Best way to contact the Instructor is by email through Angel, but may also do it trough Facebook and Twitter, see homepage www.tamiu.edu/~pcamacho/ for link to these as well as to the Instructor’s Blog.

Course Description:

Problems and processes of economic growth in lesser developed countries; the interdependent nature of economic, social, and institutional forces at the country and international level on country development. (Catalog course description.)

Topical Outline:

Topic Text Chapter

Introduction to Economic Development 1, 2, 3, 4

Problems and Policies: Domestic 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Problems and Policies: International 12, 13, 14, 15

Check the calendar in Angel for dates for specific lecture topics/readings, quizzes, and exams.

Grading Policy:

Partial exams (3) 15 points each A: 90 ≤ points

Final (comprehensive) 15 points B: 80 ≤ points < 90

Homework 10 points C: 70 ≤ points < 80

Quizzes 10 points D: 60 ≤ points < 70

Team Presentation (2) 5 points each F: 60 > points

Team Projects (2) 5 points each

Required Texts:

Todaro, Michael P. and Stephen C. Smith, Economic Development, Addison Wesley Longman, 2003 (textbook’s website: http://wps.aw.com/aw_todarosmit_econdevelp_10/85/21785/5577112.cw/index.html ).

Smith, Stephen C., Case Studies in Economic Development, 2003 (download available from textbook’s website: http://wps.aw.com/aw_todarosmit_econdevelp_8/4/1111/284582.cw/index.html).

Supplementary Texts and Materials:

Supplements like economic news and sources of economic data will be announced in lecture.

Attendance Policy:

Class attendance is highly recommended, but not mandatory (e.g., not graded). Furthermore, students are responsible for any class work, assignment, announcement or test they miss because of class absence or failure to check Angel.

Administrative Policies:

The Instructor may modify this syllabus.

No Fault – No Make Up Policy: No make-up partial exam will be given. If one partial exam is missed, the grade on the comprehensive final exam will replace it. If any other partial exam is missed, the grade of that exam will be zero. Students who take all partial exams may use the grade on the comprehensive final exam to replace the lowest grade on a partial exam. No make-up final exam will be given, except under highly unusual circumstances (such as a documented medical emergency or the observance of a religious holyday).

No late homework will be accepted. Homework shall be turn in during the first ten minutes of the lecture when it is due. Homework shall be typed using Microsoft Word (additional software may be used as it is appropriate, for instance, Microsoft Excel when the homework involves graphing) so that every student will keep an electronic copy of the solved homework. If a student expects not to be able to turn in the homework on time, he/she may email the file containing the homework free of viruses before class and later turn in a hard copy of the homework. All submitted homework will be taken by the Instructor and graded, but only those that comply with the above guidelines will count towards the students’ grade. Every student shall bring two hard copies of the homework.

Team project involves producing a written report of an assigned topic and delivering its corresponding Power Point presentation. Team presentation involves answering specific questions about an assigned reading and discussing them in lecture; the corresponding written report should be submitted. Quizzes will be given at the beginning of specific lectures. No make-up quiz will be given.

Disruptive behavior will be penalized, after one warning per semester, by subtracting points from the overall final grade of the disruptive student in progressively larger 5-points (i.e., minus 5 points for the first offense; minus 10 points for the second offense, etc.). You will be given clear warning if your behavior is becoming disruptive.

Scholastic Dishonesty: University policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced.

SSB Policies

1. Should a faculty member discover that a student has committed plagiarism, the student will receive a grade of “F” in that course and the matter will be referred to the Executive Director of Student Life for possible disciplinary action.

2. The Copyright Act of 1976 grants to copyright owners the exclusive right to reproduce their work and distribute copies of their work. Works that receive copyright protection included published works such as a textbook. Copying a textbook without permission from the owner of the copyright may constitute copyright infringement. Civil and criminal penalties may be assessed for copyright infringement. Civil penalties include damages up to $ 100,000; criminal penalties include a fine of up to $ 250,000 and imprisonment.

3. The university is composed of a diverse student body who have a number of different religious beliefs. Reasonable accommodations will be made to allow student to practice their beliefs. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor in advance when there is a conflict between scheduled classroom activities (examinations, quizzes, etc.) and religious holidays.

4. Students diagnosed with ADA recognized problems should contact Dr. Yolanda Garcia, Director of Counseling (CH 312A - 326-2230). Students who have not been diagnosed with an ADA condition but feel that they might be eligible for assistance under provisions of ADA are encouraged to contact Dr. Garcia.