1

ECON 4312-01, Money, Credit, and Banking Professor: Ryan S. Mattson (“Dr. Ryan”)

Tuesday Lecture: 9:30 AM to 10:45 AM. Thursday Discussion: 9:30 AM to 10:45 AM. Students are expected to complete all necessary readings before lecture and discussion. Office Hours held in Classroom Center 222A Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM Wednesdays 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM Office Phone: 806 651 2509 Email: rmattson at wtamu dot edu Social Media: Keep up with the latest happenings of your COB on Facebook and Twitter, connect with us on LinkedIn, and check out COB videos on YouTube. You can also keep up with the WT Economics Club through their Facebook account. The course will require use of a personal computer or laptop. Terms of Use A student's continued enrollment in this course signifies acknowledgment of and agreement with the statements, disclaimers, policies, and procedures outlined within this syllabus and elsewhere in the WTClass environment. This Syllabus is a dynamic document. Elements of the course structure (e.g., dates and topics covered, but not policies) may be changed at the discretion of the professor. Any changes made will take effect 48 hours after the announcement of a change. WTAMU College of Business Mission Statement The mission of the College of Business is to provide high quality undergraduate and graduate business education with a global perspective and ethical awareness. We accomplish this through emphasis on excellence in teaching, which is strengthened by faculty scholarship and supported by professional service. Learning Objectives of the WTAMU College of Business Programs The College of Business (COB) at West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) seeks to prepare students in

the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Professional Accounting (MPA), and the Master of Science, Finance and Economics (MSFE) degree programs for careers in business and to foster their

2

professional growth and advancement via key learning goals and objectives. The learning objectives of the College of Business are as follows:

• Leadership • Communication

• Critical Thinking • Business Integration • Core Business Knowledge • Global Business Environment • Business Ethics and Corporate Governance

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to the theoretical foundations and empirical properties of money, credit, and the financial system. We will examine money supply, rates of return, equities, foreign exchange, banking, financial crises, and the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy. The course will be approached from an empirical perspective, requiring students to apply the theory to real world data.

Course Objectives

Students will leave the course able to explain the behavior of monetary and credit instruments, their rates of return, and their role in the economy of the United States.

Course Materials (Text, calculator, etc.) All items listed are mandatory for this course; I expect all students to have them on the first day of class.

1. Books o The Economics of Money, Banking, and Financial Markets, 11th Edition by Mishkin.

MyEconLab access; ISBN-10: 0133862518. No physical text required. Registration instructions are under “Lessons.”

o The Curse of Cash, by Rogoff. o Any further readings will be provided on BlackBoard under “Lessons”.

2. Internet and Computer

o Microsoft Word and Excel as writing and data tools. o Secure internet connection. It is recommended students use the most up to date version of Mozilla

Firefox to access both BlackBoard and MyEconLab. You will have to enable cookies for these sites.

3

Map from COB Learning Objectives to Specific Course Objectives The College of Business Learning Goals are related to the course objectives for ECON 4312, as follows:

1. Students will demonstrate competencies in writing, speaking, and technology communication via the data analysis questions in the assignments and conceptual mastery questions in the quizzes and exams.

2. Students will demonstrate their competencies in critical thinking via the core concept questions on exams and quizzes and empirical analysis questions in the assignments. They will also analyze an ethical question through a final paper.

3. Students will demonstrate their competencies in ethical decisions through the outside text reading the ethics paper due at the end of the semester.

4. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of the global and domestic financial environment and their relevance to firms and individuals as they react to the actions of powerful institutions like Federal Governments and Central Banks.

5. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of diversity for effective problem-solving via the final paper on ethics in Money and Banking.

6. Students will illustrate and explain theories and concepts related to financial measurement and macroeconomic theories and practices.

Course Grading Policies

The grade is based on a 1000 point scale.

15 MyEconLab Assignments 600 points. Ethics Paper 200 points Summary and Data Portfolio 200 points --------------------------------------------------------- Total 1000 points Grade Scale: A : Perfect, ≥ 900 B : Above Average, ≥ 800 C : Average, ≥ 700 D : Below Average, ≥ 600 F : Failure, ≤ 599 These numbers can be easily converted to percentages. It is the responsibility of the student to keep up with their own course grade based on this system. The grades calculated on MyEconLab do not reflect the overall grade. Check BlackBoard for your overall grade and contact your professor if you need help determining where you stand in the course.

