College Credit for EFL

University Credit Available (Optional)

The FTE has a long and successful relationship with the University of Colorado, and we’re pleased to announce that the Department of Economics at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs has approved Economics 1310 for students attending 2013 Economics for Leaders programs.

Economics 1310 is an undergraduate economics course for non-majors.  Students who successfully complete the requirements will receive a transcript from UCCS, showing 2 sem. hrs. of graded undergraduate credit.  (Individual university policies for accepting this type of “transfer” credit vary, and the FTE does not provide information about the acceptability of this credit at various universities.  We can, however, report that we have encountered no problems in acceptance of UCCS credit granted to in FTE’s teacher programs.)

University Credit Information:

Course:  ECON 1310 (entry-level, elective, does not count toward an economics major)

Fee:       $204 (fee payable through the FTE/UCCS online portal; do not send payment to the FTE)

Transcripts: Available from UCCS after grade posted to your account.  Order at http://www.uccs.edu/lases/fte-efl-student.html.  Pull down the “Student Resources” tab in the black menu bar.

Requirements:

  • Read a supplemental text  (approx. 200 page paperback, provided by the FTE), and take an online test BEFORE arriving at the EFL program site. (Mastery test score = 75%)
    • This test must be completed before arrival at the EFL program. (When you are ready to take the exam, you’ll be provided a sign-on link and password.)
    • The Economics of Public Issues will be sent to you by the FTE upon confirmation of your registration with UCCS, so it is imperative that you complete the UCCS registration process with enough time to study the text and take the test before leaving for EFL.
    • The Economics of Public Issues is a very accessible reader, intended for introductory level college economics courses, but also used in many high school classrooms. It includes about 30 short, 4-6 page chapters, in which basic economic reasoning is used to explain contemporary mysteries of human behavior. For more information about The Economics of Public Issues visit http://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/product/Economics-of-Public-Issues-The/9780138021139.page (Do NOT purchase. The book will be sent to you by the FTE.)
  • Attendance and participation in all scheduled activities during EFL program week, and score 75% on EFL post-test.
  • Attendance and participation in a Socratic seminar book discussion on Monday of the EFL program week.  (This is an extra session, taken out of students’ recreation and dinner time.  Dinner will be provided at the seminar by the FTE.)

Registration Steps:

  1. To enroll in Economics 1310, go to the FTE/UCCS portal at http://www.uccs.edu/lases/fte-online.html Scroll through the course listings until you find the Economics for Leaders listing for the site you will attend.
    • Download the registration instructions using the link below the registration deadline for your course site.  Follow the directions in the attached file.  Note that this is a several step process which may take a week to 10 days; you must first apply to and be accepted by the UCCS Extended Studies program.  The pdf download  gives step-by-step instructions.  Follow them carefully. NOTE the registration deadline.  Registration must be complete (not just started)  by the UCCS deadline.  Give yourself plenty of time.
  • After completing registration and payment, and no more than 2 days after the UCCS registration deadline, email the following information to Joyce Gordon at jgordon@fte.org:
  1. Your full name (as registered with UCCS)
  2. Your UCCS student number
  3. Date of your UCCS tuition payment
  4. EFL site you will attend
  5. Mailing address where you would like textbook sent
  • You will receive the textbook and sign-on instructions for the online test site in the mail, at the mailing address you’ve specified.

The registration deadline for UCCS credit opens May 1.

Remember that you must complete the assignment AND pass the test BEFORE you arrive at EFL.  If you don’t notify the FTE office of your registration by the deadlines, you may not receive The Economics of Public Issues in time to complete the required reading and take the test.

We’re excited to be able to offer high school students the chance to earn college credit at a very low cost and we look forward to your participation.  We think you’ll enjoy The Economics of Public Issues and your first taste of the kind of discussion and interaction you’ll experience in college.

Program Assignment:  EFL Summer 2013

  • Participate in a Socractic seminar discussion of The Economics of Public Issues on Monday of the EFL program.  (Check your program schedule for place and time.  The discussion will be run by one of the FTE staff teachers on site.)
    • Bring your book to the program. As indicated above, this is a text-referenced discussion.   You are expected to come with your underlines, margin notes, stickees, dog-earned corners and questions, prepared to actively participate in the seminar.

Sample Questions: The sample questions below are similar to those you will find on the exam. Study the concepts that are highlighted in bold print throughout the book, but remember that will be asked to apply the concept – do some economic reasoning – rather than to just select a definition.

  1. You are stuck at home watching an old movie with your parents when a friend calls and asks to meet at the coffee shop to study. What is the opportunity cost of meeting your friend?
    • the price of the gas to get to the coffee shop and the price of your drink
    • there is no cost as you were feeling “stuck” at home
    • the chance to watch the old movie with your parents
    • the better grade you’d get if you studied on your own
  2. What was the result of export quotas and emergence of a cartel in the Soviet caviar industry?
    • the price of caviar rose
    • the price of caviar fell
    • the demand for caviar rose
    • the deamand for caviar fell
  3. With respect to increasing police presence, the elasticity of violent crime is -1 and the elasticity of property crime is -.4. Which of the following is not true?
    • A city that increases its police presence by X% can expect X% decline in violent crime.
    • A city reduces violent crime by X% can reduce its expenditures on policing by X%.
    • Increasing police presence by X% will have a greater impact on violent crime than on property crime.
    • The “supply” of voilent crime is more responsive to police presence than the supply of property crime.
  4. Which of the following is an example of revealed preferences?
    • when airline prices rose over the summer, more families opted for driving vacations
    • Gallup poll results indicated that consumers will opt for more fuel-efficient models on their next car purchases
    • analysis expect the increase in medical insurance premiums will reduce the demand for insurance
    • restaurants offered more vegetarian options in the aftermath of the mad cow disease scare
  5. What would be the likely economic outcome of allowing a market for transplant organs?
    • the number of transplants would increase, bankrupting Medicare and Medicaid
    • there would be an increase in criminal harvesting of organs from unwilling “donors”
    • medical insurance would raise the price of transplant operations, making them a luxury of the rich
    • the price would drastically reduce activity in the black market for organs
  • Miller, Benjamin & North introduce the concept of marginal analysis in Ch. 4, “Flying the Friendly Skies.” Think about the role that marginal analysis plays in the decisions you make every day. Specifically, how does marginal thinking apply to the issues of health and diet raised in chapter 3?
  • FA Hayek calls the price system a “marvel” in part for the information included in price. (Use of Knowledge in Society). In Part 3 the authors analyze several issues relating to labor markets. Consider the role that prices (wages) play in labor markets and the public issues they raise. What information does the price convey to the buyers in that labor market? To sellers? Identify a specific policy (tax, price control, regulation) from Part 3. What affect would that policy have on price and what signal or information would that convey to buyers and sellers in that market?