- Critique government policies that effect the market economy
- Develop a feeling for the complex nature of the business/government environment
- Utilize government-provided data to evaluate economic performance
- Prepare a written project to discuss some aspect of the public sector
- Provide an oral presentation covering the written project information
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Grading Information:
Exam 1: 25%
Exam 2: 35%
Written assignment: 30%
Participation: 10%
Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
A 90%
B 80 – 89%
C 70 – 79%
F Below 70%
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade F(a) is used to designate academic failure. F(n) is used to designate failure for non-completion. Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog. Hard copies of the catalog are available in your local Education Center. | |
Course Requirements:
Graduate school at the masters level focuses on helping students obtain the education needed for success as professionals in their chosen fields. Thus, UMUC-Europe Graduate Programs and Bowie State University share the common goals of promoting excellence in academic scholarship through thoughtful inquiry and the skillful application of knowledge and theory for the betterment of society. In order to maximize your graduate educational experience in general and this course in particular, you are required to:
Participate in classroom discussions....10%
Write graduate level paper..............30%
Complete written examination(s).........60%
The schedule and the readings assigments and list of topics are provisonal only and may be adjsuted the first week of class. The dates for the exam and the due date for the paper (the last week of term) cannot be changed. | |
Description of Course Requirements:
Successful graduate students in American universities dedicate approximately three hours of preparation/study time for every hour spent in the face-to-face classroom. Thus, the following course requirements were developed on the assumption that students would be prepared to spend approximately 150 hours of their own time working on them. In an 8-week term, that is the equivalent of a half-time job.
Participate in classroom discussions: You are expected to come to class prepared to engage in all discussions in a professional and informed manner. The professor does not explain the book or the text; the student is expected to know the material prior to the class session. The student participates in the discussion as an understanding member of the discussion group. The purpose of the discussion is to academic develop ideas and to analysis happenings effectively, academically, correctly and rapidly. Usually this requires two to three hours of additional for every hour of a face-to-face class. Personality is important, however in graduate school, content is essential.
The course paper assignment will be a written assignment on a topic to be discussed, of graduate school standard. It will be a research project with significant references from academic sources constructed in a highly professional manner. The topic will be reviewed and settled upon during the first week of class and will be on a Public Finance Topic of general interest to the class, and of specific interest to the student. It would be hoped that such a theme would be selected covering the topicality of the contemporary American elections, and post election environment. Such a treatment of a topic would reflect graduate students comprehensive knowledge of the topic applying the principles reviewed in the course.
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Course Schedule:
The material to be covered in the second session through to the end of
the class will be dependent upon the size of the class, the agreed upon modus operandi determined during the first session, the material
regarding the contemporary financial strategies brought to the class by the students AND, contemporary national happenings. The text will be used only as an outline for the discussion and as an aid for ideas
helping the student to develop critical topics for paper writing
purposes. Class room attendance is essential and if for any reason the
first period is not attended, contact must be made with the professor.
Initial meeting:
Introductions
Review of syllabus
Clarification of goals, objectives and requirements
Orientation to subject
Second meeting:
Part I. The Economic Basis for Government Activity. 1. Individuals and Government. 2. Efficiency, Markets, and Governments
Third meeting:
3. Externalities and Government Policy.
Fourth meeting:
4. Public Goods. 5. Public Choice and the Political Process.
Fifth meeting:
Part II. Government Expenditures and Policy in the United States: Selected Issues.
Sixth meeting:
6. Cost-Benefit Analysis and Government Investments.
Seventh meeting:
7. Government Subsidies and Income Support for the Poor.8. Social Security and Social Insurance.
Eighth meeting:
First Exam
Ninth meeting:
9. Government and Health Care.
Part III. Financing Government Expenditures. 10. Introduction to Government Finance
Tenth meeting:
11 Taxation Structure. 13. The Theory of Income Taxation. Taxation, Prices.
Eleventh meeting:
Part IV
Efficiency, and the Distribution of Income 12. Budget Balance and Government Debt.
Twelfth meeting:
14. Taxation of Personal Income in the United States. 15. Taxation of Corporate Income.
Thirteenth meeting:
16. Taxes on Consumption and Sales.
Fourteenth meeting:
Examination
17. Taxes on Wealth, Property, and Estates. Part V. State and Local Government Finance.
Fifteenth meeting:
18. Fiscal Federalism and State and Local Government Finance.
Sixteenth meeting:
Student presentations of course papers.
Course evaluations.
Final Exam | |
Academic Policies:
Note: Any written assignment in this course may be submitted to TurnItIn.Com. This statement constitutes prior notice.
The official university policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml. Section I.C. states: "Faculty may determine if the resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC), partially or in its entirety, is acceptable when assigning a grade on that piece of course work. Faculty must provide this information in their written syllabi. If the resubmission of course work is deemed to be unacceptable, a charge may not be brought under this Policy and will be handled as indicated in the written syllabi."
Please refer to Description of Course Requirements for specific information on how resubmissions will be treated in this course and to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities
Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center. | |
Faculty Bio:
| Dr.Ertl had his primary education in New York and Zuerich, Switzerland; he attended college in Colorado, USA and collected diplomas and degrees from universities in Switzerland, France, England and Scotland. Dr. Ertl worked for multinationals in Switzerland with a global mandate necessitating exhaustive travel before he commenced teaching with first, Boston University and now the University of Maryland University College- Europe. | |