4

Graded Material: The student earns their grade through the completion of 1000 points consisting of assignments, exams, and a paper (see table of points above). No extra credit or added assignments will be available.

Assignments are graded based on the amount of correct answers. Given the ability to retake the assignments as many times as possible before the due date, I expect all students to get full credit. This is possible if a student plans their time wisely enough to get full credit before the due date passes.

Summaries and Data Graphs are half graded by peer review and half graded based on my rubric. Students must turn in the summary and graphs on the discussion dates they are due for peer grading in class. A fellow student will assign a “Exemplary”, “Satisfactory”, or “Unsatisfactory” grade according to a rubric provided. The student will then have the chance to revise the summary and graphs for inclusion in the portfolio; the other half of the grade will then come from my judgement of “Exemplary”, “Satisfactory”, or “Unsatisfactory” based on the same rubric their peer reviewer used. I will further grade the graphs based on the clarity and professionalism of the Excel spreadsheet turned in at the end of the semester (only print out your graphs for the peer grading and portfolio; do not print out the entire Excel spreadsheet!).

The Ethics paper will be graded based on the same rubric used for the summaries and the ranking of those papers relative to others in the course.

Due Dates: Due dates are inflexible. Any requests for a make-up exam or extension will require immediate and extensive proof of hardship (doctor’s note, obituary, police report, etc). All requests without evidence will be rejected automatically.

Incompletes: I will not consider an incomplete unless 70% of the coursework is completed. Even then I reserve the right to refuse any request for an incomplete.

Grade Changes: Any requests for grade changes must be accompanied by a 250 word essay of exactly where a grading error occurred, why the grading is incorrect, and a description of the correct material proving the student’s case. I will not consider any grade changes that do not meet this requirement.

Any course conflicts the student foresees should be brought to my attention as soon as possible. Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.

5

Course Assignment, Examination, and or Project Policies

Assignments: Assignments are available on the MyEconLab website. You may take the assignments as many times as you want before the due date. Assignments are meant as preparation for lecture and in-class discussion. No extensions will be given on this work under any circumstance.

Portfolio: Students are to complete four 500 word, typed, double spaced, and properly cited “Summaries” and Data Assignments to be reviewed in class by their colleagues during specific discussions sections throughout the semester. At the end of the semester these summaries and data assignments will be compiled in a Portfolio with their Ethics Paper.

Students must complete a 600 to 800 word essay regarding an ethics and conflict of interest topic to be announced the second week of class. No extensions or make up work will be given. Drafts will be submitted at random to Turnitin.com for plagiarism checking. Any act of plagiarism will meet with a 0 for all involved and I will pursue further consequences up to and including expulsion from the University.

If you are not aware of what plagiarism is, then you are required to see the following website: http://www.plagiarism.org/. Further materials are posted on the Blackboard website. Due to provision of these materials, all students are assumed to know what plagiarism is, its ethical violations, and the consequences. I will treat all acts of plagiarism as dishonest, intentional, and nefarious. It is the student’s responsibility to educated themselves on plagiarism and behave in an ethical manner. All resources used, including the textbook and lectures, must be cited.

