e410internet

ECON 410 Economics of Internet News

COURSE POLICIES

Contact Information
Dr. Brian Goff/414 Grise Hall
Phone: 745-3855 / Email: brian.goff@wku.edu
Office Hours: 9-11 MF; 2-4 MTWF;
(I am in my office or on campus most days from around 8-4 except around noon)

GRADES FALL 2007

Materials
WSJ Subscription; See Blog Links

Grading
Weekly Assignments-Participation      60%
Exam 1                                            20%
Exam 2                                              20%

A >= 90%; B= 80-89; C=70-79; D=60-69; F < 60

Assignments-Participation: During Part I of the class outline, you will be assigned a day (Tuesday or Thursday) on which you are expected to have read 5 blog entries and extensively followed the links/thread on one of them as well as look up related economics content (from a textbook, Wikipedia, or other source. You should jot dot short notes so that you are able to talk about the topic and economics involved. You have 1 "free" week for which a lack of preparation will not influence your grade. I will keep track of your contributions and assign a semester grade based on my evaluation. You begin with an 85% and can move up or down based on better than average, average (85), or below average performance.

Exams: The exams will require you to summarize topics discussed in class. Keep notes on the discussions during each class period, including days that you are not responsible for reading.

Miscellaneous
Last day to drop course with a "W" or change from credit to audit is listed on WKU's Academic Calendar. Any students requiring special consideration under the provisions of the ADA should first register with the ADA Compliance Office and then meet with me as soon as possible. If you are not fluent in English or are weak in your writing abilities, you should utilize a writing "consultant" to examine your written reports before turning them in. The WKU Writing Center is one option. Undergraduate students willing to offer tutorial services (for a fee or free) are another.

Attendance/Missed Assignments
You have 1 "free" assignment that will not count against your grade.

COURSE OUTLINE & LINKS

Objectives: To gain familiarity with widely read economic blogs and internet sources, to enhance understanding of economic issues using these sources, and to examine features of the content and style of writing in these sources that make them more or less effective

Part I: Keeping up with Econblogs and other Online Columns

Week 1 (August 28) Administration & Introduction

Week 2 (Sept 4) Beginning of Weekly Assignments

Week 3 (Sept 11)

Week 5 (Sept 18)

Week 6 (Sept 25)

Week 7 (Oct 2) Fall Break (Thursday -10/18)

Week 8 (Oct 9)

Week 9 (Oct 16)

Week 10 (Oct 23) Exam 1 (Thursday 10/25) (This Week Thursday assignment students switch to Tuesday)

Part II: Analyzing the Content & Style of Economic Journalism (Section subject to changes)

Week 11 (Oct 30)
What Makes an Economist an Effective Writer for Broader Audiences?
(Tuesday) Case Study -- Freakonomics & Steven Levittt
    NY Magazine article on Steven Levitt (Written by Dubner before the Freakonomics collaboration)
    Man Behind Freakonomics (Dubner on his editor)

(Thursday) Case Study -- Marginal Revolution & Tyler Cowan
Why Has the Marginal Revolution Caught On?
    NY Magazine Proile of Tyler Cowan;

Week 12 (Nov 6) No Class -- Attending Conference

Week 13 (Nov 13)
What Makes a Journalist an Effective Writer on Economic Subjects?
(Tuesday) Case Study: Holman Jenkins (Read at least 2 articles -- use WSJ article search facility)
(Thursday) John Stossel on Economic Illiteracy (reviewing Caplan book on Townhall.com)

Week 14 (Nov 20) Thanksgiving Break

Weeks 15 (Nov 27)
(Tuesday & Thursday) Bias in Economic (and Wider) Journalism
Groseclose and Milyo on Measures of Media Bias (Working paper version; Can access through WKU Library EJournals Quarterly Journal of Economics, Nov 2005); Press Release Summary

Incentive Issues
Which Economist to Trust (Econlog, 7/30/07)

Week 16 (Dec 4)
(Tuesday & Thursday) Sutter on The Economics of Media Bias (Cato Journal, Winter 2001)

Exam 2

Blog Links

Wiki List of Econ Blogs

WSJ -- Econ related topics on Opinion Page (Especially Holman Jenkins Business World Column Wednesdays;
             + Other Pages (Markets; Personal Journal; Leisure; and OpinionJournal.com)

http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/ (Greg Mankiw -- Harvard)

Marginal Revolution (Tyler Cowan, George Mason University)

http://www.freakonomics.com/blog/ (Blog growing out of the book by Steve Levitt -- U of Chicago)

EconLog (Arnold Kling & Bryan Caplan, George Mason University)

http://www.econbrowser.com/ (Macroeconomics-related blog by James Hamilton, UC-San Diego)

http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/index.html (Gary Becker -- University of Chicago & Richard Posner - 7th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals University of Chicago Law School

TCS Daily (Tech Central Station -- weird title but good site for markets, tech, & society news & opinion)

http://heavylifting.blogspot.com/ (Craig Depken - UNC-Charlotte)

http://macroblog.typepad.com/macroblog/ (list of macro-oriented blogs and Federal Reserve District bank sites)

Steven Landsburg's Columns on Slate.com (University of Rochester)

John Stossel Columns on Townhall.com

Grasping Reality with Both Hands (Brad DeLong, UC-Berkeley)

Sports Economist (Skip Sauer, Clemson University -- the blog to which I regularly contribute)