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.