6

Course Topics - Tentative Calendar of Readings, Topics, and Due Dates For readings “M” denotes chapters in Mishkin, “MW” denotes a web chapter in Mishkin found on MyEconLab only, “MEL” denotes the MyEconLab assignment to be done before the lecture, and “R” denotes chapters in Rogoff. Week Of… Readings Lecture Topic (Tuesday) Discussion (Thursday) Due in Discussion 1/17 M1-3, R1 Defining Money Divisia Money Measures 1/24 M4, R2 Defining Interest Rates Short Term Interest Rates 1/31 M5-6, R3 Interest Rate Behavior The Yield Curve Summary and Data 1 2/7 M7, R4 The Stock Market Irrational Exuberance 2/14 M8-9, R5 Bank Capital Bank Run Game 2/21 M10-11, R6 Financial Regulation Repurchase Agreements 2/28 M12, R7 Financial Crisis Shadow Banking Crash Summary and Data 2 3/7 M13, R8 The Monetary System The Federal Reserve Paper Outline 3/21 M14-15, R9 Money Supply and Policy Inflation Targeting 3/28 M16, R10 The Taylor Rule Calculating the Taylor Rule 4/4 M19, R11 Quantity Theory Liquidity Freeze Summary and Data 3 4/11 M20-21, R12 IS-MP Recession and Stimulus Paper Rough Draft 4/18 M22-23, R13 AS-AD Philips Curve 4/25 M25, R14 Transmission Mechanisms Forward Guidance and TR Summary and Data 4 5/2 MW5 Discussion: The $100 Bill Data 5 Finals Week Portfolio Due 5/9 All summaries and data assignments are due in class for a blind peer review the first 15 minutes of Thursday Discussion. Students who do not have their assignments will receive a zero, and only be able to receive half credit when the summaries and data assignments are revised and submitted for the Portfolio.

7

Portfolio. Students will be working throughout the semester to construct a class portfolio. The portfolio consists of four data assignments, four topic summaries, and an ethics paper. Each portfolio should include an introduction and a conclusion that describes the overall learning of the course content throughout the semester. Each portfolio part has a specific due date over the semester leading up to the revision and full completion during Finals week. I expect professional level of content, organization, and style. All written work must be edited several times before submissions to ensure no grammar or graph errors. The Final Revision of the portfolio must be bound; I will not accept loose papers, table papers, or papers in the pockets of folders. As there are no exams, your course grade relies solely on your aptitude to analyze and interpret data, and communicate and defend your work clearly. Summary Directions: Students are to choose one concept from the selected reading chapters in Mishkin and link it to a recent (no more than six months old) news article1. The more specific you get with the concept, the better your writing, so avoid broad strokes like “interest rates” or “monetary policy”. Find something specific. The concept must be succinctly defined and related to the material of the news article. Summaries over 500 words will be penalized. All summary print outs are to use 12 point font, double spaced, and one inch margin pages. Peer reviewers will grade based on the rubric provided. Summary Chapter Assignments Summary 1 – Chapters 1 through 6 Summary 2 – Chapters 7 through 12 Summary 3 – Chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, 19 Summary 4 – Chapters 20-23, 25 Data Assignments. All Data should be collected for the United States from Quarter 1, 2001, to Quarter 4, 2016. Data should be created and saved in an Excel File named StudentName4312.xlsx2. There should be five tabs for each data assignment properly labeled with the titles in parentheses (Data 1 is “Money, Credit, and Interest Rates”, Data 2 is “The Shadow Banking System” etc.). If you use the Excel FRED Add-In do not clutter your master worksheet with the Add-In codes. Copy the data cleanly to your five tabs and get rid of any un-needed worksheets. Students are to print the graphs or tables and bring them to the assigned discussion days for peer review. At the end of the semester students will e-mail their completed Excel file through BlackBoard with the e-mail title reading “Student Name – Portfolio Excel File”. These files are due May 9th, by 2 PM. I will not accept any files after the 2 PM cutoff, and the work will be graded as a 0.

1 2 For example “OjiAgbai4312.xlsx”.

8

All graphs and tables should be neat, professional, and organized. If it is difficult to read and/or graphs are improperly labeled or scaled to the point of incomprehensibility I will severely penalize the grade. Assume you are turning in a project you want your boss to understand, and you will be the one fired if he does not. Students are responsible for turning in an Excel file that is openable and not corrupted. If I cannot open it on my office computer, it is a 0. Any evidence that a student copied the Excel file directly from another student will be viewed as academic misconduct and plagiarism. Make your own Excel file, download your own data, and do your own work.

