Development Economics 01:220:477
Rutgers University, Professor Ira N. Gang,
Email: gang at rutgers.edu Include 439 in the subject line
 
Examination Rules, Posting of Grades, and other Exam Related Notes
0. All exams are cumulative, however the emphasis will be on the material not covered in previous exams. Warning: If you have multiple exams on the same day, plan your studying well in advance.
1. You cannot enter the exam 20 minutes after the exam has begun.
2. You are not allowed to leave the exam room until 30 minutes after the exam begins.
3. Semester exams will probably consist of approximately 30 multiple choice type questions. The final exam will probably contain approximately 30 multiple choice type questions.  Be sure you bring a #2 pencil and eraser to the exams.
4. Bring your Rutgers or other photo ID card and leave it on your desk during the exam.  You may not be allowed to take the exam if you do not have your valid ID card.
5. No calculators, rulers or other aids can be used. Only pencils, pens, erasers, pencil sharpeners, a watch (not your cell phone), and your Rutgers ID card should be on your desk. You are best off not bringing anything else to the exam. If you do, it must be placed in a bag under your seat.
6. Each answer sheet has an exam number on it. When you finish with the exam hand in both the answer sheet, and make sure the number of your exam is placed next to your name on the sign-out sheet.
7. Grades, your answers, and the answer key will be posted on SAKAI when they are available.  Do NOT email me asking for your grade.  Do NOT email me asking when they will be posted;  I will post the grades as soon as I can.  Grades are NEVER available over the phone or via email. 
8. If you have an officially recognized conflict during the final exam period, you must inform me and provide the required and appropriate documentation.
9. Note that the grading system gives you tremendous latitude. There are absolutely no make- up exams. If you know that you cannot complete the require work at the appointed times, then please do not take this course.
10. There is no way to ex poste improve your grade on an examination. Plan to do well on the required material.
11. Note that I reserve the right to alter this schedule during the semester.

 
Some Warnings, Advice and Hints
1. Students often ask what material should they study. The simple answer is everything and more.  The idea is to elop an understanding of the subject of this class.  Of course, I, like most other professors, tend to lecture and test on what I think is most important. So, the frequency of questions on the exams that comes from what I lecture on will be higher than other sources of materials. However, I attempt to design the exams so that you can reveal your understanding of all the assigned material.  This includes the lectures, the reading, suggested problems, old exam questions, everything, and your ability to integrate the material. Also recognize that this course has prerequisites that I take quite seriously.  Exam questions may also come from the material you should have mastered in these prerequisites.
2. If you are having problems, please seek out help early. Come in prepared, having gone over the lectures and other material. If you have missed any classes, make sure you have gotten the missed notes from classmates. In cases like this, it usually pays to get the notes from at least two of your classmates. Often students find it useful to form small study groups.
3. Some students slack off. The readings, after all, seem pretty minimal. They aren't! Economics is deceptive. The only way to learn it is to keep going over it, work  problems, and THINK about what you are doing at each step. I suggest that you first read through all the material. This will help you to begin to think about economics. Go over the lectures and think about what problems I raise and what problems are raised in the readings. Pace yourself throughout the semester. A good exercise is to pick up the newspaper and come up with alternative explanations of various "business" and "economic" news. Furthermore, let me urge you to read as much of the material as possible early on in the course. You will find this will help you develop a perspective on the course material and lead to a better understanding of the material.
4. Study ahead. Do not wait until after I have lectured on something to read the material work on it yourself. Come to class  prepared! Otherwise, you are fooling yourself.
5. The emphasis in this class is on developing your ability to apply analytical techniques and on your understanding of fundamental concepts. Exams will emphasize this. They will not test whether you remember what the balance of trade for India was in 1978. They will assume you have a complete understanding of all the material, and will ask you to apply what you have learned to "new" circumstances. In approaching the multiple choice questions on the exams, answer the question (i.e., solve the problem) before looking at the choices.
6. The course material builds on earlier work. It is essential that you master every part of the material. I will integrate the material as we go along, but you will be ahead of the game if you make extended efforts to learn and integrate it yourself.
7. Lastly, I want to make it very clear to everyone that I will not tolerate cheating in any of my courses. If I believe someone is cheating on an exam, I will report the incident directly to the appropriate officer of that student's college, who will take the matter from there. I urge all of you to become familiar with the University procedures for dealing with academic dishonesty.  The University has established severe penalties for cheating. The Univeristy’s policy on academic integrity is found at http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/integrity.shtml  I want to bring particular attention to one section of this policy: Level Three Violations Level three offenses involve dishonesty on a significant portion of coursework, such as a major paper, an hourly, or a final examination. Violations that are premeditated or involve repeat offenses of level one or level two are considered level three violations. Examples: Copying from or giving others assistance on an hourly or final examination, plagiarizing major portions of an assignment, using forbidden material on an hourly or final examination, using a purchased term paper, presenting the work of another as one's own, altering a graded examination for the purposes of regrading. Recommended Sanctions: Suspension from the university for one or more semesters, with a notation of "academic disciplinary suspension" placed on a student's transcript for the period of suspension, and a failing grade in the course.