B09.2317 - Understanding the
World Macroeconomy
Professor
Nouriel Roubini
Office: MEC 7-83
Phone: (212) 998-0886
E-Mail: nroubini@stern.nyu.edu
Overview of the Course
(Objectives Texbook
and Materials Requirements Assignments
Office Hours and Tutorials Rules
Important Dates Online Bulletin
Board Suggested Grade Distribution)
Reading List
"MBA Lectures in Macroeconomics"
by Roubini and Backus
Handouts Distributed in Class
Major Macroeconomic Controversies
and Current Policy Debates
Links to WEB materials complementing
the topics in the lecture notes
Links to Macroeconomic Data and
Information
Hypertext Glossary of Business
Cycle Indicators
Business Cycle Indicators
Assignments
Interactive
Charts and Graphs of Macroeconomic Series
(the Economic Chart Dispenser of Ted Bos at UAB)
Interactive quizes and practice
tests
Homepage on Asia's Economic
and Currency Crisis
Homepage on European Monetary Union
and the Euro
A Macro Forecasting Game:
test your ability to forecast the stock market, interest rates, the U.S.$
exchange rate, GDP growth and inflation
Macroeconomics Discussion
Group
Search Engine for the Macroeconomics
Home Page
Virtual Office Hours
My Guestbook:
sign and give your feedback on this page
The following tools will be available
in the future:
Interactive Java Applets
Online assignments
1. Overview
Objectives
Review and analysis of current macroeconomic issues and events from the
perspective of the business community and government policymakers, including:
strategies for growth; forecasting business cycles, interest rates and
exchange rates; causes of trade deficits; consequences of government deficits;
short- and long-term effects of monetary policy; and the globalization
of financial markets. These topics are integrated into a theoretical framework
that introduces international factors from the start. Examples from the
US, Europe, Japan and developing countries are used to enhance knowledge
of the world economy and skills in solving practical problems. Lectures
are complemented with group projects.
This year we will make intensive use of the WEB and Internet resources
as a learning tool in the course.
Textbook and Materials
Textbook:
On-line lectures notes: Nouriel Roubini and David Backus MBA
Lectures in Macroeconomics, New York University, 1998.
or:
Gregory Mankiw, Macroeconomics, Worth Publishers, 3rd edition,
1996.
We will also use the following materials in the course:
-
Krugman, Paul The Age of Diminished Expectations (3rd edition),
Cambridge: MIT Press, 1997.
-
Case package
-
Reading package
The Mankiw textbook will be available in the bookstore. The Roubini
and Backus "MBA Lectures in Macroeconomics" are available on-line at
the course home page; a printed version can be bought at the bokstore.
Note that the on-line version includes the links to other WEB materials
that are missing in the printed version. The book by Krugman is available
in the bookstore. The reading package and the case package will be distributed
in class. Let me also recommend very strongly The
Economist, the best single source of international business news
and commentary; call (800) 456-6086 and ask for the student rate; and the
on-line WEB version of the Financial
Times available for free to registered users.
Requirements
Grades will be based on six assignments and two examinations according
to the formula:
Assignments |
35 percent |
Midterm |
30 percent |
Final |
35 percent |
Class participation will be rewarded as part of the 35% of the grade that
goes to the assignments.
Assignments (click here to download the assignments).
Assignments alternate between practice problems and projects, all of which
are included in this package. They are due roughly every second or third
week, as noted below and at the top of each assignment. The lowest of the
six grades will be dropped but you need to hand in all six assignments.
All assignments should be done as part of a group; the first assignment
includes a component, a macro forecasting game, to be performed individually.
Office Hours and Tutorials
My office hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays 2.00-3.30pm, or by appointment.
I can also be reached through e-mail at nroubini@stern.nyu.edu
Also, if you install NetMeeting, a collaborative software by Microsoft,
you can reach me via audio and video in my office for discussion of class
materials. Click HERE for more details on
my virtual office hours.
There will also be a Teaching Assistant for each section of the course,
who you will find very helpful.
Michael Ronen (mr2@stern.nyu.edu) will be the teaching assistant
for the 8.30am class
while Alberto Alvarez (e-mail: aa8@stern.nyu.edu) will be the
teaching assistant for the 10.00am class.
Michael Ronen's office hours will be Tuesdays and Thursdays 4.00pm
to 5.00pm.
Alberto Alvarez's office hours will be Mondays and Wednesdays 4.00pm
to 5.00pm.
Rules
-
Late assignments will not be accepted without prior arrangement. If necessary,
you can fax them to me at (212) 995-4218 or e-mail them to me.
-
Material handed out in class will not be available in the next class. You
can get copies of old handouts from classmates and during office hours.
Most class materials will also be available on-line in the home page for
the course.
-
Excuses. Your rule of thumb should be: Would I try this on my boss ? If
not, please don’t try it on me; i.e. use excuses judiciously.
Important Dates
February 4: Assignment # 1 due plus class debate on FOMC meeting.
February 23: Assignment # 2 due
March 9: Assignment # 3 due.
March 11: Mid-Term Exam in class.
Click here for info on Mid-Term Exam
Information on the Class Visits
by Professor Solow
March 23: Guest Lecture by Professor Robert Solow, Nobel Prize winner.
March 25: Class discussion (for 10.00am Section) with participation
of Professor Solow.
March 30: Class discussion (for 8.30am Section) with participation of
Professor Solow.
April 8: Assignment # 4 due
April 22: Assignment # 5 due.
May 4: Assignment # 6 due.
May 6: Final Exam for the 8.30am Section
May 11: Final Exam for the 10.00am Section
Online Discussion
Group for the Class
I have setup an online
discussion group where we can discuss the topics of the course outside
of the classroom. I invite all the students in the class to actively participate
in this online discussion forum. We can share together ideas and information
about interesting new articles on the WEB, discuss current policy issues
and elaborate on materials presented in class. I will regularly contribute
to the discussion and reply to questions/remarks/comments offered in this
forum.
Suggested Grade Distribution
Although sections may vary somewhat, the Economics Department suggests
a grade distribution of
A/A- |
20-25% |
B’s |
55-70% |
C & below |
10-15% |
This distribution is intended to make standards comparable across sections,
as required by the school.
Other Links and Information:
- The Stern School of
Business Economics Department
- Nouriel Roubini's
Home Page: http://www.stern.nyu.edu/~nroubini