9

Converting monthly to quarterly data in Fred. To convert monthly to quarterly data using the FRED Add-In, change the “M” to “Q” in the third row under the tag for the series. For example for the series on “Job Openings: Total Nonfarm”: JTSJOL

lin Level in Thousands M Monthly

01/01/1900 2000-12-01 to 2016-10-01

Job Openings: Total Nonfarm

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics date value 12/01/2000 4736.0 01/01/2001 5385.0 02/01/2001 4658.0 03/01/2001 4563.0 04/01/2001 4901.0 05/01/2001 4550.0 To JTSJOL

lin Level in Thousands Q Monthly3

01/01/1900 2000-12-01 to 2016-10-01

Job Openings: Total Nonfarm

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics date value 01/01/2001 4869.0 04/01/2001 4577.0 07/01/2001 4203.0 10/01/2001 3459.0

To convert monthly to quarterly data before downloading it in FRED, click the blue “Edit Graph” button at the top right of the FRED Graph, select “Quarterly” under “Modify Frequency” and Aggregation Method “Average”. Update the graph on the website. Now click the blue “Download” button at the top right, and download the data to Excel.

3 Note that “Monthly” does not change here, as the FRED Add-In will keep it to let you know what the original observation is. Please remember you cannot go from Annual to Quarterly. You can only go “up” in time aggregation; 𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀ℎ𝑙𝑙 → 𝑄𝑄𝑄𝑄𝑀𝑄𝑄𝑙𝑙 → 𝐴𝑀𝑀𝑄𝑄𝑙𝑙𝑙.

10

To convert data from monthly to quarterly not in FRED (like the Divisia data), put together a scratch worksheet, make a monthly time series of the data and follow the directions on this tip website from FRED: https://research.stlouisfed.org/tips/200303/.

11

Data 1 – Money, Credit, and Interest Rates In your first tab labeled “Money, Credit, and Interest Rates” start a quarterly time series labeled “Date” in the A1. The time series should run from Quarter 1 2000 to Quarter 4 2016.

1. Label the second column in B1 as “MZM”. Download the Quarterly Seasonally Adjusted MZM money stock from FRED (tag: MZM), and convert the levels to a growth rate by selecting “Edit Graph” and choosing “Percent Change From Year Ago” under units. If you are using the FRED Add-In, then select “Data Manipulations”, choose “pc1 = percent change from year ago”, select the MZM series and click “Make Changes”. Then hit “Get Fred Data”. There is a faster way to do this; when you get the FRED data go down to the second row labeled “lin”. Change the “lin” to a “pc1” and hit “Get FRED Data”.

2. Label the third column in C1 as “Divisia M3”. Download the Divisia M3 year over year growth data from the Center for Financial Stability’s Advances in Financial and Monetary Measurement (AMFM) website. Convert the monthly data to quarterly following the procedure in the St. Louis Fed tip website described above. Copy the Quarterly data so it lines up with the dates in the MZM column.

3. Label the fourth column in D1 as “PCE Inflation”. Gather the data for the Quarterly, Seasonally Adjusted Personal Consumption Expenditure Chain Type Price Index (tag: PCEPI) and convert the data to an inflation rate in the same way you converted MZM to a percentage change from a year ago.

4. Label the fifth column in E1 as “3 Month Treasury”. Gather data for the Quarterly, Not Seasonally Adjusted 3

Month Treasury Bill, Secondary Market Rate (tag: TB3MS). 5. Label the sixth column in F1 as “Real Interest Rate”, and use D2 and E2 to calculate the real interest rate.

6. Leave column G blank.

7. Make a clearly labeled, professional looking graph that compared the growth rate of MZM with the growth

rate of Divisia M3. 8. Make a clearly labeled, professional looking graph that tracks the real interest rate calculated in column F

from Quarter 1, 2000, to Quarter 4 2016.

9. Make a Yield Curve (the Hard Part): a. In column H, begin with the label “Quarter 4 Observation”, and list the years in four year increments

from H2 as 2000, to H3 as 2004, to H4 as 2008, to H5 as 2012, and H6 as 2016. Each cell will represent a Quarter 4 observation for that year. In columns G through L label the columns as “3 Month”, “1 Year”, “2 Year”, “5 Year”, “10 Year”, and “20 Year”. Fill these columns with the Treasury

12

Constant Maturity Rates for each of those maturities. Make a yield curve graph similar to Figure 4 in Chapter 6 of Mishkin using this data. The tags are the following:

i. 3 Month – TB3MS (you have this one already!) ii. 1 Year – DGS1

iii. 2 Year – DGS2 iv. 5 Year – DGS5 v. 10 Year – DGS10

vi. 20 Year – DGS20

b. Use this data to graph the yield curve with the maturity on the x-axis and the interest rate on the y-axis. Label each line with its corresponding year for the Quarter 4 observation.

13

Data 2 – The Shadow Banking System

1. Go to the New York Fed Primary Dealer Statistics Survey. You will not have to download data for this. Click on the “Pre-April 2013” data. On the right hand side click “Financing” to expand the menu of options. Then click “Repo”. Take a screen capture of the data, and import the .jpeg picture into your Excel file. Keep this handy for a comparison to Commercial Paper.

2. Go to FRED and download the Quarterly, Seasonally Adjusted level of Commercial Paper Outstanding (tag: COMPOUT). You will not be able to get Quarter 1, 2000, data, but go back as far as you can. Graph the level of Commercial Paper for this time period.

3. Go to FRED and download the Quarterly, Note Seasonally Adjusted level for the S&P 500 Index (tag: SP500). You will only be able to do this from Quarter 1, 2007, to Quarter 4 2016. Graph the level of the S&P 500 for this time period.

4. Go to FRED and download the data for the total seasonally adjusted level of Commercial and Industrial Loans by all Commercial banks (tag: BUSLOANS) from Quarter 1, 2000, to Quarter 4, 2017. Graph the amount of Commercial and Industrial loans over this time period.

14

Data 3 – The Liquidity Freeze

1. Go to FRED and download the Quarterly, Not Seasonally Adjusted levels of the Monetary Base (tag: BOGMBASE) from Quarter 1, 2000 to Quarter 4, 2016.

2. In a second column, download the level of Quarterly, Not Seasonally Adjusted levels of Excess Reserves (tag: EXCSRESNS) from Quarter 1, 2000 to Quarter 4, 2016.

3. Graph these two together.

4. Download the quarterly level of the Effective Fed Funds Rate (tag: FEDFUNDS) from Quarter 1, 2000 to Quarter 4, 2016. Graph the Fed Funds Rate from Quarter 1, 2000 to Quarter 4, 2016 in its own graph and compare it to your monetary base and excess reserve graph.

15

Data 4 – Gaps and the Taylor Rule

1. Gather the quarterly Natural Rate of Unemployment (Short Term) from FRED (tag: NROUST) in the B column of the worksheet. Name this column “NAIRU”.

2. Gather the quarterly U3 unemployment rate from FRED (tag: UNRATE) and place it in the C column. Name this column “U3”.

3. In the D column, fill in the rows with figures for 2% and name the column the “Inflation Target”.

4. In the E column, put in your PCE inflation rate from Data 1.

5. In the F column, download the Quarterly level for seasonally adjusted Real Potential GDP growth (tag: GDPPOT). Remember to convert this data to a “year over year” growth rate.

6. In the G column, download the Quarterly level for seasonally adjusted Real GDP (tag: GDPC1). Remember to convert this data to a “year over year” growth rate.

7. In the I column, calculate the Unemployment Gap. In the J column calculate the Output Gap. In the K column, calculate the inflation gap.

8. In the “L” column, put your calculation of the real interest rate from Data 1.

9. Call the M column: “Taylor Rule Standard”. Use the following formula to calculate the target short term interest rate: 𝑖 = 𝑄 + 0.5 ∗ 𝜋 + 0.5 ∗ 𝑙, where 𝑖 is the target interest rate, 𝑄 is the current real rate, 𝜋 is the inflation gap, and 𝑙 is the output gap.

10. Call the N column: “Taylor Rule Hawk”. Calculate the target short term rate using the following “Inflation Hawk” formula for the Taylor rule: 𝑖 = 𝑄 + 𝜋 + 0.5𝑙.

11. Call the O column: “Taylor Rule Dove”. Calculate the target short term rate using the following “Inflation Dove” formula for the Taylor Rule: 𝑖 = 𝑄 + 0.5𝜋 + 𝑙.

12. Call the P column: “Taylor Rule Philips”. Calculate the target short term rate using the following “Unemployment Dove” formula for the Taylor rule: 𝑖 = 𝑄 + 0.5𝜋 + 𝑄 for the Unemployment gap being 𝑄.

16

13. On one graph, compare the Standard, Hawk, Dove, and Philips Taylor Rules to the Effective Federal Funds Rate (the graph should then have 5 lines)4.

4 These Taylor Rule formulations are a mix of what is in Rogoff’s Appendix, Mishkin’s text, and your professor’s ideas. Do not treat them as gospel.

17

Data 5 – The $100 Bill and Crime Choose any measure of criminal or unreported activity you want (undocumented immigrant or worker estimates, drug crimes, violent crime, etc) that you feel is linked to the use of the $100 bill or was mentioned in Rogoff’s book as being linked to the $100 bill. So long as you have annual data back to 1995 you are good. Download the data on the volume of currency in circulation provided by the Federal Reserve Board, and calculate the percentage share of $100 bills relative to the total of other bills in the US economy. Now calculate the growth rates of crime and compare it to the growth of the volume of $100 bills in circulation. You may do this either by graphing the levels together or graphing the growth rates together; this particular assignment is up to you to make clear. Remember, you want your reader to understand this, and if you can use this graph in your Ethics essay you will get a higher grade than someone who does not.

18

Ethics Paper. In his book The Curse of Cash, Rogoff makes a strong case for the discontinuation of the $100 bill (indeed, the discontinuation of paper currency altogether). He approached the issue with two main arguments:

1. Paper money facilitates illegal and unregulated activity, and 2. Paper money provides a road block to a negative interest rate monetary stimulus policy.

Make an ethical case against the discontinuation of high denomination currency using what you have learned in class this semester in lectures, in readings, and in discussions. The paper must be no more than 800 words and no less than 600. The paper must be cited and include tables and figures. I will not count citations, bibliography, graphs, tables, or footnotes in the word count, so if you need to cut something you think is important, consider using a table, figure, or footnote to get around the word count. Binding The order of the portfolio is as follows:

I. Cover page with name, date, and title of portfolio. II. Introduction III. Data Assignments (Tables and Figures only) IV. Chapter Summaries V. Ethics Paper VI. Conclusion VII. Bibliography VIII. Appendices and notes if needed.

Move all resources used into a single bibliography at the end of the portfolio, but maintain your in-body paragraph citations. Revise and resubmit the summaries and data in the portfolio. I expect revisions even if you received an “exemplary” score from your peer review. A stack of disorganized papers without any clear organization or care will be penalized in the final grade. The paper must be bound. Students have a variety of places to print their portfolios, such as the UPS store on 4th Street in Canyon, TX. Students must use a Coil Bind or a Comb Bind with a bank and front cover for the portfolio. Pages must be numbered and in order. Graphs can be in color or black and white, however black and white graphs should use “dash” and “dot” lines to distinguish different series. Printing and black and white is a cheaper option, and perfectly acceptable so long as graphs are readable (five all grey lines are not readable). Printing a 50 page portfolio will cost around $28 for full color or $10 for black and white. The introduction and conclusion should be the student’s assessment of what they have learned about economic theory, monetary policy, and the particular ethical question at the heart of the course. The intro and

19

conclusion should be no more than 250 words each. I expect the same level of professional writing in the intro and conclusion that are expected of the summaries and paper.

20

Additional Course Policies Please note you can use your text and any notes you have made on the exams, quizzes, and assignments, however there is absolutely no collaboration allowed on any work in this course. Any evidence of collaboration with anyone in or outside the course will result in severe penalties for Academic Misconduct. I include artificial intelligence in the definition of “some one”, so do not contact IBM’s Watson either. WTAMU COB Student Code of Ethics Each student enrolled in COB courses accepts personal responsibility to uphold and defend academic integrity

and to promote an atmosphere in which all individuals may flourish. The COB Student Code of Ethics strives to set a standard of honest behavior that reflects well on students, the COB and West Texas A&M University. All students enrolled in business courses are expected to follow the explicit behaviors detailed in the Student Code of Ethics.

Code of Ethics

• Do not use notes, texts, solution manuals, or other aids for a quiz or exam without instructor authorization.

• Do not copy the work of others and/or allow others to view your answers or copy your work during a quiz, exam, or on homework assignments.

• Do not allow other parties to assist in the completion of your quiz, exam, homework, paper, or project when not permitted.

• Do not work with other students on projects or assignments without authorization from the course instructor.

• Properly cite and specifically credit the source of text, graphic, and web materials in papers, projects, or other assignments.

• Do not forge the signature of an instructor, advisor, dean, or another student.

• Provide truthful information for class absences when asking faculty for excused absences or for a make-up for a quiz, exam, or homework.

• Provide truthful information on your resume including work history, academic performance, leadership activities, and membership in student organizations.

• Respect the property, personal rights, and learning environment of all members of the academic community.

• Live up to the highest ethical standards in all academic and professional endeavors.

Students violating the Student Code of Ethics will be reported to the Dean’s office and are subject to penalties described in the West Texas A&M University Code of Student Life, which may include suspension from the University. In addition, a violator of the Student Code of Ethics may become ineligible for participation in student organizations sponsored by the COB and for recognition for College academic honors, awards, and scholarships. COB Student Resources Link The COB has developed a Student Resources repository (e.g., APA writing style information, business core reviews, facilities, and other helpful supplements), which can be found on the COB Website. Additionally,

21

WTAMU has developed an Academic Study Skills information site to assist students (e.g., study habits, supplemental instruction, tutoring, writing and math skills), which can be found on the WTAMU Website. For WTAMU Writing Center information (for students needing writing assistance, guidance, and feedback), please visit their website. COB Communications Component Students earning a BBA degree must complete at least one course with a communications component as part of the business core requirements. The COB communications component is a requirement in the following courses: ACCT 4373 (Accounting Communications), BUSI 4333 (Cross-Cultural Issues in Business Communications), BUSI 4350 (Current Issues in Management Communications), BUSI 4380 (Conflict Resolution and Negotiation), BUSI 4382 (Emerging Media Law), CIDM 3320 (Digital Collaboration and Communication), ECON 4370 (Economics of Health Care), FIN 3350 (Personal Financial Planning), FIN 4320 (Investments), FIN 4321 (Portfolio Theory), MGT 3335 (Organizational Behavior), MGT 4380 (Conflict Resolution and Negotiation), and MKT 3342 (Consumer Behavior). Students in a communications component course are explicitly required to demonstrate knowledge of communication skills. Specific objectives may include but are not limited to the following concepts put forth by the National Business Education Association: (1) ability to organize a written and an oral message coherently and effectively, (2) ability to use technology for communication, (3) ability to research a topic, prepare a report, and present the findings to all organizational levels, and (4) ability to demonstrate critical-thinking skills. Specific course requirements and the role of the communications component with respect to student grading policy are at the discretion of the course instructor of record. Student Travel Opportunities In multiple business courses, there may be opportunities for student travel supplemented by student fees. If you have an interest in such opportunities as they become available, please notify a faculty member. Dropping/Repeating the Course Should a student decide to drop the course, it is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the final drop dates and adhere to the WTAMU Add/Drop policy. Any student participating in the course after the WTAMU posted drop date will be considered active and a grade will be administered at the end of the course for that student. Students are charged a fee for any course attempted for a third or subsequent time at WTAMU other than a non-degree credit developmental course or exempted courses. Scholastic Dishonesty It is the responsibility of students and instructors to help maintain scholastic integrity at the University by refusing to participate in or tolerate scholastic dishonesty. Commission of any of the following acts shall constitute scholastic dishonesty. This listing is not exclusive of any other acts that may reasonably be said to constitute scholastic dishonesty: acquiring or providing information for any assigned work or examination from any unauthorized source; informing any person or persons of the contents of any examination prior to the time the examination is given in subsequent sections of the course or as a makeup; plagiarism; submission of a paper or project that is substantially the same for two courses unless expressly authorized by the

22

instructor to do so; submission of a paper or project prepared by another student as your own. You are responsible for being familiar with the University's Academic Integrity Code, as well as the COB Student Code of Ethics listed in this document. Academic Integrity

All work must be completed individually unless otherwise stated. Commission of any of the following acts shall constitute scholastic dishonesty: acquiring or providing information for any assigned work or examination from any unauthorized source; informing any person or persons of the contents of any examination prior to the time the exam is given in any subsequent sections of the course or as a makeup; plagiarism; submission of a paper or project that is substantially the same for two courses unless expressly authorized by the instructor to do so. For more information, see the Code of Student Life.

Viewpoints/External Websites Disclaimer The views expressed in this document, web-based course materials, and/or classroom presentations and discussions are those of the professor and do not necessarily represent the views of West Texas A&M University, its faculty and staff, or its students. Views expressed by students are likewise those of the person making such statements. It is understood and expected that each individual within this course will respect and allow individual difference of opinion. Neither the professor, the COB, nor WTAMU are responsible for the content of external websites discussed in the classroom and/or linked to via online course materials, emails, message boards, or other means. Referred websites are for illustrative purposes only, and are neither warranted nor endorsed by the professor, COB, or WTAMU. Web pages change frequently, as does domain name ownership. While every effort is made to ensure proper referencing, it is possible that students may on occasion find materials to be objectionable for reasons beyond our control. Acceptable Student Behavior Classroom behavior should not interfere with the instructor’s ability to conduct the class or the ability of other students to learn from the instructional program (Code of Student Life). Unacceptable or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Students engaging in unacceptable behavior may be instructed to leave the classroom. Inappropriate behavior may result in disciplinary action or referral to the University’s Behavioral Intervention Team. This prohibition applies to all instructional forums, including electronic, classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. Technology Requirements All technological requirements for the successful completion of this course are the responsibility of the student, including access to a working computer and or to a device with secure broadband Internet connection, data storage and retrieval, and state-of-the-art security. The student is responsible for all technological problems not related to WTAMU, including but not limited to equipment failures, power outages, and Internet breakdowns. Furthermore, students are responsible for all necessary technical and operational skills for completing this course, and for being familiar with WTClass (the Blackboard Learning

23

System) both in a general sense and in a specific sense as pertaining to this course and any materials stored within. The professor is not responsible for any technical matters related to WTClass. Students must contact WTClass if they have problems accessing and/or using the WTClass environment. Physical or Educational Access - ADA Statement West Texas A&M University seeks to provide reasonable accommodations for all qualified persons with disabilities. This University will adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations as required to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student's responsibility to register with Student Disability Services (SDS) and to contact faculty members in a timely fashion to arrange for suitable accommodations. Contact Information: Student Success Center, CC 106; phone 806-651-2335. Title IX Statement West Texas A&M University is committed to providing a learning, working and living environment that promotes personal integrity, civility, and mutual respect in an environment free of sexual misconduct and discrimination. Title IX makes it clear that violence and harassment based on sex and gender are Civil Rights offenses subject to the same kinds of accountability and the same kinds of support applied to offenses against other protected categories such as race, national origin, etc. Harassment is not acceptable. If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted, you can find the appropriate resources

here: • WTAMU Title IX Coordinator Becky Lopez –

Kilgore Research Center 147, or call 806.651.3199

• WTAMU Counseling Services – Classroom Center 116, or call 806.651.2340

• WTAMU Police Department – 806.651.2300, or dial 911

• 24-hour Crisis Hotline – 800.273.8255, or 806.359.6699, or 800.692.4039

• Visit the Notalone website For more information, see the Code of Student Life.

WT Attendance Policy for Core Curriculum Classes For the purposes of learning assessment and strategic planning, all students enrolled in Core Curriculum or developmental courses at West Texas A&M University must swipe their Buff Gold cards through the card reader installed in the classroom/lab for each class/lab meeting. Evacuation Statement If you receive notice to evacuate the building, please evacuate promptly but in an orderly manner. Evacuation routes are posted in various locations indicating all exits, outside assemble area, location of fire extinguishers, fire alarm pull stations and emergency telephone numbers (651.5000 or 911). In the event an evacuation is necessary; evacuate immediately do not use elevators; take all personal belongings with you; report to outside assembly area and wait for further information; students needing assistance in the evacuation process should bring this to the attention of the instructor at the beginning of the semester. Copyright

24

All original content in this document, all web-based course materials (be they text, audio, and/or video), and/or classroom presentations are subject to copyright provisions. No distribution without the express written consent of the author. Students are prohibited from selling (or being paid for taking) notes during this course to or by any person or commercial firm without the express written permission of the professor.

* Syllabus template approved by COB Curriculum Committee May 2016. Annual review of the syllabus is a formal part of the COB continuous improvement process.